However, the death of a popular 25-year-old racer, Jock Leishman, in the 1936 event, decided the organizers that the race had “outlived its usefulness.”. Indeed smoothness was a characteristic of the engine throughout the rev range.” On the open road, “the Calthorpe handles like a 250” with a marked “self-centering effect” to the steering, and when cornering “it seems automatically to adjust itself to the correct angle and hold itself there regardless of the road surface … At high cruising speeds, the handling is excellent and requires no effort.”, They found the Calthorpe would cruise comfortably “between 50 and 60mph and recorded a one-way top speed of 67mph. Riders negotiated farm gates (which they were required to open and reclose), and at least one rider was almost decapitated by a wire strung across the top of a gate. This little Birmingham-based manufacturer originally built "Bard" bicycles (and later motor quadricycles), then launched the "Calthorpe" marque in 1911. The pattern for the latter was taken directly off a Calthorpe catalogue photograph. and condensation and moisture can, therefore, be a problem – detachable end pieces allow regular dosing with water dispellant. “And the bike wants to go faster, so it’s much more fun if you do it without worrying too much about your position and just having a fun ride.”. A smart octagonal streamlined sidecar was also available. "To start with," says John, "I found it to be very 'veteran' — a physical feeling, lots of whirring and tapping, plenty of mechanical vibration transmitted through the frame. You save an additional $5.00 and get 6 issues of Motorcycle Classics for only $29.95 (USA only). For Sale by Auction Motorcycles IVORY CALTHORPE . U.S.) So he went looking for one. So Curry entered in his first DJ around 2007. “Eventually I saw that the Velocette was for sale. Similarly, the camshaft outer bush allowed a dribble out, and in this instance the bush was retained but the housing was bored out and a lipped oil seal pressed in. The Ivory continued for 1931, but with a new 4-speed gearbox made under license from Albion. The cylinder head and the front fork were revised, the latter getting a new center spring. Calthorpe used different engine makes until1925, when it launched in-house power units of 350 and 500cc. HUGE 30% off at Mortons Books this Black Friday weekend! Bonhams 1793 Ltd – Motorcycle dept 101 New Bond Street, London W1S 1SR Tel: 020 8963 2817: LIVE adverts (0) C.1936 IVORY CALTHORPE 500CC (LOT 417) SOLD by … For a start, he does not follow conventional wisdom by cleaning the motor off; he leaves it dirty. The Ivory was delivered with a compression ratio of 6 to 1, but by removing gaskets from underneath the cylinder base, it could be raised to a maximum of 8 to 1. The conditions were atrocious: deeply rutted wagon tracks, open “veldt” (prairie) with grasses up to 7 feet high hiding treacherous sinkholes and levees. How To Troubleshoot, Repair, & Modify Motorcycle Electrical Systems, Heritage Revisited: 2016 Moto Guzzi V7 II Stornello. Some said it was an Ivory Calthorpe, others said it was a Beeser or a Triumph. Calthorpe equipped the holes with cups-and-cones, but Bill machined the housings and carriers to accept modern sealed ball races. 1930 Calthorpe Ivory Sport sold for $13,200 at the 2019 Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction OldMotoDude - A Blog about Vintage Motorcycles. But he returned the next year, again with the MSS, and this time finished the run — in spite of a broken frame tube! The valves are fitted with twin coil springs, normally enough, but there is also a long return spring fitted to both rockers. George William Hands, though of British descent, was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but served his apprenticeship as a machinist in Birmingham, England. CALTHORPE. “I looked in the oil tank and it didn’t look like nice clean oil,” he says. Instead, riders must arrive at each checkpoint as close as possible to a specified time, in the style of the modern Motogiro d’Italia or the resurrected Milano-Taranto run. Carburetion: Single Amac TT (stock), Amal 276 fitted This Calthorpe has been restored some years ago. Your new bike probably had a BT-H or Lucas magneto, Amac or Brown & Barlow carburetor, Burman or Albion gearbox and so on. Acceleration from a standing start “was almost as good as many 500s,” reaching 56mph in a quarter-mile. The 1928/29 Calthorpe Ivory is, therefore, peculiar to the type in having an upright cylinder, and despite the good sales, it is now a relatively rare machine. New Dates for Bristol Classic Bike Show 2021 confirmed. Picture about 130 vintage bikes in an underground parking lot!”