Classic Cob
From the shed
Alf Hagon was born 1931 in Ilford, England.
As a teenager his first machine was a 1937 250
New Imperial, followed by a 350 Rudge. The Rudge was used for a variety of events from road racing to scrambles simply by changing the rear tyre. In 1957 Hagon made the first of the complete frames to his own design. He made all of the components with the exception of the Girling shock absorbers in a small shed in his parents’ garden. The tubing was cut to length and taken to the nearby workshop of well known tuner, Tom Kirby for welding. This association led to Hagon having the odd ride at grass track and road race meetings on Kirby-prepared machines. Girling shock absorbers were no longer produced in the early 1970s so Hagon, after much research, was able to produce his own.
Hagon had not only acquired a great deal of riding skill but a wealth of technical knowledge when he was offered a ride on a 998cc Vincent dragster. On his first outing he was up against the well known George Brown on his supercharged Vincent “Super Nero”. Hagon won and that started him concentrating on the dragster form of the sport. His first machine was a 750 Triumph before he built the renowned Hagon Jap dragster. In building this machine he did not use any unnecessary materials; no padding on the seat, no hand grips. His Hagon grass track machines obviously influenced him in that he utilised a rubber band for the undamped front suspension, and a solid rear end. He did not fit a steering damper as he believed that if the design was correct it would not be necessary to carry the extra weight. The 1100cc engine was taken from a Cooper race car and was largely of magnesium. At that time the upper limit in the UK for dragsters was 1000cc, so he reduced the cylinder size whilst retaining the 99mm stroke. However as more competitors from USA were then coming to the UK with their larger machines, the capacity limits were increased. He was able to raise the JAP to 1200cc using 90mm bore with G50 Matchless pistons.
Other dragsters used “dustbin” type fairings which in some cases caused problems in cross winds. Hagon instead used a nose cone in which he mounted a small fuel tank with the weight directly over the front wheel spindle. Initially the machine had extensive vibration which caused problems for the carburettor float bowls. For the 1966 season a Shorrock Supercharger was fitted, running off the left side of the engine via two rubber V belts and geared to spin slightly faster than the engine. The extra weight calmed the vibrations. Fuel was methanol with a 35% nitro mix fed through a Hagon-built Phillips 2 inch injector. With 8-1 compression the power output was 150 bhp. It was the first bike to break the 10 second barrier and would often cross the line with a terminal speed in excess of 150mph. His fastest at that time was 9.28 seconds with a terminal speed of 157mph. In 1968 Hagon became the first in the UK to break the 200mph barrier on a motorcycle. This was done on the runway at the RAF base at Honington when he achieved 206mph, but around 1970 Alf considered his racing days were over and sold the dragster for 400 pounds and it was shipped to Australia. It was initially raced in dragster events at Surfers Paradise for several years by Brian King. It then went to the Lismore area, however there is no information about its use there.
The three Sunderland brothers, Colin, Bob and Peter all have an extensive background with JAP-engine machines having raced them on short circuit and speedway. I wrote about Colin in Issue No.2 of this magazine. Peter managed to purchase the Hagon dragster. He tells me it was worn out when he got it and the engine required a total rebuild. He ran it at Castlereagh Drag races where he managed the quarter mile in 10.14 seconds with a terminal speed of 144.92 mph. On one occasion at Castlereagh, whilst warming the engine the rear cylinder dislodged and he was admitted to hospital with abdominal injuries. Alf Hagon’s son, Martin became a UK and European
Grass Track Champion, and toured Australia racing the Hagon-framed machines. Whilst here he endeavoured to find his father’s dragster. When racing at the Old Bar Circuit near Taree he was interviewed on the P.A. system and mentioned that he was trying to locate the dragster. Peter Sunderland’s son, David, heard the request and stepped forward. Shortly afterwards Martin was viewing the machine at Peter’s place. About 3 years later an associate of Alf Hagon arrived and a price was negotiated. Peter had made another set of cams which he had never installed and they went with the machine back to Alf Hagon. Hagon made up a new set of cylinders fitted again with G50 pistons. In
1994 at the age 63, Hagon did a run at the North Weald Sprint where he again did a 10 second run over the quarter mile. Alf is now retired but his son Martin is head of the company manufacturing Hagon brand rear shocks, wheels and fork springs.
Nabiac Automotive Swap Meet
July 25th in the grounds at the rear of the National Motorcycle Museum, 33 Clarkson St, Nabiac. Traders only in from noon Saturday. Buyers in from 7.00am Sunday, admission fee $5. Those who paid and booked sites back in 2019 still have the same sites. Car, Truck or Motorcycle machines and parts only. No bric-a-brac, clothing, jewellery or household items. Further inquiries 0474 788 132 – 9.30am to 3.30pm daily. All proceeds to Camp Quality.