My visit to the National Motorcycle Museum

CB ’s Rick Parkington spends some quality time amongst the museum’s dynamic machines

AVISIT TO THE National Motor Cycle Museum at Bickenhill near Solihull is always an overwhelming experience. Housing some 850 bikes from the dawn of time to Mcguinness-era Triumph racers, it’s easy to breeze past machines that, seen on their own, would draw a crowd anywhere. Before leaving home, make sure your camera is charged or full of film because you’ll end up taking more photos than you expect. And take some cash to spend in the museum shop where, among other things, you’ll find a very comprehensive selection of bike books and even some vintage magazines on sale. Need a handbook or manual? You’ll find those in the BMS Department, read about it on page 139. The museum was created by businessman Roy Richards who, finding himself disappointed by the fustiness of museums he visited, set out to build the best in the country – a reference resource for restorers as well as a place where visitors could find a bike like grandad rode. In 2003 Roy’s dream was devastated by fire. Not a man to accept defeat, he vowed the museum would rise from the ashes – and so it did, in just over a year. But some of the bikes were so badly damaged, their restoration took much longer. I’ve taken on the last three that need doing, racing Rudges from the mid ’30s. To see the mess I’ve got myself into this time turn to page 148. But we’re mostly here to look at some of the smaller machines made by the British motorcycle industry. Some would say that ‘lightweight’ means what it says and real motorbikes begin at 500cc. I disagree. Some of the best fun I’ve ever had on two wheels has come from lightweight bikes. Lightweights are low-stress; they are generally more affordable, easily maintained and inexpensive to run, making them ideal entrylevel bikes for anyone keen to get involved in British classics – and hopefully some of the information on the following pages will help. Besides, small can be beautiful, as a visit to the National Motorcycle Museum will prove, with

‘YOU’LL END UP TAKING MORE PHOTOS THAN YOU EXPECT AT THE MUSEUM’

plenty of off-roaders, racers and rare prototypes to see. I achieved a personal ambition during this visit with a ride on the Triumph Bandit – the 1971 dohc 350cc twin that never made it into production, leaving behind the tantalising question of what might have been. You can read my impressions on page 158. To accompany this feature we also recorded a Youtube video during my visit to the museum which will be broadcast on our new Classic Bike Channel – so if you haven’t heard enough from me already, get online to see a short guided tour at www.classicbike.co.uk/videos where you’ll also find a video of a BSA A65 strip down and check over with SRM Engineering. I really enjoyed my trip to the museum – and I hope you enjoy reading about it as much on the following pages.