Big names like Douglas, Triumph and Zenithmight have dominated the scene before theFirst WorldWar, but that didn’t stop anyone with a passion for speed from building a motorcycle and putting a new name on the petrol tank. And that’s just what CharlesThackray did.
The owner of Denby & Co, with premises at Contrast Works, he was one of the best riders in the local Ilkley and District Motor Cycle Club. One sunny Saturday morning in June 1911, ‘Chas’ arrived for the start of the club’s reliability trial. And he was riding the first Contrast-JAP.
The 500cc single-cylinder side-valve engine was installed in a frame of his own design. Chas used Druid forks, a popular choice for manufacturers and specials builders alike, and a Boschmagneto – the best in the business. He obviously knew how to screw a motorcycle together because the single-speed Contrast-JAP effortlessly completed the 180-mile run from Ilkley to Newark and back to win him the President’s Trophy and a gold medal that would look good dangling from the chain of his pocket watch.
A sturdy man with a warm smile and a handsome moustache, Chas was back in action on August 5, 1911, and this time the Contrast-JAP was stripped for speed. There were no mudguards, and not even a chainguard for the magneto drive. He was up against some stiff competition in the club’s hill climb, which was held on a half-mile stretch of road on Snowden Moor between Otley and Blubberhouses. J H Hoffman and J N Longfield were both riding new TT Triumphs, while Bill Manghamwas on a Matchless twin. But with a top speed of 60mph, it was the Contrast-JAP that won the day, and Chas went home with a handsome silver cup and another gold medal.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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.
