Classic bike features, books, buyers guides, specifications, events and features from Sump.

▲ Left to right Kevin Rushworth, Cliff Rushworth and Johnny Giles at the opening of Ace Classic's new shop at Lee, London on Saturday 24th November 2012. Ace Classics, for those not-in-the-know is THE home of pre-unit Triumphs, and ex-ISDT Triumph man Johnny Giles was THE man asked to cut the ribbon. Cliff and Kevin Rushworth know pretty much all there is to know about post-war pre-unit Triumph twins. Ace Classics buys 'em, sells 'em, restores 'em, and remanufactures parts to original or superior quality. Visit them sometime, and make sure you bring your wallet and a van. If you've got any blood left in your veins, you'll be buying and taking something home. www.aceclassics.co.uk

£6975 Triumph Tiger Cub, sold!
Ray "Dalek" Cusick: 1928-2013
Triumph Speed Triple R "Dark"
Despatches. Free eBook from Sump
Bonhams' Grand Palais "success"
Le breathalyser fines "postponed"
Government set to scrap 80mph speed limit hike plan
Driving test interpreters for the chop?
Reg "Wild Thing" Presley: 1941-2013
Bonhams Paris Grand Palais Sale 2013
New licence withdrawal powers

January 2013 Classic bike news

Freddie Williams: 1926-2013
Where's the Gaffer's Gallop film?
Andy Tiernan's ebay warning
2013 Triumph Rocket 3 Roadster
Insulting to be made legal again
One hundred years of Aston Martin
$480,000 1939 BMW Rennsport
Burtons' Triumph TRW register
James Austin's Classic Shows
Winter Restoration Show 2012
2013 Triumph Tiger Sports 1050
Winter Classic Bike Guide Show

December 2012 Classic bike news

Royal Enfield Musket revamped
Gerry Anderson: 1929-2012
Triumph Rocket Three dream bike
Bonhams' Ace hemi-head prototype
Petition to save Earls Court
Alex Moulton: 1920-2012
1st Southern Off Road Show, 2012
End of the UK tax disc?
Ultra-rare 1905 Leo to Bonhams sale
Dave Brubeck: 1920-2012
Italian Matchless's on the way?
Two Royal Enfield custom kits

November 2012 Classic bike news

Free British scooter exhibition at the Coventry Transport Museum
Ace Classics 2013 calendar out now
Johnny Giles opens new Ace shop

New Hughie Hancox book

Classic Stones 2012 line-up reunion

Futuristic sidecar sculpture art sale

National Trust Jenkins calls for UK
traffic light cull

French mayor set to ban classics?

Cool new Royal Enfield T-shirt

Steve McQueen's Husky to sell

Roy Price: 1929-2012

First radial tyres for classics

Police Runlock system rolls out

Pointless road sign cull

MOT shake-up for pre-1960s classics

New 2013 Royal Enfield Cafe Racer?

October 2012 Classic bike news

New Sump BEEZA GEEZA T-shirt

Rare 110-year old 1902 Rambler

Daytime "classic" LED running light

MBH goes into administration

VMCC Christmas Laverda raffle

"Old Bill" Brough auction record

Grindlay-Peerless hits £67,580

French breathalyser kit fines delayed

Ken Heanes: 1934-2012

Keanu Reeves launches bike firm

New Norton Commando Roadster side panels

The Right On Andrew Mitchell, MP

Barn find Brough & "Black Bess"

H&H's "no reserve" Brough to sell

Classic TT festival plans revealed

Offensive T-shirt man is jailed

Jimmy won't fix this

September 2012 Classic bike news

New wheel clamping regulations,
and more...

2011 Drink-driving deaths spike

Time to arm the British police?

Triumph's Jubilee Bonnie donation

Green light for cyclists?

Exmoor auction nets £667,128

New classic bike/car E-petition

Hyde Bonneville SE brake upgrade

Mike Ellis Memorial Run

French High Viz jacket confusion

Penning goes to Northern Ireland

Digital "Chronometric" clocks

August 2012 Classic bike news

"Bits Stuck Anywhere" archive film
Norton jumps US approval hurdle
Scott McKenzie: 1939-2012
Mick Hemmings' racing retirement
Exmoor Museum Collection to sell
British unemployment? Go figure
Adventure Travel Film Festival 2012
New style Euro MOT mooted
Alton eKit starters for the Norton Commando and Velo
Brighton Speed Trials reminder
AEB Auto braking is "imminent"
Sunbeam S7 video
Matlock Bath parking petition

