laird387 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Hi, Another trials model that was very much part of the pre-65 scene historically was the Cotton, initially Villiers powered. Just such a machine was regularly ridden by Jon Bliss who started his riding career as a 16-year old in 1959. Some of his early rides were on a Cotton trialler, as seen here. Enjoy, Edited January 15, 2014 by laird387 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) Hi, Almost the definitive early Cotton trialler photograph was of Max King testing the bike supplied by Pat Onions at the factory for tests in the motorcycling magazines of the day, Enjoy Edited January 15, 2014 by laird387 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi, Another regular rider of the Cotton models, that were manufactured in Gloucester, was Colin Dommett. Seen here with a head of steam in the 1964 John Douglas trial. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi, Because of the personal relationship between Pat Onions of Cotton and various other midlands connections, Cotton were offered a Villiers Starmaker very early on to evaluate - here is Colin Dommett again, with the Cotton Starmaker. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks2 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 (edited) The bike Max King is testing was the last of the Villiers powered Cottons (1967/1968). And very well regarded today. Villiers 37a engine Heavyweight MP forks Edited January 15, 2014 by sparks2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillary Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 So, I have to dig out some Cotton pics of me now! Tomorrow sometime or maybe Friday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hi Guys While I was at North Bar Garage, I had the task of building up a pair of CoTTon trials bikes in 1966_67 The same bike has Max is testing, These were for identical twin brothers from Banbury , and there father used to pester me on a daily basis, making sure I was building the bikes up right. When built I had to test the bikes , and give instruction to the twins ,on the art of trials riding. I later went on to marry there young sister, mother of Lee and Ross, and now Brian and my nephew Stuart who live in the wonderful Isle of Man, still ride my trials bikes when they are not road racing around the island. The Bedford Boys, many tales could be told !!!! Happy Days. Regards Charlie. ...www.bsaotter.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Any idea what dates the photo of Max and the second one of Colin were taken. Both appear to be 1967/68 but the reg numbers on both bikes are way earlier than that. Interestingly, the bike that Jon Bliss is on and the first one that Colin is pictured on have consecutive reg numbers (from what I can make out of Jon's that is) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Hi woody, Sadly that is an area in which my archive fails, unless the image was stated by the photographer to have been taken at a certain dated event ! I would never consider using any registration number on any of the manufacturers' own works bikes as a time pointer, as it were, because they used to swop them around in an almost random fashion. As a point of interest the regd. no. on Jon Bliss' bike was 458DFH. Cheers. Edited January 16, 2014 by laird387 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Hi, Another Cotton team rider in action, Johnny Draper seen riding in the 1961 Kickham trial. Photographed by Gordon Francis. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laird387 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Hi, Micky Smith with his own Cotton riding in the 1961 Cotswold Cups trial the year that Johnny Draper switched to Cotton and promptly won this very trial. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks2 Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Woody My best guess would be that Max King was testing the new model of Cotton for one of the weeklies and that would be in late 1966. I know, I know, 'where's the D suffix to reg number' ? I can only assume that who ever was putting the sticky numbers on ran out of space and time was pressing. Or the D suffix sticky number came unstuck and from the camera angle you just can't see the space left. I don't think, at the time, number plate snobbery had had sufficient time to develop to the extent it has today. Anyway, it could only have had a 'D' , 'E' , or 'F' suffix. That model Cotton had an interesting colour scheme - green frame, red tank. The second Domment photo shows a Starmaker powered Cotton with a suffix 'B' reg. My best guess would be that this was taken 1964 / 1965 when the bike was nearly new. The Starmaker was not a success as a trials engine. Hope this helps. Kind Regards Sparks Edited January 16, 2014 by sparks2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Hi Guy's, You are right Sparks Green Frame Red Tanks. Has I said I built two of them up from the kits they were supplied in , that old tax fiddle of the time. Do you know I think the two were D plate that I built. I know Brian has a photo of his. I will ring him, to find out. OK. Edit Fri 17th. ************************** I have confirmed with Brian that the reg of there bikes was "F" making them 1967 "NBW1**F was one and i think the other followed on. Regards Charlie www.bsaotter.com Edited January 17, 2014 by charlie prescott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparks2 Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Cheers Sparks I thought the Max King picture was later than the reg suggested but then wondered if that model Cotton could have been introduced earlier than I thought. If not I thought they may have just used a reg number of an older works bike If Colin's Starmaker picture is from 64/65 (B reg is 1964) I was just wondering about those forks and whether they were fitted to the bike from new...... and in which case, Pre65 rules... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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