Restorations

Below you will read about some of the classic motorcycles we have acquired, renovated and ridden.

As ever, the workshop has been a hive of activity, and alongside projects destined for display in the museum we also help owners improve their BSA B40 and Triumph Tiger Cub trials bikes, and we can create new ones whenever a donor machine is available. Also our own bikes need regular maintenance which keeps Sammy and Bob busy!

Completed restorations in the past include the fascinating and unique Haythorn; a home built machine with an overhead camshaft, oil cooled, four-cylinder engine, and a novel two-speed transmission utilising two different chains drives to the rear wheel. The Museum’s re-creation of the Haythorn purrs along beautifully and shows just how advanced it was.We’ve also restored an ultra-rare matching pair of pre-War HRDs – a 500cc single cylinder Meteor and a 1000cc Rapide. The smaller machine is one of the first HRD-Vincents with an in-house engine, developed in a couple of months after proprietor Phillip Vincent became disenchanted with the JAP engines used previously. The larger motorcycle is one of the small number of twins made before the war, setting new standards for performance and sophistication.

Also the Grindlay Peerless, this remarkable machine has a sleeve valve engine – where the cylinder liner oscillates to open and close the valves – and it was donated to the Museum by none other than John Gindlay, the son of the firm’s founder.

Sporting machines include a TT Blackburn Cotton, which has loads of authenticated history.  Also the REG special. This private enterprise by Reg Geeson is a renowned double overhead camshaft twin-cylinder racer that was used by stars like John Surtees, Derek Minter and John Hartle.

OK Supreme 250cc 1933 - Lighthouse Model - This bike was made by OK Supreme in Birmingham and is a very rare bike. It has a 250cc overhead camshaft and a 3 speed Burman gearbox. It is called the Lighthouse model due to the window at the top of the camshaft housing, which enables checking the oil supply. In the 1933 T.T the Factory raced the 250cc but without success.

ABC Skootamota 125cc 1919 - This was made at Brooklands and was the first scooter for ladies and gents which was easy transport, small and lightweight.
It was designed by Granville Bradshaw and made by A.B.C Motors Ltd. Some were used for wireless and other purposes.

DKW - 1953, 3 Cylinder, 350cc two stroke, 5 speed gear box and a 6 gallon fuel tank. This is a very thirsty racer as raced by Siefried Wunche and August Hobl.

RCS - Robert (Bob) Collier Special - Bob made six of these bikes using BSA M20 running gears. The Austin 7 engine has a air cooled barrel head. This is a very interesting bike and runs like a dream!

REX Acme E9 - 1929, 750cc SV Jap V Twin Model E/9. The gear box on this machine is of a heavy weight, its has 3 speeds. the petrol tank is 2.5 gallons.
There is only one other E9 known in Germany

The AJS 1928 In Line Four Cylinder Prototype which is the only known model has now been fully restored and is on display.

In May we had the find of the Century, Gordon Jackson’s winning SSDT Machine, the one he rode for 6 days with only 1 dab.  Registration number: 187 BLF.  This had disappeared for 40 years but luckily Sammy tracked it down and he had Gordon here vetting the machine who was thrilled to catch up with old bike. After some serious work the machine is now finished and looks great!

Our 50cc 4 Cylinder Mitchell is now finished and is on display in the Museum.

A 1965 genuine Sammy Miller Bultaco Sherpa will be ready soon, and we would like it to be swapped with another.

A very rare and interesting bike is now displayed in the Museum as it has just been finished, a 1921 250cc Jap New Imperial.

We are also in the middle of restoring a Norton CS1 and a 1914 Veteran Zenith......

The Rickman CR Triumph has now been completed and is ready for testing, as the Rickman Metisse was designed and made only a mile from the Museum we have always searched for one and were lucky enough to find this one in a genuine, if not, sorry state!