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| By Steve Wilson in 'The Classic Motorcycle' 'Drivel' |
It is difficult to know where to start! First, the bike used for the main photographs is a relatively modern restoration with a singularly unattractive reproduction Brooklands silencer mounted on it at a weird angle. In addition it has a diaphragm clutch and belt primary drive. TCM - really can't be bothered to type the full name each time - must have literally HUNDREDS of original photographs of the Models 30/40/Inter (whichever name you prefer) but they choose this one. Why? Surely it cannot be because the outfit selling it (Venture Classics) wanted and got some free publicity? Did they have to pay to have their name plastered on the article or was it on the old boy network? Incidentally, I am told the bike HAS been sold... Then there are the other two small period illustrations - captions the wrong way round... good proof reading by someone.
Moving on to the wondrous text, one of my correspondents was unkind enough to suggest it had been dashed off in half an hour after an evening in the pub. He went on to say that it was a lot of random remarks, many of them simply repeating those of other misinformed journos, with no sense of coherence or constructive thought. And numerous errors... WALTER Carroll?? Wrap round oil tanks?... Lots had lights and batteries so did not have this feature. Difficult to start? Oil the plug? Vibratory? Progressively improved girders? Implied that cam timing could be done by the side of of the road? International name linked to the ISDT? Space and time prevents me from rabbitting on any further... suffice to say: DRIVEL in my view and I will not be putting a copy in my files.
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| By Phil Heath in 'Old Bike' 'Considerably better' |
A considerably better article appeared a few years back in the now defunct magazine 'Old Bike' (click this link for the full article). Written by the late Phil Heath, it is, I feel, altogether an improvement...