The Café Racer Phenomenon (Those were the days … series)

Evening Time is Reading Time...














Features:




• The rebellious spirit of the '50s!

• Foreword by Paul Dunstall

• Personal memories of the '60s/'70s UK Café Racer scene

• Previously unpublished pictures

• Unique prototypes and specials

• World-beating motorcycles, made in garden sheds

• Interviews with bike builders including Norman Hyde

• The best and worst Café Racer manufacturers

• Fascinating past advertising

• Global directory of Café Racer information

• The bikes and the people of the Ace Café London today

• The Café Racer’s future in the 21st century.




Description:




The Café Racer is one of the most enduring styles of motorcycle ever created, capturing the rebellious spirit of the '50s. This is a look back at the glory days of the Café Racer, from Friday night dices on the North Circular, through the street specials craze of the Seventies, to the modern day revival.
Synopsis The Café Racer captures the very essence of motorcycling, with its stripped-to-the-bone styling and a timeless blend of cat-quick chassis, matched to a barn-storming engine. From its roots in the ’59 Club, home-brewed specials and the creation of the Triton by Dave Degens, the Café Racer became the must-have Rockers’ motorbike. It then became the template for a new generation of fast road riders in the 1970s, with the rise of Dunstall, Rickman, Seeley and many more bespoke bike builders.The factories jumped on the bandwagon. Machines like the Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I, Ducati 900SS and the MV Agusta 750S all captured the spirit of the Café Racer. Then the slick, super fast, Japanese sport bikes of the 80s came along, and looked set to consign the Café Racer special to the history books.But a revival had to happen. The Ace Café London re-opened, bike builders as diverse as Wakan, Fred Krugger, Nick Gale and Roland Sands all began to create lean, back-to-basics motorcycles, but with their own unique twist on Café Racer heritage. From the Buell 1125 CR to the Guzzi V7 Sport, mainstream modern bikes have also re-discovered their street racing soul.Packed with previously unseen photos, machine profiles, interviews, and personal anecdotes from the glory days of Café Racer culture, this book takes a look at the enduring cult of the Café Racer, in all its ton-up glory.





Additional Information:




Café racers are not production motorcycles, so most machines in the book are essentially hand-built, low volume production models, or home-made specials.




Veloce Publishing




Het ontstaan van de café-racer




De café-racer is een typisch Engels verschijnsel en vlak voor de Tweede Wereld Oorlog kwamen er twee motoren op de markt die van doorslaggevende betekenis zijn geweest voor de ontwikkeling van de café-racers.

Anders gezegd;




zonder deze motoren waren er waarschijnlijk geen café-racers geweest.









In 1937 werd op de motortentoonstelling van Earles Court een nieuw type motorfiets gepresenteerd; de Triumph Speed Twin. Het vernieuwende van deze motor was dat het een staande tweecilinder kopklepper was en in een tijdperk waarin de dienst werd uitgemaakt door ééncilinders en zijkleppers in V-twin-vorm was dat sensationeel nieuws. De Speed Twin was nauwelijks zwaarder of breder dan een ééncilinder, maar was veel soepeler en had meer vermogen.

(Bron: Road Rocket Club)




Paul Frère:




Paul Frère (Le Havre (Frankrijk), 30 januari 1917 - Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Frankrijk), 23 februari 2008) was een voormalig Belgische Formule 1-coureur.

De helaas vorig jaar, 2008 overleden Auto-coureur, Paul Frère

debuteerde vlak na WOII in de eerste na-oorlogse race in België. De race werd weliswaar gereden met motorfietsen maar toch slaagde Frère erin om zijn vooroorlogse 500 cc Triumph Speed Twin als eerste van zijn categorie over de uitstreep te loodsen. Tijdens de oorlog had hij al kunnen oefenen met de Le Mans MGPB Special van een vriend. Deze wagen had ook echt aan de beroemde etmaalrace deelgenomen in 1938 en ’39. In 1949 overtuigde hij Jacques Swaters om samen met hem in de MG deel te nemen aan de 24 Uren van Spa. Met veel zorg lukte het hen toch om de oude MG als vierde in hun klasse te laten eindigen.




(Bron: Wikipedia)

Caféracer is een motorfietsclassificatie:

Het gaat bij caféracers meestal om een tot sportmodel omgebouwde standaardmotor, waarbij aanzienlijke concessies gedaan zijn aan het comfort.Het is genoemd naar The Ace Café, een ontmoetingspunt van motorrijders in Engeland in de jaren vijftig. In de Verenigde Staten worden ze canyon racer genoemd. Caféracers werden vroeger vaak zelf gebouwd bij gebrek aan sportieve uitvoeringen van een motorfiets. Diverse bedrijven waren (en zijn) gespecialiseerd in ombouwsets (Paul Dunstall, Rickman Métisse).

