Series E

[Little Honda]

Series E engine

I have a vague recollection of MPH correspondence in the 80's, where some member had some involvement with PCV on the motor and was very supportive of the concept. There was something also about that it didn't run long on the test stand. It may have been info that Robin Vincent-Day was sharing on jtan a few years ago. Apologies for the lack of specificity.

Thanks, Bruce, for your hints. PCV´s documents have been posted by himself to an american motorcycle journal to deliver material for an article.
All these docs were sent by Robert Watson to our archivist, Peter Bell, who now has them. I´ll try to get some copies.
Cheers, Mike

 

[Little Honda]

When Editor I was given, and passed on to the Club Archivist, a copy of the patent on the rotary along with a lot of PCV's writings on this subject - and others - which he had sent to a California based motorcycle magazine. I was told at the time that remnants of the rotary had last been seen in a machine shop somewhere in the South of the UK, but it was all very vague, and certainly nothing I could chase from Canada. Probably long scrapped by now.

Robert

Hello, Robert,
thanks for yr info. Peter Bell tells me, he hasn´t got anything. Perhaps it still circulates in the web, somewhere... Do you still have copies of the material sent? By the time, I got to know, that Jacqueline Bickerstaff must have taken some photos of it, years ago. I don´t hv Jacqueline´s adress, so cannot ask her direct - perhaps she reads this...
Anyway, Robert, if it isn´t confidential and if you still have copies of the material, wld be nice to let me have it.
kd rgds, Mike

 

[Tom Gaynor]

PCV's engine

I remember the motor described in the series of articles "Tales of the Snarling Beast" PCV wrote for Motorcycle Sport. I don't remember understanding how it worked, only that it was made largely from ceramics. I kept the magazines for years before an untimely flood moulded my archives solid. The TOTSB articles are part of the book currently soliciting orders as "100 Years of PCV", and published I think by, or with the involvement of, Roy Harper. Serious money seems to be involved.
The Mitchell Library in Glasgow had complete sets of Motorcycling and Motor Cycle on microfilm, because that's what libraries do. A friend used to present me with articles of interest he'd browsed free (if you don't pay taxes) - like the contemporary road tests - so it might be worth looking around to see if any library did the same for MCS. It can only be a matter of time before MPH is similarly treated........

 

[Flatout]

The TOTSB articles are part of the book currently soliciting orders as "100 Years of PCV", and published I think by, or with the involvement of, Roy Harper. Serious money seems to be involved.

When you say serious - Do you happen to know what sort of notes are we looking at? Do you have a contact number for Roy H?
Dave.

 

[Robert Watson]

I did send the stuff to Peter Bell. It originated with a friend of Laney Thornton's who was editor of Motorcycle Sport in California. I told Peter Bell "(I think) Cycle World" but seeing the mention of Motorcycle Sport in the thread reminded me what magazine it was. It was all the original correspondence from the time ("legends of the snarling beast" series and articles about the rotary) plus a copy (several pages) of the patent application. I have reminded Peter of this but have not yet heard a reply. Also in that lot were pictures of the Indian Vincent and the Vincent Indian, a couple of which I published in MPH at the time. If you thumb through MPH's from the time of my tenure as Editor ('01 - '06 incl) and find the Vindian picture; it was shortly after that I forwarded the whole lot to Peter.

Robert

 

[Hugo Myatt]

Motorcycle Sport.

Motorcycle Sport Quarterly (USA) and Motorcycle Sport (UK) were seperate and entirely unrelated publications, although PCV subscribed to both on occasions. Motorcycle Sport (UK) in its heyday, was practically a one man band until it morphed into the current Motorcycle Sport And Leisure. Most of its contributors back then (including myself) were unpaid and anonymous or represented only by initials.

 

[Tom Gaynor]

Motorcycle Sport

I don't remember you in MCS, but do remember EU, who I think died recently. I found out who EU was when I read by chance an article in a yachting magazine, knew from the style that whoever wrote this, was EU, and his name was in full at the bottom.
You weren't one of the OneTracks, were you: the memory is hazy but I remember realising that this month either someone new was writing the One Track column, or One Track had suffered some trauma.
Ah, nostalgia: it's not what it used to be. There was very much a "house style" recognisable across Motorcycle Sport, Motor Sport, and a guns magazine, all by, was it Teesdale?

Motorcycle Sport Quarterly (USA) and Motorcycle Sport (UK) were seperate and entirely unrelated publications, although PCV subscribed to both on occasions. Motorcycle Sport (UK) in its heyday, was practically a one man band until it morphed into the current Motorcycle Sport And Leisure. Most of its contributors back then (including myself) were unpaid and anonymous or represented only by initials.

 

[Hugo Myatt]

Tom,
My occasional articles, mostly Vincent related, went uncredited. I never reached the giddying heights to receive the accolade of intials. Mind you HM would have made a good by-line. I never discovered who One Track was. One rumour was that it was Ted Davies but I knew Ted and it did not seem like his style. However Bill Lawless seemed a likely contender to some. As we all know One Track was poached from MPH. I can't remember the MCS editor's name but I do remember that he got out the magazine almost single handed. A bit like MPH really. I have a collection of what I reckon to be the golden years of MCS but unfortunately they are stored at a different address at present.
Hugo.

 

[Len Matthews]

At one time Motorcycle Sport was accused of being the second MPH because there was a lot of Vincent material in it. One issue carried a front cover picture of me on my outfit at Cadwell taken by Ian Buckden. MCS had a stand at the BMF Rally that year so ,with tongue in cheek, I asked how many copies they would you like me to autograph. I was greeted with a blank stare. It would have different if I had been Barry Sheen, Mike Hailwood,etc. As to those hiding behind pseudonyms, only past editors would know and they ain't telling!

 

[Robert Watson]

As for past editors knowing, I suppose John Webber is the only one who really knows who One Track is/was, although I am told he was still with us during my tenure. Tigger Aldus apparantly had made a correct assumption, I know he was the only one who figured out who the Vincent Lawnmower man was! Any other guesses on One Track??

Robert