Off-Road Giants! - Heroes of 1960s Motorcycle Sport (Part 2)

http://www.veloce.co.uk. Interview courtesy of BBC Radio Devon. Photographs by Gordon Francis. If you can recall watching motorcycle scrambles and trials on your black and white TV during the 1960s, then this is the book for you. Its a trip down memory lane as the author recalls boyhood journeys in his big brothers ex-GPO van to watch the stars in action, some of the worlds best, including scramblers like the Sharp brothers, Badger Goss and Ivor England, trials riders Gordon Jackson, Max King and the Kendalls, and great all-rounders like Ken Heanes, Johnny Giles and the American Bud Ekins. Not only does it include the star riders, but also the main British manufacturers of the time like BSA, Triumph, James, Greeves, Metisse, Cheney and Wasp, the latter two of which are still in existence to this day. However, the book isnt just about bikes its about the people and their stories from illustrious and successful careers on two and three wheels, which makes for a thoroughly interesting and captivating read. www.veloce.co.uk

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[soggytoast89]

this is when fucking fat chicks was cool

[terrylangdon]

Great to see & hear you talking about the great days back in the sixties.

Good luck with the book ...

tjl

[sparra1946]

It was more interesting in those days. You were closer to the racing, you could wander the pits, talk to riders, very folksy. I got breakfast once! As mentioned, many racers did MX, trials, r/racing, more or less without any sponsorship. S/h bikes roadbikes/spares were cheap. Buy a bike for 50 quid (Velo MOV £7) strip it, some cut an'shut, tuning (big hammer and chisel!) and club-racing alongside the stars was yours! Mick Grant, started this way, others too. Those were the days, my friend.....

[gwillo1]

Hi I raced Dot motorcyles in Scrambles in the early sixties and I rode Truimph Cub and BSA 650 ,and Bultaco Pursang Mettise in the East coast of the USA,Fishkill NY, Grafton VT, Massachusetts scrambles

[ukdotcom]

Recognised some of the tracks, Bulbarrow Hill, Oxenbourne Farm.

[ukdotcom]

Ask him about when he went to jail, knicking forks I think.

[mjbracing]

I KNOW GOSSY , "HELLO BOY" LOL