July 2012 Classic bike news

Triumph Model H & BSA Bantam videos
Maurice Seddon's bikes for sale
Harwood cleared
Watsonian to mark its centenary
2012 VMCC Banbury Run report
VMCC competition winner
V5C "log book" warning
Battastini shut the shop, and go online
Jon Lord: 1941-2012
Founders Day is postponed
Royal Enfield's American growth
Win a Triumph 675 Street Triple
John "Jack" Difazio: 1914-2012
Martin Squires' Sketchbook
Hyde Bonneville luggage rack
BSA A65 complete alloy clutch
Triumph's new Trophy 1200 tourer

June 2012 Classic bike news

Andover Norton Commando gearboxes
Cameron's British licence plan
Glen English AJS-7R. £2,625. Sold
French breath test kit warning
New fixed penalties planned
Eddie Rickenbacker Quail sale
Norton wins Motul team award...
Michigan repeals helmet law. Partly.
Superbike up for sale. Again.
"Drugalysers" in use by 2013

May 2012 Classic bike news

Ted Simon's new book
SatNav death verdict: "accidental"
Hyde Bonneville America pegs
Raleigh Chopper designer dies
Rare Triumph TSX on eBay
Robin Gibb: 1949-2012
MOT scrapped for pre-1960s vehicles
Rare Crossley SD42 bus restored
Carroll Shelby: 1923-2012
Funky Made in Britain sidecars get MP approval
Honda dealers are revolting...
California dealer sales tag woes
Triumph top of the league again
The shape of bikes to come?
Texting drivers insurance woes
Save the British pub

April 2012 Classic bike news

H&H Duxford sale lacks lustre

Bert Weedon: 1920-2012

Norton set to race at the 2012 IOM Senior TT

Three Crockers head for Stafford

New Genuine Sump T-shirt - £15.00

Antique Bike Day at "mythical Montlhery"

H&H Hurricane to sell at Duxford

80th Royal Enfield birthday party

Dirt Quake: motorcycle mayhem

Radical new parking tax introduced

Continental wax cotton jacket from
Chequered Flag

Thames water "pride" initiative

2012 Festival of 1000 Bikes

Jim Marshall, OBE: 1923-2012

New Triumph Bonneville T-shirt

Frank "Radco" Farrington has died

Think Bike, Think Biker "a success"

Supercool Sump "Goggles" T-shirt

1939 Triumph Speed Twin on eBay

The Humber Bridge scraps bike tolls

March 2012 Classic bike news

Ex-Brian Verrall Vincents to sell

Somerset targets faceless bikers

£80,000 Brough Superior SS120

An end to rural petrol stations?

Interesting BSA WM20 3-wheeler

Jampot Spares scheme has rebranded
Interphone Motion Cam
Willie G Davidson retires
Big release of US oil reserves expected
BSA M20 & M21 T-shirt—£15.95

Mick Walker: The ride of my life

British bike magazines losing sales

Bonhams Bristol Sale: Sold out. Almost

February 2012 Classic bike news

Brightspark "EasyCap" Condensor C03

"Autopilot cars within 10 years"

Derek and Don Rickman: The Métisse Story

Norton Transformer video

DVLA set to close all regional offices by 2013

In search of Mr Nelk

1,000,000 UK drivers are aged 80+
Spare some change for the BNP?
Drivesafe goes live
Dennis Slaughter gets an MBE
"Time warp" c1917 BSA 4¼hp sold at Bonhams' February Paris Sale
OEC-Anzani replica outfit
Girder Fork & Classic Motor Cycle Club
Kevin Schwantz to ride at the 2012 Festival of 1000 Bikes

January 2012 Classic bike news

AP Racing brake calipers are back on sale.
But not just yet ...
BMW to fit Datatags as standard
£65.72 KLG spark plug (and tin) on eBay
London Mayor Johnson opens Red Route bus lanes to bikers, permanently
8th Hotrod Hayride
Daylight saving bill thrown out
"Mandatory French high-visibility vests" to be replaced by armbands?
"Dayglo" e-petition gathers support
France bans SatNav speed camera warnings
Eighty bikers quiz MEP Pete Skinner
South of England RealClassic Show & Bikejumble Sunday 11th March
Du Pont Vegas sale hits $1 million
"High visibility jackets" to become
compulsory in France
New Tiger Cub on the way?
New winter classic show gets off to
a warm start
New Raleigh bicycle book
Continental time for British bikers?
MEP Pete Skinner's biking surgery
Triumph to build bikes in India
Carole Nash free iPhone app(lication)
VMCC July-Dec competition winner
"Wrong way" cycling to be legalised?
Dealer decals from Val Emery

Sump news archive

We've got plenty more classic bike news for you to enjoy. Check out the links below.

