KICKSTART OCTOBER 2017 - Vintage Motorcycle Club
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KICKSTART Volume 32 No 10 OCTOBER 2017 The Official Journal of Affliated to The Vintage Motorcycle Club. The Vintage Motorcycle Club Member of S.A.V.V.A. Of the United Kingdom 1
CONTENTS CHAIRMAN’S CHAT ......................................................................................................................... 3 EDITORIAL ....................................................................................................................................... 4 WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS ........................................................................................................ 4 PAST EVENTS................................................................................................................................... 5 CALENDAR OF EVENTS .................................................................................................................... 6 UPCOMING EVENTS ........................................................................................................................ 7 Fairest Cape Tour ........................................................................................................................ 7 Ride in Memory ........................................................................................................................... 7 Kenjara Run ................................................................................................................................. 7 DJ Rally ........................................................................................................................................ 7 CLUB NIGHT -25 September 2017 ................................................................................................... 7 MY LICENSE AND REGISTARTION EXPERIENCE FOR MAC 1436 ........................................................ 8 VELO REUNION 2017 BY A FRIEND OF VOC ................................................................................... 11 2017 VELOCETTE OWNERS CLUB 25th ANNUAL REUNION............................................................. 13 CLASSIFIEDS .................................................................................................................................. 15 FOR SALE ................................................................................................................................... 15 WANTED:................................................................................................................................... 15 SERVICES: .................................................................................................................................. 16 COMMITTEE MEMBERS................................................................................................................. 18 2
CHAIRMAN’S CHAT From the Acting Chairman I know that Peter is doing a great job with the newsletter and we are grateful to him for this. My new concern is does anyone read it as my pleas for committee members and an interested chairman have to date drawn a complete blank!! Looks like we will have to resort to the old navy recruitment methods of press gang and the like! We are facing very challenging time in the life of the club and we will have to answer some serious questions about our future if we are to survive. I for one would be very sorry to see the VMC diminish in importance and stature. On the positive side there are some good things coming up before the holidays and I would like to draw your attention to some of them. Firstly you are all always welcome at the VVC club Sunday which is on the last Sunday of every month and you may not be aware that we now light the Braai fires every club Sunday. It is always a pleasant time to socialise and chat about those things we hold dear such as old bikes and other vehicle so please come and join in. You may notice elsewhere that the VMC is also invited to participate in our annual run to Kenjara Lodge for a Festive lunch and those who have been before will testify to good value and great fellowship. This year the run takes place on 10 December from Broadacres Shopping Centre BUT booking will be essential as we expect a good take up of this one and the Sunbeam club are also invited. You may contact me for regs in this regard and I can email them to you. I have a number of very keen buyers for DJ Bikes so if you have a spare one and are thinking of parting with it please contact me. I don’t make anything out of this in case you wondered and my sole intent is to get more entries for this wonderful event that we need to support fully. The regs are out already and please don’t leave your entry until the last moment as this causes heartache for the organisers and all kind of stress in general. Your bikes should also be