-SG- My good friend John has sent the photos attached, taken from 'The Weekly Press and NZ Referee' from 12th March 1925. All the bikes are in usual New Zealand grass-track trim with brakes either removed or disconnected, a subject Peter Thomson informed us about a while back. It's not that easy to see much by way of detail but two of the bikes (4 and 17) have Druid forks and no mechanical oil pump or separate oil tank. These two are probably fairly early examples of Model 18s from '23. The other two (3 and 24) both have Webbs, and Best and Lloyd oil pumps/oil tanks and bearing in mind the date of the publication, would have been '24 models. I note that Number 3 has the sophistication of a Twistgrip, no less. As to who the riders are:
- Bike #3 is H. Rowe winner of the Taranaki Middle-Weight championship and the Jockey Clup Handicap at New Plymouth and The Consolation Race at Hawera.
- Bike #4 is H. H. Moller winner of the Manaia Handicap at Hawera (we have had Henry Moller on the site before but at a different event. He also rode in the TT here on a works Norton in 1926 without success).
- Bike #17 is W. H. Herbert winner of the Moturoa Handicap at New Plymouth.
- Bike #24 is J. Crockett winner of the Eltham Handicap at Hawera and the Omata Handicap at New Plymouth.