Festival of 1000 Bikes Mallory Park

Last weekend I went with my brother and a friend to Mallory Park, for the annual VMCC showpiece. The last time we went was 6 years ago on the way home from a bike trip to Scotland, and it was great fun. This year’s event was a bit of a quieter affair, but still a great weekend.

Naturally, I had an eye out for XS650s and as luck would have it, one of the first bikes I got close up and personal to on an early wander was this Halco beastie:


We spent a lot of time in the paddock gawping at exotic machinery, and one guy had brought these beauties, which he said he’d built 13 years ago:









They got worked hard around the circuit! I don’t know what’s inside them, but they sounded very non-standard and the red one was a bit tricky to start, very hard to kick over. I asked the owner if he used xs650.com and just got a blank look back …. oh well …..

Saturday was road bike day, Sunday was race bike day and in the Past Masters area of the paddock there were all sorts of things going on. While John Cooper’s Rocket 3 and Agostini’s MV 4, among others, were being warmed up I noticed George Pooley working on one of the triples. He’d brought his Quadrent along



and we had a brief chat – it was difficult as the MV was deafening, my ears don’t work as well as they once did and there was a lot going on, but we asked about the V6



but it’s still not a runner. He said something about the conrods he’d welded up, and has some ones being made that he’s waiting on. It sounded like he’s been kept waiting for a long time. Hopes to have it all together later this year … he also said he made 3 sets of V6 cases and he’s changing the motor from belt- to gear-driven cams. Like you do. He said he can’t prove the top end until he’s proven the bottom end, which makes sense. FWIW I think he’s amazing, in the same mould as Allen Millyard.

Cooper and Ago did some laps, smooth as you like, and we were also treated to the Birchall brothers on an older BMW outfit someone lent them showing us how to do it. Love it.

Other stuff to drool over was a lovely Harley-engined Flying Merkel tribute and its owner also brought a gorgeous replica Cal Raybourn race bike. He could ride them too.

On the modern side, this one’s for gggGary’s pleasure – another to add to your collection, perhaps?



Next stop – Silverstone Classic next weekend! Yay! I love summer

Them's some good lookin' bikes!!

nighthog said:

Next stop – Silverstone

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Back in the 70's I lived in a farmhouse overlooking the track. We used to climb on the roof and watch the races.

Wow - just...wow.

Jim said:

Back in the 70's I lived in a farmhouse overlooking the track. We used to climb on the roof and watch the rac

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Bloody hell, you'd never get away with that now! First time I went to Le Mans I sat for a while upstairs in the bar at Tertre Rouge, which for those who haven't had the pleasure, is outside the circuit perimeter fence, supping a beer or two(ish), and watching the track action. Next year, there was a damned great barrier to stop you seeing anything from outside the circuit. I imagine Silverstone is much the same in that respect.
But I hope whatever you were smoking enhanced your rooftop experience!

nighthog said:

But I hope whatever you were smoking enhanced your rooftop experience!

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I'm sure it did.

Here you go, Jim. A farmhouse at Silverstone, probably not the one you know and love. And that stretch of track is the exit to the pit lane of the International Paddock, so may not have been there in the 70's, but I thought it might kindle a memory for you

wow those xs are gorgeous .. Especially the Halco .. I used to pass Tony Halls Wiltshire workshop almost daily back in 2006 and never knew he was there . Such a great loss.
Great pictures and an excellent post .

can someone tell me what the hydraulic link does on the front forks ? I've never seen this before but then I have never had any interest in racing so its probably a common mod .
My instinct tells me that they acts as some kind of a damper presumably to prevent dangerous oscillation of the forks when cornering ?

It's a steering damper. Unusual mount point, though.

thanks ....I guessed as much but it looks like it would also prevent any sharp turning of the forks to avoid something .
I'm surprised that they don't have fork braces fitted although they are pretty substantial forks

the Halco is my choice of the 3 . It looks like its suffered a small fire on the tank ? unless its the vinyl seat sticking to the paintwork .

I can't be sure, but I suspect it's something to do with the odd angle the fuel tap sits at. Maybe it's been modified?

Great bike, though. Despite the rather impractical speedo position!

A couple of weeks ago it was Le Mans classic, rode there on the Multistrada. 5 of us went and we all got bloody Covid which rather wrecked the weekend.
Got over that and came home yesterday from this year's Festival of 1000 Bikes, a bit smaller than the 2019 event but still a wonderful meeting. This year there was a focus on 50 years of BSA/Triumph triple racing and 50 years of Laverda racing.

Naturally the Usual Suspects were there, including the two beautiful XS650s in the pics above and of course, George Pooley brought his Quadrent. We had a good chat with him, and asked him about the V6. Still not a runner, and was lent to the London Motorcycle Museum for a number of years so nothing done to it over that period. George has to get his mojo back for it and of course we encouraged that! He's pissed off with not being able to rely on anyone other than himself and told us about getting a couple of cranks cast. When being machined afterwards, the drills cutting the oilways were running off so he got the cranks X-rayed and they were full of intrenal holes! So a lot of money spent on scrap. So he turned his own up from billet, like you do ....

We (I went with my brother and a friend) were struck with Moto Plop. The most bonkers stuff of the meeting. Check out these tiny racers - these guys do 8 hour endurance racing! Other than that, here's some pics of stuff that caught my eye and yes, I've always lusted after the Laverda Montjuics.

Next year I fancy taking my 650 and running it on the circuit - never been on a track before but why not? Should be a blast.

Enjoy!

peanut said:

can someone tell me what the hydraulic link does on the front forks ? I've never seen this before but then I have never had any interest in racing so its probably a common mod .
My instinct tells me that they acts as some kind of a damper presumably to prevent dangerous oscillation of the forks when cornering ?View attachment 146727

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Yup - -a hydraulic steering damper. My '83 BMW R100RS has one stock that looks pretty much like that but it is hidden inside the fairing.

If I recall correctly, Kawasaki 2-stroke ring-dings also came with a steering damper and with that "flexiflyer" frame and the 23 HP brakes lashed to a 65 hp engine, they really needed it.

Pete

Quite right, Pete. My friend who has an H1 has the standard damper fitted and he says it NEEDS it.
I'm in the process of fitting one to my XS as it's a bit twitchy at speed over bumps - probably because I've tweaked the geometry a bit. I have a bracket to make and then I'll post about it.

Cliff

nighthog said:

Quite right, Pete. My friend who has an H1 has the standard damper fitted and he says it NEEDS it.
I'm in the process of fitting one to my XS as it's a bit twitchy at speed over bumps - probably because I've tweaked the geometry a bit. I have a bracket to make and then I'll post about it.

Cliff

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Cool - post lots of photos Cliff!

Pete