9 October - The Motor Cycle reviews the new Gratieux Lightweight
Many motorcycle manufacturers have passed in to two-wheeled history, among them, French producer, Gratieux. Back in 1919, The Motor Cycle reviewed the new’lightweight’ machine,: The fact that France is making rapid strides in motor cycle construction is emphasised by the advent of several new machines, amongst which the Gratieux two-stroke compares favourably with English productions. This machine is of entirely French construction, being built in the factories of P. Gratieux at Billancour...
8 October - Georges Monneret Crosses the English Channel on a Scooter
In 1952, French motorcycle racing champion, Georges Monneret left the Place de la Concorde on his Vespa, heading for Calais. It was the beginning off a race from Paris, France to London, England, All the competitors rode to Calais as fast as they could. After 4 hours and 55 minutes, Georges reached the port. Everyone else arrived later and went to the hotel for a drink while they waited for the next ferry. All except for Georges. In preparing for the race, and with the intention of taking t...
6 October - Jupiter's Travels Begin
On a rainy afternoon in 1973, at the age of 42, Ted Simon headed east from London, England on a 500cc Triumph Tiger that he named ‘Jupiter’. It was the beginning of a four year solo journey around the world, covering 64,000 miles (103,000 km) through 45 countries. Ted’s book, Jupiter’s Travels, influenced many a dream of riding around the world, including Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Round adventure.
4 October - Mick Doohan Wins the 500cc Championship...Again
The relentless Mick Doohan secured his fifth consecutive, and final, 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix Championship title at his home race on Phillip Island in 1998. Max Biaggi pushed him all the way but Mick won the final four races, putting the trophy out of Max’s reach at the penultimate round. Doohan had three retirements that season to Max’s one (disqualified at Catalunya) but when Mick finished a race it was never lower than second place.
3 October.- Edward Pennington's Patent Application
Sometimes credited with having invented the word “motorcycle”, Edward J Pennington of Cleveland, Ohio, US applied for a patent in 1893 for his ‘motor vehicle’, notable for its balloon tyres. Pennington built and demonstrated his original motorcycle design in Milwaukee in 1895. Apparently, not finding any backers for his idea he took it to England where he sold the patents for it to Harry John Lawson’s The Great Horseless Carriage Company Limited in 1896 and joined that company’s board of di...
2 October - Elspeth Beard Begins Her World Tour
Having already ridden across the United States, Elspeth Beard set out on the ultimate motorcycle tour in 1982 by putting herself and her BMW R60/6 on a plane to New York, despite her mother’s attempts to dissuade her from such a foolish endeavour. There was no grand plan, no route, no mobile phones, no internet, no GPS, and no stopping her. The hope was that the money would last long anough to get to Australia. Which it did. Just. Elspeth arriv...
29 September - Hoffman Goes for Baker's Record
In 1915, Lieutenant Hoffmann, already a distance veteran, decided to try his hand at beating Erwin “Cannonball” Baker’s transcontinental record, on his Indian twin. It didn’t go well, as the 4th November issue of Motorcycle Illustrated noted.
28 September - BMW Reveal The R32
BMW presented the R32 to the public for the first time in at the Paris Motorcycle Show in 1923. It was the first motorcycle made under the BMW name. Designed and manufactured for Victoria Werke AG of Nuremberg, it came with a 494cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed, four stroke engine capable of producing 8hp at 3,200 rpm. Top speed was a nippy 59 mph (95 kph). Unlike other motorcycle manufacturers, which used a total-loss oiling system, BMW used a a recirculating wet sump oiling system an...
22 September - Triumph's First TT Win
Jack Marshall achieved Triumph’s first win in the TT (held on the St John’s short course) , beating Charlie Collier’s Matchless to win the 1908 TT by two minutes at an average speed of 38.7mph. A Triumph also came third, ridden by Captain Robert Arbuthnot RN. Both rider and his motorcycle were sunk and lost at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Some rule changes were made by the organisers for the race - pedals were banned (not least because Charlie Collier, an experienced racing cyclist,...
21 September - Oates Rides Across Canada
In 1928, J Graham Oates became the first person to cross Canada on a motorcycle fitted with rubber tires Born James Walter Graham Oates in 1897 on the Isle of Man, as a teenager he served in WWI as a dispatch rider, both on horse and motorcycle. He was also a motorcycle builder, tester and TT racer. In 1927 Oates moved to Canada. Wartime comrade Charles Brown, representative of the then-struggling Castrol oil brand, agreed to sponsor the trip. The Trans-Canada Highway wasn’t yet complete, s...
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