made ready by now as the last minute rebuilds in the parking garage in Hillcrest generally don’t get nearly as far as the entrants would have wished so get cracking if you need to! I would also love to hear from you if are prepared to make a bike available to a trustworthy rider who may wish to enter but doesn’t have a machine. We may have some support from the UK as well as I made contact with some folk there who undertook to publicise the run. Despite some of the political and other challenges our country faces right now we still live in one of the best places in the world to enjoy an old motorcycle so keep those wheels turning and enjoy the season. Until next month safe and happy motorcycling and good fellowship within our club. Ian Holmes. 3
EDITORIAL This edition of Kickstart has a distinct Velocette bias. This has little to do with the fact the Editor recently acquired a Velocette and more to do with the recent Velocette reunion and the report back from participants. Although the reunion is not a VMC event, friends of Velocette are always welcome, and this should include most members of VMC. If anyone is particularly interested this marque, visit the VOC homepage, hosted by POMC (www.pomc.co.za) and download their newsletters. Or speak to Kevin Robertson. Next month we hope to feature a trip that Brandon Jarvis made to Lesotho. This will no doubt have a KTM theme. Not all is lost though, for we also hope to publish further motorcycle exploits of Eddie Germiquet, this time on a Triumph Speed Twin. WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Editor We welcome the following members: Dylan Bartram, son of Graham Bartram. Richard Austin, a country member and friend of Dave Watson. Molly Watson, well known to us has re-joined as a family member. Did you know that family members (spouse and minor children) can join for R20? This includes a competition license. 4
PAST EVENTS Rob Pattison Emms The DJ Remembrance Parade was held on 24 September, departing from The James Hall Transport Museum and returning to the same venue for a short service conducted by Eddie Germiquet. Tea, Coffee and snacks were provided by James Smith on behalf of the Friends of the Museum. This event, first held in 2007 is intended to remember past DJ riders. Attendance has fallen off in the later years as it has not been well promoted. The committee has undertaken to address this issue, get the records up to date and plan future events well in advance. Although no fee was levied this year, it is the intention to charge a small fee to cover the cost of plaques and a donation to the Friends of the Museum. D.J. Veteran Parade Rider Parade Rider’s Bike C. Fenwick Ian Storer Ducati C.W. Simmons Eddie Germiquet Triumph E. Rose Gavin Walton BSA F. H. Koening Nicolaas Sim BMW H.J. Thompson J.C. van Rooyen Ariel J. Hodgson Ian Mc Kenzie AJS J.M. Clark Kevin Robertson Velocette Les Sim Neville Smith Triumph M.C. Leeds Martin Davis KTM S. Holm Clive Le Roux BMW W. Arnot Kevin Walton BSA W.H. Mail Peter Vlietstra Velocette 5
CALENDAR OF EVENTS November 5 CMC Club Sunday CMC Germiston 12 – 14 Fairest Cape Tour CVMC Cape Winelands 19 Piston Ring PR Modderfontein 27 Club Night VMC Oaklands December 3 Ride in Memory VMC To be advised 4 Chairmans Cocktail VMC Oaklands 10 Kenjara Run VVC Kromdraai January 2018 ? Swart Brant Run CMC To be advised 7 CMC Club Sunday CMC Germiston 22 Club Night VMC Oaklands Forthcoming Events 2018 T.b.a. Feb. Pre-D.J. Rally CMC Germiston 4 March D.J. Bikes on Show VVC Oaklands 9-10 March VVC D.J. Motorcycle Rally VVC Durban to JHB T.b.a. Century Run 1 April Angela’s Picnic Delta Park Dates, events and locations may change. If anyone has information on changes or additional events that they would like included, please contact Rob Pattison-Emms 6
UPCOMING EVENTS Fairest Cape Tour If you do only one rally a year, this is the one to do. It is held in the winelands of the Western Cape and will run from 12th to 14th November. See www.cvmc.co.za for more details. Ride in Memory On the 3rd December 2017. This is the last VMC ride of the year and normally has a good turnout. If you have not done this ride before, consider doing it this year. Some of us meet in Modderfontein, then ride out to Bapsfontein where we meet the East Rand and/or Pretoria contingent, after which we head off for breakfast. We will keep you updated with further details. Kenjara Run On 10th December 2017. This is a VVC event and VMC members are most welcome. It is a well supported fun run with a good lunch included. Pre-booking is essential as there are limited spaces. Contact Brian Lawlor (bjclawlor@cinet.co.za) for more information. DJ Rally This is the highlight event of our calendar. The next event will be held on 9th and 10th March 2018. The regs are out so get your entry in early. Also consider doing the pre-DJ in February. This is an event organized by CMC and is a good