Tegenwoordig wordt vaak samengewerkt met de fabrieken, bijvoorbeeld door Bimota (met Yamaha en Ducati), Buell (met Harley-Davidson) en Hyde (met Triumph). Events voor liefhebbers van caféracers zijn in België de Seventies Cycles Run te Eeklo, maar ook het jaarlijkse treffen 'De Brug' in Leuven (Engels Plein), onder het motto: "Wie het Oude niet begeert, weet niet wat hij mankeert".

In Nederland is er de caféracerdag te Achterveld.

Ook is er in Nederland de Road Rocket Club.


(Bron: Wikipedia)

SO



STEEDS VERASSEND, ALTIJD DICHTBIJ!





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Save the Triumph Bonneville...

Evening Time is Reading Time...




Today we have received the news that the Veloce book Save the Triumph Bonneville – The inside story of the Meriden Workers’ Co-op by John Rosamond has been granted a place in the House of Commons Library courtesy of Hilary Benn MP. The great man himself Tony Benn pictured here at home reading his own personal copy, supplied the foreword for the book. He describes the book as "one of the most important and relevant histories of British industry that I have ever read...and I strongly recommend anyone interested in the future of Britain to read it carefully."




Photo by: Erum Waheed




Written by the ex-Chairman of the workers’ board of directors of the famous Meriden co-op, this is the real story of the last bastion of British motorcycle production following the collapse of the industry.




It’s also the story of a workforce’s refusal to let the Triumph Bonneville die ...




"THE reference book about the Meriden Co-op and one which will be referred to by future historians."






Features

• A unique account of a workforce taking over the factory to save the world's most famous motorcycle, the Triumph Bonneville

• Written by the welder who became chairman of the workers' board of directors

• The most controversial chapter in the history of Triumph and the British motorcycle industry

• The most famous of Labour's/Tony Benn's workers' co-operatives

• John Rosamond was at Meriden under BSA, Triumph, NVT and the Triumph co-op until the bitter end

• An integral part of the decision-making process, John witnessed the final negotiations to save Triumph

• John was the public face of Meriden, often featured in the contemporary press

• This part of Triumph's story has never before been written firsthand

• Previously unpublished photographs from the personal collections of the Meriden workers

• 2009 coincides with the 50th anniversary of the legendary Bonneville





Description

Written by the ex-Chairman of the workers’ board of directors of the famous Meriden co-op, this is the real story of the last bastion of British motorcycle production following the collapse of the industry. It’s also the story of a workforce’s refusal to let the Triumph Bonneville die ...

Synopsis

There is no more famous motorcycle than the Triumph Bonneville, the Bonnie, "the best motorcycle in the world," and the Meriden factory producing this icon was a personal Mecca to fans of the marque. Film stars such as Steve McQueen visited Meriden for their Triumphs. But on the brink of what should have been its biggest ever sales season, the BSA parent company dramatically collapsed. The Conservative government reacted, and Norton-Villiers-Triumph was created. The new owners decided to close down Meriden ... so the workers locked them out.There followed protracted political negotiations, affected all the while by national government changes, ministers’ attitudes, national and international economic conditions and, throughout all this, the world's continuing desire for the Triumph.As much a study of changing sociopolitical attitudes as of an economically traumatic time for both Triumph and the country, socialist John Rosamond's unique position within the workers’ co-operative makes this work a fascinating account of a story never before told from the inside. The reversal of his role from worker to chairman brought with it new responsibilities, bringing home to him the passion that employees, customers and dealers had for Triumph, and how that could keep Meriden from closing and the Bonneville in production. During all these desperate struggles, the Triumph Bonneville became the best-selling motorcycle of its class, winning the coveted Motor Cycle News Motorcycle of The Year award at the end of the seventies. Yet within just a few years of this, Meriden and the Bonnie were finally gone.All the rescue attempts, the lifesaving international orders, and the negotiations for a reprieve with the new Thatcher government are covered here in unique detail, as is the introduction of new models that Meriden hoped would attract a 'white knight'. Lavishly illustrated with never-before-seen photographs from the personal collections of the factory's workers, this inside-story of Triumph's last years at Meriden is the definitive history of the most famous of the Tony Benn worker's co-operatives.





