Friends' Gallery Picture of the Month - February 2022

[Mike Costigan]

A Belfast scene from the 1950s, submitted by Jeff Taylor:

   

The Ruby is incidental to the scene, but there's lots of other items of interest...

[Duncan Grimmond]

I love the Scammel Scarab, chaps on motorcycles going to work/home and the fact that the tram (filled to capacity) is headed for Springfield, Doh!
And the guy on the Triumph has what used to be known as a "tart trap" on the rear mudguard...

[Tony Griffiths]

I love the Scammel Scarab, chaps on motorcycles going to work/home  and the fact that the tram (filled to capacity)  is headed for Springfield, Doh!
And the guy on the Triumph has what used to be known as a "tart trap" on the rear mudguard...

I don't know why, Duncan, but your comment also reminded me of the Bantam advert; it might be titled "Promises, promises...."

[Duncan Grimmond]

My girlfriend ( now wife) and I spent a summer in Cornwall 1974, living in a tiny ridge tent near Padstow making silver rings in the evenings and riding to Newquay on my Bantam to sell them on the beach. Admittedly it was a a 150 but it never let us down over four months with minimal servicing. It had the luxury of a swinging arm and dual seat, a definite step up from my old rigid frame model.
Eeh, in them thar days you could take a motorcycle in the guard’s van on BR trains and with a student rail card the return fare was about £11.00 from Birmingham New Street. The bike was half-fare at £5.50. Happy days?

[Reckless Rat]

I also had a Bantam D3, the 150cc with the swing arm rear. I don't remember the 125s having a solid back end though - I remember hordes of red ones owned by the GPO for telegram service - they were all 125s with plunger rear ends.

[Duncan Grimmond]

IIRC the early Bantams were rigid…

[Reckless Rat]

I'll take your word for it Duncan, I'm no expert.

[Steve Jones]

Mine was a 125cc 1949 or 1950 model. I'm sure that was rigid but it was around 55 years ago so I don't, now, remember that much about it.

Steve

[Duncan Grimmond]

Having had a quick google I found an early D1 frame on ebay showing a rigid frame, only £400.00.00 and rising....

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And here's a pic of a complete one. I believe that BSA pinched pretty much the entire design from DKW just after the end of WWII, perhaps reparations?

[Tony Griffiths]

My girlfriend ( now wife) and I spent a summer in Cornwall  1974, living in a tiny ridge tent near Padstow making silver rings in the evenings and riding to Newquay on my Bantam to sell them on the beach. Admittedly it was a a 150 but it never let us down over four months with minimal servicing. It had the luxury of a swinging arm and dual seat, a definite step up from my old rigid frame model.
Eeh, in them thar days you could take a motorcycle in the guard’s van on BR trains and with a student rail card the return fare was about £11.00 from Birmingham New Street. The bike was half-fare at £5.50. Happy days?

Eee Duncan - you wild, entrepreneurial capitalist! And he's me thinking you'd have been giving away copies of the Socialist Worker. I can remember - so vividly - the first time I engaged the clutch of a powered vehicle - yes, a friend's 125 bantam - and rode away under power; absolute power it felt, for five minutes. Under-age, no licence, no tax, no insurance. Hell, what did it matter? It was the late 1950s and sexual intercourse was just about to be invented.

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Having had a quick google I found an early D1 frame on ebay showing a rigid frame, only £400.00.00 and rising....

And here's a pic of a complete one. I believe that BSA pinched pretty much the entire design from DKW just after the end of WWII, perhaps reparations?

It's true; the engine was a mirror-image copy to get the gear lever on the "correct" side.