Tales of Triumph Motorcycles and The Meriden Factory

IN CONTRASTTO Rosamund's story, this book by Triumph tester Hughie Hancox is suffused with the joy and excitement of building motorcycles in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Hancox worked in Meriden's experimental department, road testing, the toolroom and service repair shop and dealt with dealers in the UK and abroad. It's a delight.

Hancox has a light and easy writing style, the book is scattered with anecdotes and amusing tales about his time at the display team the White Helmets; the camaraderie in the factory and the frankly outrageous behaviour of some of the testers that would never be allowed today.

There are many rare and exotic pictures, and he doesn't pull any punches on the products Triumph were turning out. His chapters on the Tina scooter and the problems that arose in the dying days of the BSATriumph group are shocking and hilarious. He reveals that at one point Triumph shipped at least one Daytona to a dealer without an oil pump because the bike had been put in the wrong queue at the rolling road, a move that caused consternation at the dealers as they did the pre-delivery inspection and couldn't work out why the oil wasn't going back to the tank.

He also tells of the day he changed a fuse for one of the typing pool and nearly caused a strike because he hadn't called for an electricians union member to do it; and of spiriting clutch centres from the stores destined for production bikes for the USAafter everyone had gone home, then discreetly sending them to British dealerships so they could do warranty repairs.

The book should be on the shelf of anyone with a passing interest in British motorcycles. Hancox clearly loved his job, and it really comes through in his writing.

■ Veloce Publishing www.veloce.co.uk. £19.99

■ Amazon Kindle £10.04

ISBN:1 874105 57 X