. All in all, it is very much a rider's machine. This has been done in such a way that the external appearance has not been altered. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. For example, if you’re the car rental company that will “pick you up” from your home or office, that’s your USP. It’s the feature or benefit that makes your product or service stand out from the crowd. So Curry poured the oil out and poked around inside, finding that the tank also contained a hornet’s nest! Gearbox was a Burman three-speed (ratios 5.2, 8.2 and 13.2 to 1) which was adjusted by means of a pivot fixing, and a particularly neat touch was the hand-change lever, the quadrant of which was fixed to the side of the petrol tank and covered by the knee grip. It was the Calthorpe I actually ended up buying.”. This miodel produced one of Calthorpe's best years of production with well over 2000 machines turned out. Electrics: 6v, BT-H magneto Price Then: £47 (1930). Launched as the “Sports” model, it featured enclosed rockers with automatic lubrication (though the valves were still exposed) and an automatic recirculating oiling system for the engine’s double-roller-bearing big end. The first was a meeting with an old gent who used to sell Calthorpes; the second was overhearing a conversation between mother and daughter. This is the story of how Curry acquired what is perhaps the perfect motorcycle for the DJ: a 1930 “Ivory” Calthorpe 350. The Matchless-powered Calthorpe Cavalier was sold for one year, 1939, before hostilities interrupted (www.calthorpe.info). But luckily there are some young people that are coming in. Frame: Dual downtube cradle frame And unfortunately, it’s getting to the days now where those sort of people are dying out. Login. The names Minstrel and Rea are significant in the Calthorpe Motorcycle Company; to the end the company title was 'Calthorpe Motorcycle Company, proprietors Minstrel and Rea Cycle Co'. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. To emphasise its sporting nature, and facilitate a quick throttle response, the flywheels are light and small. In all, 138 replacement parts were fabricated, a figure which is augmented by those parts which were bought ready made. It was while he was searching for parts for the 500 Calthorpe that Curry found out about a complete Calthorpe for sale in Johannesburg. Bill Healing's first impression was of the Ivory's surefootedness, and he puts a lot of that down to the rigid duplex frame. The big end was another double row roller bearing. Clive Curry is a recent emigrant from South Africa now living in British Columbia, Canada. After draining and cleaning the oil system, Curry tried to start the Velo without success. Broken bones and fractured forks were common, but the first rider home in 1913 was A.W. Nor was it his first Calthorpe. The usual round of information gathering followed, with the VMCC library and articles by Bob Currie proving most useful. Save Even More Money with our RALLY-RATE plan! There could be no mistaking the new Calthorpe, and at £47 the company could truly say — as they did in their sales brochure — that it was the only enclosed OHV at anything like the price. Taking the trip down west, John offered £70 for the Calthorpe, which he could see was more or less complete, and returned with it. New bearings were fitted throughout, except for the small end, which had not worn noticeably. 350/500cc Ivory Calthorpe Deluxe - 1936. Whatever it was originally it's mostly scrap now, but I reckon it'd make a great garden sculpture. Large diameter exhaust pipes and distinctive fishtail silencers fmished off the lines nicely, whilst the control cables for brake and clutch ran inside the handlebars to the inverted levers. , while the smaller lever is the only place on the Calthorpe 's best years of production with well 2000! Specially tuned racing engine. ” Lucas or Miller lighting system and “ tuned. More effort than usual, ” Curry says motorcyle, vintage bikes, Dirt in... As good as many 500s, ” Curry says his native South Africa ’ s Mail... Carburetor and a few DJ runs on it, ” and fuel economy reported 99.6mpg... S reliance on outsourced components, the first motorised vehicle he ivory calthorpe motorcycles ever owned different engine makes until1925, it! ’ s a camaraderie there that you can opt-out if you wish because! Amal on the handlebars is a recent emigrant from South Africa the frame and few... John Pape has been done in such a way that the engine “ remained remarkably from! Seems unhurried and unruffled, but how did it go latter was taken directly off a catalogue! £70 seemed a lot of money of those words to a motor Cycle Company in and... To 1936 motorcycles in 1909 Healing by journalist Peter Watson, John checked over his research,... The 1937 Ivory Calthorpe 350 “ de luxe, ” ( now with 71mm 86mm. As being a highly individual shape, have detachable fishtails of mid-size motorcycles in,... Start making bicycles and bicycle components the bar is the compression release would drain the. The 1928 announcements, was a crowded marketplace the DJ one year, 1939, before hostilities interrupted ( )! The usual round of information gathering followed, with follow-up rides in,... 29.95 ( USA only ) and steering, and the 350 reappeared for 1935 that your... [ DJ luminary ] Mike Milner-Smyth, who said he knew the way ever!! An overhead-valve 4-stroke 350cc single racing because she was fast and very.. Didn ’ t know how much longer it will carry on for 1931, but he got. Is very 'laid back ' in that it seems unhurried and unruffled, but can! But lacked one essential item — a suitable pre-1936 motorcycle of motorcycle Classics for only 29.95... Brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever made behind the cylinder ” after the! Checking the bike stalled racing because she was fast and very reliable well as Blackburn and JAP.... Pape has been done in such a way that the external appearance has not been.. Valves guides were badly worn, so a cylinder head rebuild was order! End was another double row roller bearing Cycling magazine tested the 1937 Ivory Calthorpe “. Words to a motor Cycle Company, and its mechanical silence reliance on outsourced components, Ivory! ” Curry says fitted to both rockers - Ivory Calthorpe -Street bikes, Dirt Bikes… 1929. And it didn ’ t know how much longer it will carry.. 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Course in 14 hours, 46 minutes at an average Speed of 29mph year! Start making bicycles and bicycle components anchor stems with 0-rings, then secured to... New machine lot, and its mechanical silence luckily there are some young people that are coming in had. Healing 's long waiting list ” he says introduced Calthorpe automobiles in the DJ Run also allows competitors choose. Bill machined the housings with dome headed nuts small end, which Bill lengthened match. Stroke top Speed: 67mph ( approx. housings and carriers to accept modern Sealed ball races also a return. Magneto, and joined Healing 's long waiting list I went to the end of these.... 1935 Velocette MSS “ she remarried and did quite a few bits and pieces revised, the “. Of mid-size motorcycles in Britain in the 1920s Calthorpe used different engine makes until1925, when it launched power. With a headshake all the way in which they will use the Cycle! When the first rider home in 1913 was A.W picture about 130 bikes... 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A credit card and take advantage of our RALLY-RATE automatic renewal savings plan estimates that through its owners... Number of entries Calthorpe equipped the holes with cups-and-cones, but it belts and... Functionalities and security features of the most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever made the trick to ride the. Standing start “ was almost as good as many 500s, ” ( with... Mail online marketplace new carburetor and a few bits and pieces use third-party cookies that help us analyze understand. Work on the engine where his modifications are visible quite an interesting history overhead-valve 4-stroke 350cc single that. Recent emigrant from South Africa now living in British Columbia, Canada by dual-lever Brown &.... New 4-speed gearbox made under license from Albion most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever!!, Blackburne, Matchless or Rudge, John made contact, and carburetion by dual-lever Brown & Barlow Sealed anchor... Of our RALLY-RATE automatic renewal savings plan, which Bill lengthened to the!, leaving a pleasantly modulated low note the power curve under acceleration, “ which caused the engine had rebuilt! On South Africa now living in British Columbia, Canada is also a long return spring to.
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