Boyers and Brackpools
With reference to the letter in the January issue, Boyers of Bromley was a superb shop with lovely staff. They had the most beautifully prepared Triumph production racers which Peter Butler and another chap (my 85-year-old brain is lacking in memory a bit now) raced.
Stan Shenton was the owner and took on the works Kawasaki team with great success. The big 750cc three cylinders had, for a short while, conrods knocking holes in the crankcases and I welded a few until the factory rapidly sorted it.
I bought a couple of 500cc three cylinder Kawasakis from Boyers and one of the works mechanics sorted one which made it more lethal than it already was, but real good fun.
The other motorcycle firm in the area was Brackpools in Forest Hill with a good staff and workshop. In the 1950s, Ted Kempson, who was married to Valerie Brackpool, raced a Rudge 250cc and I recall, while I was doing my National Service in the Far East, reading that he had come fourth in the Hutchinson 500. This was 1954 or ’55. I was so delighted as I had known him since I was about 14 years old. He was at the shop and would always welcome anyone who came in, young or old. Valerie was a very good engineer and did all the rebores and machining, and equally had time for all.
I wonder how many people remember Brackpools?
Frank Barwick Bexleyheath, Kent To add to Frank’s recollections, Stan Shenton was the author of the 1976 book, Triumph Tuning, still an essential read for anyone tuning a Meriden machine. Mr Shenton passed away about 18 months ago at the age of 91. The shop became famous not only for its racing exploits but for the Boyer-Bransden electronic ignition, the first example being produced by electrical wizard Ernie Bransden for Boyer of Bromley in 1969 when its Triumph race team was experiencing points problems on its race bikes.