opportunity to blow out the cobwebs. CLUB NIGHT -25 September 2017 Ian Storer Due to the meeting being held on a public holiday only 17 people managed to attend. Apologies received from Mike ward, Brandon Jarvis, Stuart Cunninghame amongst others. However it turned out to be fun. Ian Holmes as Vice Chairman (and barman!) opened the evening with notices of up members’ health and upcoming events plus reports on past events. There was a report of there being 600+ bikes/scooters/cars all setting out on the ‘Distinguished Gentleman’s ride’ taking place in the field next to the VVC car park. Rob Patterson-Emms told his tale of acquiring his circa 1941 BSA M20 barn find formally owned by the General Hertzog family. It has been left in its ‘natural state’ the only ‘new’ piece being the period petrol tank being installed. Rob has just to work on it to get it running Ian Holmes then told us of his experience at the Manx TT in the Isle of Man. His astonishment of how hospitable the people were, the many events and attractions experienced, the variance of motorcycles, from Ariel’s to Zundaps and back again, all the characters he met. Sounds like a trip every motorcycle enthusiast should have on their ‘Bucket lists’ 7
If one has DSTV available then try and catch ‘Classic TT’ on the sports or ignition channel for more visuals. Another good channel is ‘Jay Lenno’s Garage. He often has veteran and more up to date and weird bikes on this show. Please tell us what you want out of a club night, and we as a committee will try and oblige MY LICENSE AND REGISTARTION EXPERIENCE FOR MAC 1436 Mark Broady One would think that getting a 1935 Velocette up and running after 30 odd years in storage would be quite an exercise. But being a Velocette, (fondly known to its owner as MAC 1436), she fired up first kick. It would not be fair to forget to mention that this happened under the knowledge and experience of Kevin Robertson, the Velocette whisperer. Kevin at “work” Anyway, this story is about a far more daunting exercise with no reasonable mechanical solution: Registration and Licensing. I knew that the payments were not up to date. So, armed with a very outdated Registration document, and stubbornness to go through the process myself, I made my first trip to the license department to find out what needed to be done. They confirmed with a neat print out that the bike had de-registered by default, and was in my late father’s name as per the outdated registration documents. What they explained seemed relatively easy. Go to Langlaagte, get police clearance, and then come back again. It was August 4th. At Langlaagte it is a little daunting at first. You initially get flogged by salesmen trying to sell you Veridot deals, or photo packages. As it turns out, you need to take one of the Veridot deal guys up on their offer. This happens across the street where 3 or 4 operators want your business. You pay 8
about R550 for a bike, and the salesman gets a small spotters fee. The guy behind me with a Vespa paid R800, so it pays to bargain a little. You could also go to a Veridot centre elsewhere in JHB. Back at the police clearance area, you fill in the horrible copy of a copy of a copy application form, submit along with a few other documents and wait your turn. This can take 30 to 240 mins. When my turn came, we very quickly established that the registered frame number on the system was a duplicate of the engine number, and not the actual frame number. Problem. For most people at this point you would get your clearance and move onto weigh bridge. For me it was the beginning of a much longer adventure. The logic for me is that at the time when my dad or the owner before him did the registration, the authorities just didn’t bother to look for a frame number, and so just used the engine number, or it was common practice to use the engine number for both. However, “the system” doesn’t understand plausible reasoning, and I was faced with a number of options. I could stamp the engine number on the frame somewhere and no-one would have been too concerned. But I wanted it to be right. I could have the police create a special frame number and stamp it on. But I didn’t like the sound of that. Finally, I could leave it as is and introduce the bike to the system as a “rebuild”, knowing that the SAVVA dating certificate was more important than the registration details. I left to go and write up an affidavit to explain the situation and visited a police station to stamp my affidavits. After a 2nd visit to Langlaagte, Vincent captured the actual frame number on “his system” and sent me back to Randburg License department to have the frame number updated on “that system”. I must say the Randburg License department is in relatively good shape. It’s busy but organised, and the waiting times are not excessive. Considering mine was a special case, I was sent to room 104 to see Derek. Here