December 2011

November 2011

October 2011

September 2011

August 2011

July 2011

June 2011

May 2011

April 2011

March 2011

February 2011

January 2011

December 2010

November 2010

October 2010

September 2010

August 2010

11th Knebworth Show

We showed up, and they didn't sling us out...

Triumph Speed Twin & Tiger 100 buyer's guide

It's been said many times, and with justification, that the public doesn’t know what it wants until it sees it. So it was with the seminal 498cc Triumph Speed Twin, launched at the London Motorcycle Show at Olympia in November 1937 ... (read more)

BSA M20 buyers guide

The BSA M-Series sidevalves (M20 and M21) were introduced in 1937 and owe their existence to the draughting pen of a certain Valentine (Val) Page—the same highly-talented ex-JAP and ex-Ariel designer responsible for machines suchas the technically creditable (if stylistically wanting) Triumph 6/1, the redoubtable BSA Gold Star and, not least, a wide range of highly underrated Ariel singles ...
(read more)

Royal Enfield Bullet

The Royal Enfield Bullet is like a great stage show that just runs on and on, season after season, year after year, moving from town to town, continent to continent, easily understood and enjoyed by whoever’s gluteus maximus occupies the best seat in the house ...
(read more)

Sunbeam S7 & S8

When the 1946 Sunbeam S7 was unveiled to the post-war biking public, it was one of the most technically advanced motorcycles of its age. With its all-aluminium, "unit construction", single overhead-camshaft, horizontally split engine, it also boasted shaft drive, a smooth power delivery and numerous other technical refinements that ensured it was going to be a massive hit ... (read more)

Judy Westacott, 1928 Douglas

“This Douglas has a three speed ‘box with a hand change – which means you’re handicapped against the foot-change riders who can click-click-click through the gears without losing precious time.

“I shaved two seconds off my quarter mile time by mastering ‘cross tank’ changes - where you reach across the tank with your left hand to change gear allowing you to snap the throttle open with your right while the left is still making its way back to the bar. A foot-operated clutch prevents any damage to the gearbox... (read more)

▲ Back to the top

The fun starts here...

We've gone into the movie business—in a very minor way.
Not content to amuse ourselves with creating the numerous free classic bike pages seen here on Sump, we decided to try our hand at other media.

Unsurprisingly, our first efforts are a little amateur. That's partly because we are amateur, and partly because the UK Film Council and the various National Lottery committees all turned down our request for a £100,000 grant with which we were hoping to buy a couple of Panaflex cameras, a lighting rig, some sound recording equipment, and a canteen wagon.

Stingy, huh?

So we had to make do with the equipment we had at hand—which was a couple of ancient digital cameras that had been kicking around in a box in the garage along with some other basic junk.

Additionally, the video editing software we had was primitive in the extreme, and took some figuring out. And pretty much everything we knew about the movies was the view as seen from behind a box of popcorn.

But hey, we managed to knock up a few rushes (that's, er, movie speak, you understand), and we bought a roll of Sellotape to stitch it all together. And now the footage is on the web for all the world to see.

It looked good when we originally test screened it (that's, er, more movie speak). But now that a couple of weeks have elapsed, we can see all the cracks and have spotted a dozen ways it could have been done better. Re-editing is an option. In fact, we already re-edited one of the videos. But then we decided to leave well alone. You live and learn, etc. You move on.

Anyway, now we've got the movie making bug in a big way, and we're learning new tricks all the time—and we've got plenty of ideas in the bag that will come out sooner or later. Meanwhile, if you want to take a look at our videos, here are the links:

Sunbeam S7

We had a few Sunbeam S7 images gathering dust on the desktop and we wanted to see if we could turn them into another YouTube video. Why? Why the hell not? It's what you do, ain't it? You fool around, you try something and—hey!—another baby is born. Well here's our Sunbeam S7 baby. Check it out if you've got a few minutes to donate. It ain't as bad as some out there.

http://youtu.be/4Y4LM2SMqFw

Triumph Model H "Trusty"

At Sump, we love flat tankers, which was why we couldn't resist a joyride on this one around the Kentish backroads. The bike belongs to classic bike dealer Phil Clarke. The Trusty was built in 1915 and saw action in WW1 France as a despatch rider's mount. We shot at it some more, but with a camera instead of a gun, and the finished assault is three minutes long, plus change. It's a beautiful bike that runs as well as it did when new. We'll soon be putting up a feature on this site. So watch for it. But for now, here are a few frames...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cugqzo6IcaA

