It is a daunting task to head up a club such as the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC)and there is no tick-box checklist to find the ideal candidate for the post. If there was, then it probably couldn’t be trusted, as what makes the club better is that all presidents have been different in their outlook. It doesn’t matter if the president is a relative newcomer to the old bike scene or an old stager like Mike Wills (sorry Mike!), enthusiasm and involvement in the club is paramount.
Catching up with Mike – by phone because of the pandemic currently changing the way society interacts – the retired urological consultant surgeon chatted a little about his background in motorcycling. “I was never encouraged or discouraged into motorcycling rather it was something we did, part of growing up I suppose.”
This immersion in the vintage world moved on from passenger duty to more active roles when a Christmas present of a 1914 Bradbury restoration project brought Mike to the nuts and bolts of owning old motorcycles. Though not old enough to ride the Bradbury on the road, he still has it… and a few more Bradburys too. “I’ve somehow been the Bradbury marque specialist for the VMCC for 40 years or so,” he adds wryly. Despite this affection for the Oldham-based firm, it was a maker closer to his West Midlands home area which provided transport for his motorcycle test. “I had to have a 250 to take my test on and a 1929 Francis-Barnett was just the job.” Yes, there are a couple of Francis-Barnetts in the Wills stable–a 1926 ‘built like a bridge’ model with a 350cc JAP engine and a 1935 Blackburne-engined Stag.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von The Classic MotorCycle.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2020-Ausgabe von The Classic MotorCycle.
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Runs should be fun
The club run is an integral part of the old motorcycle scene. During 2020, a variation on the usual theme emerged, enabling people to ride in the company of like-minded souls.
Hybrid chicken
BSA Bantams come in many forms, and the ability to interchange parts between different models permits an almost endless number of variants.
Green WITH ENVY
Life aboard a 1950s 350cc British single is perhaps as good and as uncomplicated as it can get.
Worth the wait
Captivated by sight of one as a small boy, finally our man has the chance to try an NSU Max.And a ‘Spezial’ one at that…
The Motorcycle: DESIGN, ART AND DESIRE
The concluding part of a two-part feature, in which the history of motorcycle evolution is examined and a new book’s author interviewed.
Cream rises
There were several ‘star performers’ at Bonhams’ winter sale, as the choice machines achieved huge sums.
The Giant of Provence
With so few events to report from, it’s time to look back over a spectacular French event and look forward to its hopeful resumption.
Store cupboard special
A big box of presents? Must be Christmas! More deliveries keep the project on track.
By 1929, CJP Dodson was a bona fide top level road racer, pretty much unbeatable on the sand, too.
The diminutive Charlie Dodson was the last man to win a TT, the 1928 Senior, on a ‘flat-tank’ machine, then the next year became the first (and only) winner of a TT on a saddle tank Sunbeam, as well as recording the last ever success in the Island for the Marston maker.
Cassandra the Canadian Commando
After landing a new job and with time on his hands, a young man in Vancouver decided to restore a British motorcycle considerably older than him.
