Dreams MADE REALITY

I don’t know if the desire to create one’s own motorcycle is a peculiarly British thing, but conditions in the UK after the Second World War certainly encouraged such activities by those with suitable ability and facilities. That was especially true for would-be racers, as the few new factory-made machines were exclusively allocated to riders with a proven track record.

Admittedly, there were still some fairly competitive prewar ohc Nortons and Velocettes available for use by amateurs in the larger classes, but in the lightweight category most riders had to either ride tuned-up 1930s ohv roadsters from the likes of Rudge and Velocette, or reduce the bore and/or stroke of the genuine cammy jobs. That was alright at domestic clubman level, but compared with