British Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) holds more than a thousand fans of antique motorcycle rallies conducted. And most important of them is the annual Banbury Run.
Just don't throw stones at me: it's better late than never. Yeah, I've spent my whole life throwing that stone away from the sweet English town of Benbury. Yeah, I'm a big fan of motorcycle history. At the same time, I have never taken part in the Banbury Run, the world's biggest fan in the world. What are you going to do, "costumes" of the release until 1931-and are allowed to run only those machines-I have not been attracted to too much ...But this time, the Banbury Run was held for the 60th time, and for that date, I agreed to Dick Hodge's offer, the mileage organizer, and mounted the 500-cub Sunbeam Model 9. Released in 1930, this machine at least does not require "easy pedal assistance" on uphill elevations-imagine a three-level gearbox!The city of Benbury is not an accident. It is located just 65 km from Birmingham-once the center of the British motorcycle (there were BSA, Norton, Triumph, Velocette, Sunbeam, AJS, Ariel, Royal Enfield-and I named only the most important stamps!). And Benbury then served as a base for factory testing: it led the way to Midland, the heart of England, with its picturesque roads that served as a testing ground. To try and drive the car, and its brakes could have been on Sunrise Hill-steep slope of 1:7. The first Banbury Run took place in 1949-when the post-war limits on gasoline were still in place!-and gathered 80 participants. Then the number of applicants grew at a rate that had to be imposed: 500 applications were accepted, and only last year was 600. Of course, it is not easy to place so many participants. It was only because the camp moved 20 kilometres from Benbury to Motor Heritage Centre in Gadon, the world's largest collection of British cars. It's clear, but it's a morning. 600 motorcycles of different brands-from ABC to Zenith. Among them are 88 Triumph, 68 BSA, 51 Sunbeam and AJS, plus a set of German, French, Belgian and American cars-and, surprisingly, no Italian! All machines are organized into three groups-depending on age-and each group passes its route. The Pioneer-class Motorcycles-until 1914-are on a 65 km ring with no steep rises. Early Vintage-1924-1924 cars pass a more complex route 105 km long, including Sunrise Hill's rise. The Llate Vintage (1924-1930) category is the longest-120 km-complex route. On each of the routes you have a check-point waiting to be celebrated at a certain time. However, most of the participants did not pay any attention to all this pseudo-equestrian Mishura, and simply went at their own pace, without denying themselves the pleasure of staying at the village pub and missing the circle-the other. "Even though we've increased the number of participants this year to a hundred, we still haven't been able to accept all the requests," said Dick Hodge. -I had to give up 55 applicants, including two former VMM' s presidents! We have a real democracy and no privileges: who stood up first, and the slippers! If you were unable to complete the application in time and send it-sorry, it's your problem. " In order to participate in the Banbury Run, there is no need to have a white beard and a pension certificate: among the fans of ancient bigots a lot of young people. Here, for example, David Clarke, he came from Scotland with his father: " Dad bought this 500-Cube Brown of 1910 back in the ' 70s, but we only started his restoration three years ago. As far as we know, this is the only remaining motorcycle of this brand. I am the first time at Branbury Run, and my father is going to Calthorpe-the last time I was here 35 years ago, when I was still in the world! " Near the Branbury Run camp, it was a chic lamb, where you can find any antique details and even complete motorcycles. Individual entertainment-stands by brand; the most impressive expositions are at the club of fans of the motorcycle racing and collector Velocette Ivan Rhodes, who brought the compressor Roarer of 1939, as well as the factory motorcycle, on which the great Stanley Woods was speaking. But the main thing is the drive itself! Sunbeam boarders his horse-riding engine, taking me to a time when the roads were half-empty, Britain the Great, and the British motorcycle industry leading in the world. Early Sunday morning, there is almost no one on the track except the participants of the mileage, and the rare meeting modern motorcycles are perceived as anachronism. I'm at 70 miles per hour on the same village, like a man who has gone from Agatha Christie's pages to another, equally picturesque. Fortunately, this time there were no accidents-minor breakdowns-and even all of them managed to take Sunrise Hill (although some had to run alongside the motorcycle). So I'm gone! As he got home, he rushed to fill the application for Branbury Run next year. But how would it be if Dick Hodge had taken the burden of the organization and went to his Sunbeam himself? I have one idea: not to correct the glaring disadvantage-the absence of Italian motorbikes at the start of a 350-cub Braadbury (near-run) of 1904. Of course, no gear boxes are just a wheel drive on the back wheel. An interesting design feature is the pipes in the engine's crankcase. How many wheels are in front of a car named Quadrant? Well, they didn' t guess -- just three. The machine was released in 1903, and it has to be filled with special fuel, which costs 30 pounds per gallon!The Rudge Multi 1913. A unique feature of this machine is a pariant variator instead of a gearbox. Not automatic: the driver picked the driver himself, changing the distance between the pulley lever. Royal Enfield 180 of 1914 is equipped 770-cc with a V-shaped "JAP 2". During World War I, such motorbikes clung to the stroller, put a machine gun in it, and go to the front! Incidentally, the Russian army also received many such devices. The Motocycle of the rarest English Mark PV-up to our few days has reached only two machines. It's got a 1923-year-in-box apparatus under the back of the back wheel. John Wooler's car always had a very extraordinary design. Notice the candle-side of the two (!) wheels of this 500-cub Wooler TT 1922. Another exotic machine is the English Ner-a-Car (which is in tune with the "almost car") 1923. It was distinguished by a low landing of the driver, a heavy carriage, 285 bottom two-stroke engine and a front wheel suspension with a steering hub. A unique feature of the British Grindlay ST of 1924 is a 1,000-cub four-stroke engine with a gild gas distribution (instead of valves-mobile casings with windows). This type of motor was characterized by the soundness of work and the enormous oil consumption. Velocette K 1927 is a 3-50-cubic model with an upper model. She and her descendants, for a quarter of a century, set the tone on the racing tracks!Scotland TT Replica 1929 is a precursor to modern superbetics. The machine has a 500-cubic-cuter two-stroke two-stroke engine. Erich Blanchard at this 350-cc in Douglas 1921 won an old motorcycle race, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Tourist Trophy, in a two-cylinder car class.