I was told that the staff can only capture information and all cases are reviewed centrally at the department of transport. I had to make a few visits before Derek was satisfied that we were submitting enough information about the case*. We scanned and saved 21 pages before submitting. (Only for none of it to be actually read by the central office). After a few weeks, my case had been reviewed. They came and stated that the case had been submitted under the wrong category. By this stage Derek was on leave and Lolo took over. But Lolo was a trainee, so thankfully a very knowledgeable supervisor, Rhubina, stepped in. She re- scanned all 21 pages (which are not saved on “the system” longer than 7 days), and re-submitted. Luckily, after only a week, my case had been reviewed and returned, and I had to go back to Langlaagte for police clearance. *Proof of residence, affadavits, dads death certificate, letter of executorship, registration document, ID, Police clearance part 1, weigh bridge certificate, dating certificate, Veridot certificate to name a few 9
This gent has been working at the Randburg weigh bridge for over 40 years At Langlaagte, we realised that the effort to submit the 21 pages was in vein as the same neat print out came with the engine number as frame number. At this point I decided to give in. I realised that although the staff at the licensing department and department of transport want to help in general, they actually don’t know how to deal with cases which are not mainstream. After a discussion with Vincent, who was now truly feeling my pain, he suggested that he just go ahead and put the actual frame number in “the police system” again, and see if it rejects or not. He wanted to give it a try and phone his supervisor in Pretoria, but unfortunately the power was out so we had to leave it there. Two days later I got a call from Vincent to say that he had spoken to his supervisor and submitted the frame number and it had been accepted. I couldn’t believe it but it was true and meant I was now able to go back to Randburg and finally complete the registration. Derek did this for me. After a roadworthy the bike is now fully registered and licensed in my name, with the correct and original frame number! It is now October. What I’ve learned since is that I could actually get a special limited use license and pay less than the R192/ year for license fees. I got the application form. Maybe I’ll wait till the new year to submit. 10
Success at last! Vincent and I at Langlaagte. Derek and Lolo at Randburg Licensing dept VELO REUNION 2017 BY A FRIEND OF VOC Dave Watson Just back from another trip to my favourite place Eastern Free State. This week end past was the Velocette reunion run to Fouriesburg, where owners and friends of owners are very welcome. The plan was to meet my son Douglas in Clarens and stay over with friends (test drive the new guest room) on the Friday afternoon. Plans were all laid I leave work in Johannesburg at noon on Friday – Douglas leaves a meeting in Pietermaritzburg at about 1:30, also on the Friday. We plan to meet in Clarens at the Grouse & Claret for a drink at 5:30 then off to our friends. Good plan! Well I was on track and Douglas was late, very late, no message I was desperate, not sure if he had fallen off or worse. I finally gave up at nightfall and went to our overnight stop with my hands shaking and a feeling of helplessness that is hard to describe. I dare not alert the family as this would simply add to the worry. Then almost in answer to constant prayer Douglas called to say that he was stopped near the top of Oliviershoek pass by a twenty wheeler that had turned over and jammed itself into the one side the cliff face and on the other side the Armco barrier! Pass closed. Douglas with low cell phone battery messaged home to explain, asking that I be told of the delay – unfortunately the message was not noticed for more than an hour. Douglas had to back track through Bergville to the N3 and go to Harrismith via van Reenen’s pass. He called me to let me know what had happened and was surprised that I had not been informed. He said it was now dark and raining heavily. I said find accommodation get a good night’s sleep and we can have breakfast in Clarens and link up with the Velocette lads in the morning. The relief of finding out he was unhurt, will remain one of the best bits of news I have ever received! An early wet ride for Douglas to Clarens next morning and we joined the Velocette riders for coffee. 11
