To all who asked about the very British Motorbike on chopper daves picture
board.
Thanks to Patrick Tison of the Speed Record Club I can tell you that it is
the Excelsior JAP "Silver Comet" of Joe Wright prepared for him by Claude
Temple. The target speed was 170 mph. The location is not Pendine but
could be Monthlery in France where it was tested or the motorway in Hungary
where it ran for the World record in 1931. The bike had some of its
streamlining removed before the attempt so it may well be Monthlery. (I
may have to be corrected on that because there are no features that I can
recognise in the background - it could even be publicity photos from
Brooklands, Surrey, England).
The engine was a supercharged V twin JAP motor 80mm x 99mm giving about 100
hp at 5400 rpm. A 2 speed transmission was used. The supercharger was a
'Powerplus' unit giving 15 psi and fuel supplied by an AMAL carb. 27"
wheels and a single rear brake were fitted to the tube frame. The
streamlined "parrot beak" helmet worn by Joe was based on a design used by
Ernst Henne. A one way run of 163 mph (22nd October 1931) was not backed
up as the blower seized and a piston was damaged. the bike was eventually
repaired back in England but did not run again although plans had been laid
for an attempt in Ireland..
The bike was in the Sammy Millar museum in the UK without its transmission
according to Patrick.
Joe Wright held the land speed record in 1930 at 150.736 mph, at a time
when his main competitor was Ernst Henne, the BMW rider.
Malcolm Pittwood, Derby, England.
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