Classic bike

special features

▲ NEW! NEW! NEW!

At last, a Blue Plaque for Edward Turner, Mr Triumph.
Read all about it...

▲ NEW! NEW! NEW!

Check out Sump's classic British Speedway photo review

Triton & Cafe Racer Review
at the Ace Cafe

Battlesbridge 2009 Classic Bike & Autojumble Feature

Triumph Speed Twin & Tiger 100 buyer's guide

It's been said many times, and with justification, that the public doesn’t know what it wants until it sees it. So it was with the seminal 498cc Triumph Speed Twin, launched at the London Motorcycle Show at Olympia in November 1937 ... (read more)

BSA M20 buyers guide

The BSA M-Series sidevalves  (M20 and M21) were introduced in 1937 and owe their existence to the draughting pen of a certain Valentine (Val) Page—the same highly-talented ex-JAP and ex-Ariel designer responsible for machines suchas the technically creditable (if stylistically wanting) Triumph 6/1, the redoubtable BSA Gold Star and, not least, a wide range of highly underrated Ariel singles ...
(read more)

Royal Enfield Bullet

The Royal Enfield Bullet is like a great stage show that just runs on and on, season after season, year after year, moving from town to town, continent to continent, easily understood and enjoyed by whoever’s gluteus maximus occupies the best seat in the house ...
(read more)

Sunbeam S7 & S8

When the 1946 Sunbeam S7 was unveiled to the post-war biking public, it was one of the most technically advanced motorcycles of its age. With its all-aluminium, "unit construction", single overhead-camshaft, horizontally split engine, it also boasted shaft drive, a smooth power delivery and numerous other technical refinements that ensured it was going to be a massive hit ... (read more)

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Welcome

We've gone into the movie business—in a very minor way.
Not content to amuse ourselves with creating the numerous free classic bike pages seen here on Sump, we decided to try our hand at other media.

Unsurprisingly, our first efforts are a little amateur. That's partly because we are amateur, and partly because the UK Film Council and the various National Lottery committees all turned down our request for a £100,000 grant with which we were hoping to buy a couple of Panaflex cameras, a lighting rig, some sound recording equipment, and a canteen wagon.

Stingy, huh?

So we had to make do with the equipment we had at hand—which was a couple of ancient digital cameras that had been kicking around in a box in the garage along with some other basic junk.

Additionally, the video editing software we had was primitive in the extreme, and took some figuring out. And pretty much everything we knew about the movies was the view as seen from behind a box of popcorn.

But hey, we managed to knock up a few rushes (that's, er, movie speak, you understand), and we bought a roll of Sellotape to stitch it all together. And now the footage is on the web for all the world to see.

It looked good when we originally test screened it (that's, er, more movie speak). But now that a couple of weeks have elapsed, we can see all the cracks and have spotted a dozen ways it could have been done better. Re-editing is an option. In fact, we already re-edited one of the videos. But then we decided to leave well alone. You live and learn, etc. You
move on.

Anyway, now we've got the movie making bug in a big way, and we're learning new tricks all the time—and we've got plenty of ideas in the bag that will come out sooner or later. Meanwhile, if you want to take a look at our videos, here are the links:

Triumph T140 Bonneville

A brief look at the 750cc oil-in-frame Bonnie with an uplifting piece of music from Malcolm Arnold. This video was aimed at viewers who had no previous knowledge of the T140 Triumph and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Take a look when you've got three minutes and twenty-two seconds to spare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obzF8kEyRLo

BSA WM20

We were goofing around at Southend on Sea, Essex and had the helmet camera running, as ever. It was one of those memorable days that you just don't want to let go of. So we didn't. This video is the first part of our homebound trip to the Smoke. That's all. Nothing to get excited about. And a jazz fusion soundtrack will keep you entertained if the pictures don't do it for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAVFYYt_UuE

BSA WM20

This video is a kind of war story—as told from the saddle of a BSA WDM20. It might interest someone out there. The music is a little haunting. You might enjoy that too. Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMhEDiHd69g

Try to remember

This one's a little different. It's not necessarily about classic
bikes, and not necessarily about bikes at all. It's about life and death and eternity. If nothing else, it will make you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RMo4r19AY

Edward Turner Blue Plaque

Meanwhile, we were chuffed to be present at the October unveiling of a Blue Plaque commemorative award made to Mr Edward Turner, the man who put Triumph Motorcycles firmly on the international map—and didn't do Ariel any harm, either. Overall, that was a pretty good day, and a day that was long overdue. You can read all about it by or clicking here: Edward Turner Blue Plaque, or by clicking on the blue
plaque above.

BSA B50 eBook

Meanwhile, we created another little eBook on the BSA B50. It was a long time coming, but it might interest B50 fans. You can find it by going to the BSA B50 page link on the right and scrolling down the page. It's there somewhere. Or you can go directly to the eBook by clicking here: BSA B50 eBook. Your computer ought to flag a warning about this, note. That's because it's an .exe file, which means that it's an executable program. But it's safe to download. Either trust us, or don't trust us. If your computer doesn't flag a warning, you need to check your system and/or get some virus protection software.

T140 Bonneville & TR7 Tiger buyer's guide

Our little guide to the T140 has been selling well. In fact, we ran out of copies (twice) and had to rush out a second edition (with one or two minor revisions). North America seems to be a strong market for this publication, but we're posting them off to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa—and a surprisingly large number to Germany, Sweden, France and Spain.

You'll find a link to this book at the top of this page. Feedback has been terrific, and quite a few people have come back for second helpings (gifts, probably). Anyway, get yours while they're available.

Classic bike trade talk

We see that the economy is still a bloody mess and is still hitting the classic bike trade hard. Sure, dealers are reporting being busier than ever. But that isn't the same as making money.

All the signs are that next year is going to get even tougher, and there will be more losses.

But let's not talk it all the way down, because one way or the other, most of us are going to come through it. However, if you're looking for new parts for your classic bike, how about doing what you can to support your local bike shop?

Sure, if you're on a tight budget, you're naturally going to go to the cheapest source. But cheapest is rarely the best, and budget parts can cost you a lot of money in the long term. Just try and spare a few coppers for the non virtual trade that's an essential part of the classic bike community.

That's it. I'm off. I can feel another movie coming on. So until next year, it's lights, camera and action...

Etc.

Danny DeFazio

London, December 2009