Rare find for vintage bike show
Classic motorcycle enthusiast Niven Quintel has a soft spot for vintage military bikes, so when he came across a 1917 Phelon and Moore 500cc single in military green, needless to say, he was over the moon.
Quintel, an automotive mechanic by trade, said the bike was in unrestored condition, and he had reason to believe it may have been issued to the Royal Flying Corps during World War I.
‘‘Very seldom do you find a vintage motorbike of this era complete. Normally you’d start with a few pieces, or if you were lucky, half a motorbike,’’ said Quintel. ‘‘But to get an actual complete bike, it’s very special.’’
Quintel said he had only ever seen two other bikes of the same kind in New Zealand, but wasn’t sure if they were the same year as his.
‘‘A 500 single should do about 60 miles an hour,’’ Quintel estimated. ‘‘It doesn’t have a gearbox, or a front brake, and no lights, very true to its era.’’
Quintel began collecting vintage and classic motorcycles over 20 years ago, but the Phelon and Moore was his oldest bike to date.
As a dedicated member of the Nelson Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Club, Quintel plans to display the bike in the club’s classic and vintage bike show.
The annual event is held in the Stoke Memorial Hall, and is dedicated to showcasing its members’ vintage and classic motorcycles.
‘‘Every year we get well over 1500 people turning up to look at the bikes,’’ club president Ian Goaten said.
The bikes must be over 25-years-old to enter the show, but