PUB TALK

Something of a shadow is cast over the season of good cheer, with the recent death of Bruce Main-Smith that will have been widely reported by now. Not surprisingly Bruce was an acquaintance of PUB, since he had been a past Chairman and Vice President of the VOC. He then graduated from writing club articles to being a staffman on Motor Cycling, and was a good enough rider to be included in Velocette’s 24 hour record breaking team at Montlhéry. Subsequently he published various books, including a series of Vintage Road Tests by Titch Allen, and manual photocopies that are still available (from the National Motorcycle Museum). For a time he took his stall to various shows, so many readers may have seen or met him.

Then more bad news arrived for Vincent enthusiasts, with the news that Patrick Godet has passed away unexpectedly. PUB had known Patrick for many years, having attending an early rally organised by him in France. Patrick dedicated himself to the marque with such good effect that a Godet-Egli is now a very exclusive machine with a worldwide reputation. His racing efforts have put the Vincent name back into contention at events such as the Classic Manx, with both Egli-Vincents in later classes, but also replica Grey Flashes eligible for earlier classes – a welcome addition to the variety of classic racing. It may be no more.

Closer to home the focus – probably more accurately described as out of focus – for PUB’s spanners this month was a vintage AJS, which is still not properly on the road. This era of AJS