Independent Reviews

– Nacelle- "A lively glimpse of the Midlands of the 70s. ****"

– Coventry Telegraph- "Any devotee of the British industry must read this book published by Veloce, which is a landmark publication that will no doubt be studied by scholars and students for many years to come."




– inter-bike.co.uk- "As a case study of how political idealism and industrial realism cannot work together, this is a must for any student. As a book of interest to a classic motorcycle enthusiast, John Rosamond is to be commended."




– Classic Bike Guide - "A densely packed narrative reproducing detailed reports, letter and minutes of meetings from the era that portray an unremitting and unequal struggle against under-funding, economic depression and a collapse in the motorcycle market. It rewards the effort though, and is sure to bring a lump to the throat of all but the most hard-hearted of readers. "

– Triumph World




“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the Triumph.

”Thomas Paine

SO

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Edward Turner Blue Plaque Event

Chief Designer: Edward Turner


A blue plaque has been unveiled in Southwark to the designer
of the most iconic British motorbike ever, the Triumph.




Edward Turner first started designing and building motorbikes
in workshops in Peckham in the 1920s.


Now, as part of the Southwark blue plaques scheme, run by Southwark Council, his contribution to the world of motorbike design has been officially recognised.


Edward Turner junior


A plaque was unveiled by his son, also called Edward Turner,
on Sunday October 25 at 8 Philip Walk in Peckham,
where Edward Turner (Snr) lived in the early 1920s.


Edward Turner was voted for by the residents of Southwark as one of the ten most deserving recipients of a blue plaque in 2007. Among others voted for in that year's competition were Sir Henry Cooper, John Harvard and Anne Shelton.


Cllr Nick Stanton, leader of Southwark Council, said:
"Our blue plaques reveal an amazing richness of history throughout Southwark. Edward Turner is a great example of the wealth of important figures that we're able to honour in this way, and I hope this plaque will remind people for years to come that the man responsible for a truly iconic motorbike lived and worked in this borough.


"Stephen Humphrey, Southwark Council archivist, said:
"Edward Turner was a Southwark boy through and through, and it was here in Peckham where he first started and then developed his career in motorbike design, a career that was to make a name for him across the globe. It was at his own firm, Chepstow Motors, based on Peckham Road, where he built his first motorcycle, and later he went on to design such classics as the Ariel Square Four, the Triumph Speed Twin, and the Triumph Bonneville.


"Notes:


The Southwark blue plaques scheme is run by Southwark Council and is a joint initiative of the council, Southwark News and the Southwark Heritage Association


Edward Turner:


Born at 32 Bronti Place, Walworth and later lived at 87 Rye Hill Park. He was the managing director of Triumph Motorcycles, achieving great commercial success. He designed the Triumph Tiger motorcycles in 1936,
the Triumph Twin Speed of 1937,
the Triumph Thunderbird and
the Triumph Bonneville,
all of which have a world wide following.


(Bron: Interbike)


EDWARD TURNER BLUE PLAQUE EVENT


The weather was fine encouraging mass support on Sunday afternoon and London ITV news covered the event on their 6pm news programme that evening.


Veloce author John Rosamond and Tony Benn were among the guest speakers at the event which marked the unveiling of the Edward Turner plaque by Edward Turner Junior at 8 Philip Walk, Peckham, London SE15.


John Rosamond and Edward Turner Junior.

The Plaque top left


Erum Waheed, whose two year campaign
helped bring about the blue plaque event.


John Rosamond & Mayor of Southwark – Cllr Jeff Hook.



John Rosamond's speech




(Bron: Veloce Publishing)
“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the Triumph.


”Thomas Paine
SO



Steeds verrassend altijd dichtbij
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Edward Turner

At 2pm on Sunday 25th October 2009, a London Borough of Southwark Blue Plaque commemorating Edward Turner's residence at 8 Philip Walk, Peckham , London SE15 will be unveiled by his children - all are welcome to attend.





Veloce Publishing


Edward Turner is known as the designer of the Triumph twin-cylinder motorcycle engine and, by car enthusiasts, as the designer of the excellent Daimler V8s. There was a lot more to Turner than the design of a few outstanding engines and this book tells the whole story. Turner worked his way up to lead the major players in the British motorcycle industry when Britain led the world in two-wheeler production and his Daimler association came about because Daimler was owned at the time by BSA. In depth research and the help of Turner`s family has ensured that the whole story is told.






It is a great story and well told.

(Bron:The Pitstop Bookshop)

Go Your Own Way

(Bron: Rompedas)



Just do it ! :)



“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the Triumph.”

Steeds verassend altijd dichtbij..





The Speed Twin Man




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