Roger Simkin
Even though his father was a motorcyclist and had motorcycles when 58-year-old chairman of Acorns MCC Roger Simkin was growing up, the young lad wasn’t encouraged into motorcycling. “The dangers of the things were always pointed out,” Roger told me as we discussed motorcycling and his superb BSA, “I came a bit late to the sport and only got a bike when I went with a mate to view a Greeves and I came back with an AJS 360 Stormer.”
From that last gasp of British competition machinery Roger progressed to the German Maico make. Though born and bred in Staffordshire, the painter and decorator has been about a bit, spending time in Australia before returning to the UK. It was on his return to these shores that his interest in the classic scene was awakened. “I couldn’t believe how the old bike scene had taken off and thought I’d best get involved.”
This involvement began with going to see a BSA B50T on a farm, it was with two other BSAS and Roger bought the lot. “I turned up at Hawkstone Park for my first race back with what I thought was a nice bike. Mick Bennett pulled up next to me and I quickly realised I had a way to go with bike prepping. Mick offered advice on what to do and it was obvious I’d be better off looking for something a bit better as a starting point.”
What came next was another B50 but an American import proper MX version. “This was much better and though I did a few bits to it, the bike remained pretty standard. After that a Cotton-triumph turned up and that was a great bike.” Forsaking the Villiers engine for the 500cc class, Cotton wrapped a frame around Triumph’s unit 500 engine, the production version frames were tig welded but the works machines, built for the likes of Arthur Lampkin, were brazed and the legend of the bike Roger had was it was an ex-lampkin bike. “I never really got to the bottom of it but it was a genuine brazed works frame so it could have been.” On his second meeting with the bike a chap approached Roger and said: “I’ve wanted one of those for years, never even seen one other than the brochure, how much do you want for it?” “Well, I told him a highish price and thought ‘that’s the last I’ll hear of that’ but a few months later he rang up saying he’d got the money and when could he come and pick the bike up. I quickly rang Mick Bennett and told him I’d sold the Cotton and needed a bike asap and what about the Victor we’d been speaking about? Mick promised to get it sorted and this is the bike you’re photographing now.”