Now back on track with the reunion we set about enjoying the remainder of the programme which included a ride/drive (some heavy rain and lightning) to lunch in the historic Park Hotel in Bethlehem Visiting this hotel is like a trip back into the past with pressed steel ceilings and overhead fans with blades that looked as if they could be fitted as propellers to a light aircraft and be successful! The furniture and decor was mid 1950’s and I noticed in a corner a Hammerstein radio and gramophone - took my mind back to another era and fond memories of playing LP’S on a similar unit made by Philips. After a light lunch and some fellowship reminiscing about past rides and ones to come, it was back to Fouriesburg with the prospect of another ride into the surrounding picturesque country side. Then it was time to watch Rugby. Not a match we were looking forward to, with the last effort against New Zealand fresh in our memories – this game did surprise even the most critical pundits of the game. As it went one way and another with the visitors winning by a single point in 50! The Boks may not have won but they gave an excellent account of themselves. The day ended with a super dinner with all the fun and games of the traditional quiz and some awards too for those intrepid Velocette riders who keep the flag flying by bringing out some wonderful examples of this much loved motorcycle. We don’t all own one but I can say without fear of contradiction we all appreciate them. And that goes for their friendly owners who invite friends to join them on these fun reunions. The weather was not ideal – but the land needs the rain and a good time and some fun riding made up for it. Finally on Sunday morning after a good breakfast at the Fouriesburg Country Inn (and an extra ride or two) we said our farewells to return to our respective homes. Thank you to Kevin Robertson for the slick organization-hoping to do it all again next year. A Velo anticipating a great ride ahead 12
2017 VELOCETTE OWNERS CLUB 25th ANNUAL REUNION Kevin Robertson 32 Velo enthusiasts (guys and dolls) arrived at the Fouriesburg Country Inn on the Friday afternoon of 6 October to enjoy another annual re-union. This was the 15th time we had gathered at Fouriesburg. There were 16 Velos, a Triumph Bonneville, a 600 Ducati Pantah and a couple of RS BMW’s making up the happy band of classic bikers, all looking forward to enjoying the Eastern Free State roads and scenery on the Saturday. Happily, some of the riders enjoyed a quick burn on the Friday afternoon, they must have had a reliable weather forecast…. Saturday morning dawned wet and cold and the early ride to Clarens for coffee turned into a car outing for most, nevertheless a couple of hardy souls showed us that bikers can ride in any weather. We were met in Clarens by Dave and Douglas Watson on their BM’s, Dave having ridden down from Johannesburg and Douglas up from Durban (see Dave’s story). Returning to Fouriesburg for breakfast, the weather improved and we lined up the Velos in front of the Inn for a photographic session prior to setting off on a lunch ride to Bethlehem. However, as the departure time approached, so did the arrival time of the thick black storm clouds over Bethlehem. Shall we risk it? Most of the riders opted for cars, but again, several real bikers tackled the weather and in spite of getting wet, joined the sissies at the beautiful old Park Hotel for an excellent lunch. Murphy’s weather-law came into operation as we returned to Fouriesburg and the rain cleared, leaving time for a quick ride down to the Lesotho border post before joining the rest of the Inn in the TV lounge to watch the Springboks nearly pull off a surprise win over the All Blacks. The traditional sheep-braai in the Lapa of the Inn took place on Saturday evening, where our Witbank members started proceedings by organizing the annual quiz, only this time, they put 10 Velo components in sealed bags and teams of three had to identify the items by feel. Much discussion and merriment followed, especially as one of our members had donated enough wine to keep glasses full on all the tables. It was then time for the annual awards, for the best Velo restoration at the re-union (Phil White memorial trophy) and the most desirable Velo at the re- union (Sholto Rothbart shield). Roland Nancekivell’ s beautiful 1936 MSS took the best restoration while Henry Nichol’s 1958 Viper was voted the most desirable. Incidentally, for the umpteenth time, Henry rode the Viper from his home on the East Rand to the re-union and back and for the umpteenth time, the Viper gave him a trouble-free and safe ride. More Murphy’s weather-law on Sunday morning with not a cloud in sight. Happily, several riders anticipated this and were up at the crack of sparrow for a superb ride to Clarens and back before breakfast. Fond farewells after breakfast saw another Velo re-union come to an end. 13
After 15 re-unions in Fouriesburg and in spite of the excellent roads and scenery, many of our members feel it is time for an alternative venue and roads. Added to this was the increased cost of the stay at the Inn, which has been upgraded over the past year. We will therefore be researching possible alternative venues for the 2018 re-union, taking into account that while the majority of our members come from Gauteng, we do have Eastern Cape and KZN members whose travelling costs also need to be considered. Fouriesburg fishtail invasion. 14