BSA D7 Bantam

For this one, we once again teamed up with long-established classic bike dealer Phil Clarke. The bike is his, the video is ours. The results are yours to enjoy. We've got a more in-depth feature on the BSA Bantam elsewhere on this site. The four minute YouTube video, with music by Pat Metheny, is just an appetizer. If you've never considered owning a Bantam, this might help persuade you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpc9kUbd73M

Matchless Silver Hawk

Pat Gill's beautiful OHC, V4, four-speed, hand-change, rear-sprung Matchless was filmed with a budget camera and edited with budget software - but we think we got away with it. This pre-war motorcycle failed to sell in significant numbers. But as an example of 1930s British industrial exuberance, it's hard to equal, let alone beat. The pioneering Collier Brothers really pushed the envelope and took a huge commercial risk with this fabulous bike. You can read about Pat's Matchless Silver Arrow elsewhere on this site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA_G-UYZnD4

Triumph T140 Bonneville

A brief look at the 750cc oil-in-frame Bonnie with an uplifting piece of music from Malcolm Arnold. This video is aimed at viewers with no previous knowledge of the T140 Triumph and want to see what all the fuss is about. Take a look when you've got three minutes and twenty-two seconds to spare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obzF8kEyRLo

BSA WM20

We were goofing around at Southend on Sea, Essex and had the helmet camera running, as ever. It was one of those memorable days that you just don't want to let go of. So we didn't. This video is the first part of our homebound trip to the Smoke. That's all. Nothing to get excited about. And a jazz fusion soundtrack will keep you entertained if the pictures don't do it for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAVFYYt_UuE

BSA WM20

This video is a kind of war story—as told from the saddle of a BSA WDM20. It might interest someone out there. The music is a little haunting. You might enjoy that too. Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMhEDiHd69g

Try to remember

This one's a little different. It's not necessarily about classic
bikes, and not necessarily about bikes at all. It's about life and death and eternity. If nothing else, it will make you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RMo4r19AY

Edward Turner Blue Plaque

Meanwhile, we were chuffed to be present at the October unveiling of a Blue Plaque commemorative award made to Mr Edward Turner, the man who put Triumph Motorcycles firmly on the international map—and didn't do Ariel any harm, either. Overall, that was a pretty good day, and a day that was long overdue. You can read all about it by or clicking here: Edward Turner Blue Plaque, or by clicking on the blue
plaque above.

BSA B50 eBook

Meanwhile, we created another little eBook on the BSA B50. It was a long time coming, but it might interest B50 fans. You can find it by going to the BSA B50 page link on the right and scrolling down the page. It's there somewhere. Or you can go directly to the eBook by clicking here: BSA B50 eBook. Your computer ought to flag a warning about this, note. That's because it's an .exe file, which means that it's an executable program. But it's safe to download. Either trust us, or don't trust us. If your computer doesn't flag a warning, you need to check your system and/or get some virus protection software.

T140 Bonneville & TR7 Tiger buyer's guide

Our little A5 softcover guide to the T140 has been selling well. In fact, we ran out of copies (twice) and had to rush out a second edition (with one or two minor revisions). North America seems to be a strong market for this publication, but we're posting them off to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa—and a surprisingly large number to Germany, Sweden, France and Spain.

You'll find a link to this book at the top of this page. Feedback has been terrific, and quite a few people have come back for second helpings (gifts, probably). Anyway, get yours while they're available.

BSA Golden Flash eBook

The printed book isn't dead. Not by a long way. But eBooks are in the ascendancy, and rightly so. There's a lot to be said for them in terms of convenience, cost effectiveness, and distribution. Also, you can correct them on the fly when readers point out the errors of your ways. With all this in mind, and other considerations, we threw together this little homage to the BSA A10 Golden Flash. But stop! Don't put your hand in your pocket and tease out that wallet until you've checked it out properly. Click on the book cover and whisk yourself off to our Golden Flash eBook page and make sure it's what you want. We think you might be pleasantly surprised.

Classic bike trade talk

We see that the economy is still a bloody mess and is still hitting the classic bike trade hard. Sure, dealers are reporting being busier than ever. But that isn't the same as making money.

All the signs are that next year is going to get even tougher, and there will be more losses.

But let's not talk it all the way down, because one way or the other, most of us are going to come through it. However, if you're looking for new parts for your classic bike, how about doing what you can to support your local bike shop?

Sure, if you're on a tight budget, you're naturally going to go to the cheapest source. But cheapest is rarely the best, and budget parts can cost you a lot of money in the long term. Just try and spare a few coppers for the non virtual trade that's an essential part of the classic bike community.

That's it. I'm off. I can feel another movie coming on. So until next year, it's lights, camera and action...

Etc.