laird387 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi, Another member, eventually, of the AMC group was the very long established manufacturer Francis-Barnett of, if memory serves me right, Coventry. They had quite a successful trials history, including success in several ISDT events. One of their less successful efforts was created when they decided to stop using Villiers power and manufacture their own two-stroke single. Just such a machine is seen in the hands of works rider John Roberts - sadly we used the image in ORR when we passed on the sad news that he had contracted cancer and after treatment at Christie's in Manchester was convalescing. The main trouble with the AMC motor was the overall width across the crankshaft level - no problem on a road bike maybe - but deadly on the trialler. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz thumper Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Hi, Another member, eventually, of the AMC group was the very long established manufacturer Francis-Barnett of, if memory serves me right, Coventry. They had quite a successful trials history, including success in several ISDT events. One of their less successful efforts was created when they decided to stop using Villiers power and manufacture their own two-stroke single. Just such a machine is seen in the hands of works rider John Roberts - sadly we used the image in ORR when we passed on the sad news that he had contracted cancer and after treatment at Christie's in Manchester was convalescing. The main trouble with the AMC motor was the overall width across the crankshaft level - no problem on a road bike maybe - but deadly on the trialler. Enjoy. Less succesful, you can say that again what an understatment !! As a skinny youth I wound up with one around 1962 if I recall rightly. It was a horribly heavy lump and as you say very wide, In the muddy trials around the midlands when things got ruts cut in by other bikes it would wedge itself neatly across the crankcase and weighing it seemed about the same as a 350 AJS it was not something that you aviated the front end and did a mono on ! However the worst part was the extrodinary ability of the motor to run backwards at the drop of a hat, bloody thing had two goes at killing me before I got rid of it. With no reed valve and the port timing used it could be popping away on tickover and kick off backwards and you could not hear any difference. Sounds I know an exageration but it was true, for party trick you could ride slowly at a suitable large tree and as the forks compressed ( the Norton Road holder forks were the only useful thing on the bike!) the motor would stall and as the forks unloaded it would fire up backwards and you could reverse from the tree !! The first attempt on my life was at the old Greetwell quarry in Lincoln, backed to the edge of about a 15ft face waiting to enter the section that was a short steep climb with little run up, motor never stopped, just tickinng over, observer waved me in,I dropped into second, big rev, dumped the clutch and shot straight back over the face !!! It is not a good feeling because you can't get off the bike, you slide forward on the tank to the bars and vanish back with your nose on the front guard. The second time was on a "widow maker" type hill climb at Alkborough on the Humber bank, didnt quite make the crest and as I grabbed the front brake whilst sliding back the bloody thing fired up and powered me back down the hill again with me hanging over the bars - Never road it again after that. By comparison the TFS Greeves in 1965 was an engineering marvel !! Edited January 15, 2014 by oz thumper 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi Guy's. Hi Deryk. See what you have started?? With tales like this from OZ, nice one mate, and I do know what they were like. We had a guy with one who worked in the same agricultural engineers at the time. We all had trials bikes with more pictures of them on the walls than the tractors we were suppose to work on? Foreman away for ten minuets , we were all working on our bikes hidden about the old hanger workshop. Max Drabble went off to OZ eventually , I think he needed a rest from us boys with trials bikes, he was a big old boy and we made him practice with us most sunday mornings, and like has be said the Fanny Bee he owned was a disaster. Go on for ever now Deryk. Regards Charlie. www.bsaotter.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi Guy's. Hi Deryk. See what you have started?? With tales like this from OZ, nice one mate, and I do know what they were like. We had a guy with one who worked in the same agricultural engineers at the time. We all had trials bikes with more pictures of them on the walls than the tractors we were suppose to work on? Foreman away for ten minuets , we were all working on our bikes hidden about the old hanger workshop. Max Drabble went off to OZ eventually , I think he needed a rest from us boys with trials bikes, he was a big old boy and we made him practice with us most sunday mornings, and like has be said the Fanny Bee he owned was a disaster. Go on for ever now Deryk. Regards Charlie. www.bsaotter.com I'm supposed to be servicing and repairing Land Rover products on a daily basis to earn a living.... My workshop also is home to all my trials bikes.Its amazing how often my mind is drawn away from "work" to trials bikes... Very tempting to ignore a horrible problem with a Range Rover to go and spend some nice time sorting out my bikes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Hi, Sorry about the quality of reproduction - but the original image was a simple family photograph taken well over eighty years ago! It shows a young lad, Les Chew, about to set off on his first reliability trial, the 1931 Ilkley Grand National - and reported for ORR in 1994 by my good friend - and another who is devoted to telling the story of our sport as it really was, Barry Robinson. Les is riding a 196cc Francis-Barnett. Enjoy. Edited January 24, 2014 by laird387 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) Hi, Did you know that Arthur Dovey had a works Francis-Barnett as a youngster? The proof is 'in the pudding', as they say, so here he is in the 1961 Perce Simon. Enjoy. Edited February 21, 2014 by laird387 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Hi, Another sad memory, David Clegg was a talented trials rider, good enough to win a works ride with Francis-Barnett, but was killed in an accident. Here is David in the 1961 Knut Trophy. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 Hi, Arthur Dovey, with his works Francis-Barnett, in his favourite event the Perce Simon. Unfortunately when Arthur was a youngster his finances didn't run to a new Barbour suit but a solution was found. “Mum went to Salisbury market and bought a roll of dark blue vinyl cloth” said Arthur. “She used my pyjamas as a pattern and made a suit for me.” It worked well - and you'll never find a more helpful rider when times are hard than Arthur Dovey. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Hi, Waiting in a queue in the 1992 Captain's Trial round of the British Bike championship organised by the Yorks Classic club are President of the Yorkshire Flat-earth Society (to those not resident in the West Riding this refers to the fact that he came from Selby on the Plain of York) Gordon Wray on his Francis-Barnett and, on the Ariel, Barry Pickard. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guys Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for this great serie about all the old bikes, love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Hi, Lanky Vic Ashford aboard his 250 AMC engined Francis-Barnett waves a wary left leg, watched by some old and young spectators, in the 1962 National Dick Farquharson Trial. He dropped 51marks to finish 7th best in an entry of 88 solos, which gained him a First Class Award. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guys Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Great picture with the spetators in the background Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisby Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 yes three grannys and three grandsons watching? I like the goggles but no head protection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Hi, It will probably amaze everyone but as someone brought up before the days of crash helmets, riding well before and then through the time that they became compulsory in trials, they felt downright dangerous to me - and I was never really happy trialling in one. Yes, we happily used them on the roads and always when we scrambled in the summer months - but in trials you got used to watching out for overhead branches and the like - and you could hear much better - so you felt you had lost that awareness. Equally nobody could find any examples of riders who had suffered any head injuries in trials - so it seemed a bit pointless at the time. Nowadays, obviously, everybody has worn them each time out on the bike - so they would feel lost without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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