CLASSIFIEDS For Sale and Wanted advertisements will be placed in Kickstart for ONE edition only. These may be renewed on request each month. Services advertisements will be placed for a maximum of SIX editions and must be renewed every January and July. Advertising in the classified section is free for members and R100 for non-members, with the exception that For Sale of classic and vintage motorcycles is free for everyone. Advertising elsewhere in Kickstart: Full page R500, Half page R250, Quarter page R125 per edition If you order advertising space for 6 consecutive ads, you only pay for 5 ads, if you order 12 consecutive ads, you pay for 8 ads. Email your advertisements to editor@vintagemotorcycleclub.co.za. The cut-off for any month is the close of business, third Monday of the month. FOR SALE: Kawasaki 300SE low mileage 2014 model, R55 000 neg. Fatima 0825713303 or louca@mweb.co.za Triumph 650 pre-unit gearbox. R2000. Phone 0783-914-3694 BSA D7 Bantam 175cc 1965 R25 000 Excelsior Villiers engine 197cc 1951 R30 000 Indian Power Plus 1000cc 1917 R400 000 Triumph 3T Twin 350 1947 R65 000 Triumph 3TA Twenty One 350 1960 R50 000 Triumph 3TA Twenty One 350 1962 R50 000 Triumph Daytona T595 1998 R40 000 Triumph T150 Trident 750cc 1971 R75 000 Triumph T20 Tiger Cub 200cc 1963 R30 000 Phone Craig Sim - 27 (0) 82 901 8661 WANTED: 15
SERVICES: British Bike Spares, Restorations and other Services Specialising in classic British bike spares supplying parts from Wassell, the biggest new classic bike part wholesalers in the UK. Contact Gavin Walton Home 011 818 4055, or Mobile 083 408 4296, Email britishbikespares@gmail.com Full restorations. Wheel Lacing and Building. Contact Pierre Cronje. On Mobile 072 513 9432. Ultrasonic cleaning call Henry Watermeyer on 084 800 8862. Petrol taps Enots flat-slide type, made in brass to your order. Sizes 1/8”, 1/4” and 3/8” BSP Rally boxes made to your order with handlebar mounting brackets plus mountings for the rally plate and three watches. Trevor Fraser on 013 656 3063 or 076 591 5560. Restoration and other services. Gravel Man Services offers full service of all BMW boxer twins (old and new). Accident damage repairs and restorations. Please contact Markus Watson on 083 602 3503. Vapour Blasting Services. We clean aluminium, brass, and copper parts using VAPOUR BLASTING method. It’s a gentle, water based, non-destructive process for smooth satin finish. Suitable for aluminium cylinder heads, engine blocks, gearbox casings, carburetors, etc. Call Janus Gruska from Classic Restorer on 081 065 8275 (Benoni) or email classic.restorer1@gmail.com Magneto Rewinding. Also coils for stationery motors and BMW m/cycles on exchange basis. Contact Rod Thomas for further info and courier details. 031-762-1509, 073-365-6494 or email rodthomas@telkomsa.net Over 60’s Recruitment Specializing in the recruitment of the over 60’s and getting them back in action. Businesses Please send us a brief description of who or what type of person you need. Specialists Please send us your brief CV (one page only accepted) with contact details to: brian@action60.co.za 082 601 3021 or ian@action60.co.za 072 727 7382 16
Advertise Here Rates per Edition R500 for Full Page R250 for Half Page R125 for Quarter Page Contact Gavin Walton on Rate for 6 months 011-818-4055 or 083-408-4296 Only pay for 5 months or email Rate for 12 months britishbikespares@gmail.com Only pay for 8 months 17
CLUB and CONTACT DETAILS THE VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE CLUB P O Box 782835 SANDTON 2146 South Africa www.vintagemotorcycleclub.co.za COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chairman Vacant Vice Chairman Ian Holmes ianhol@iafrica.com 083 646 3089 Treasurer / Acting Peter Vlietstra pvlietstra@gmail.com 082 650 9880 Editor Secretary Ian Storer hilian@isat.co.za 072 727 7382 Club Dating Officer Kevin Walton kevin.walton@norcrossa.com 082 891 2869 Committee Member Rob Pattison Emms avonrod@mweb.co.za 082 891 8399 / Events Member Brandon Jarvis brandon@ascotmews.co.za 082 410 8828 Librarian John Hassall Jh29@mweb.co.za 082 886 7133 CLUB ACCOUNT DETAILS Account Number 1970259841 Nedbank Sandton Branch 197-005 Please use your name and surname as your reference when making a payment CLUB MEETINGS Meetings are held every 4th Monday of the month (except December) at The Vintage and Veteran Club (VVC), 3 Athol Oaklands Road, Oaklands Johannesburg, at 20:00. The opinions expressed in KICKSTART are not necessarily those of the Committee or the Editor. 18
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The Vintage Motorcycle Club PO Box 782835 Sandton 2146 www.vintagempotorcycleclub.co.za 20
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