" The Thing ", Pre65 project.

[Curly3]

This is an engine built up by my father and ridden by Les Burdus and a few times by Geoff Curtis in the 60's, Geoff actually wanted to put it in a Speedway bike to take to England.
Dad called it " The Thing " because it was made up using ES2 Norton crankcases, Vincent barrel, flywheels and conrod, Ariel cyl head.
Legendary engine guru Charlie Ogden made the piston & cams, Ariel head was used because of it's larger inlet valve.
Brother Carlos still has the bike and has procrastinated for way too long, it must run in the family, and I'm trying to shame him into pulling his finger out so if anyone has contact with him fell free to hassle him.
These are the only 2 photo's we have of the thing.
Les washing the original that Carlos has.
   
In a Hagon copy made by my father, it was orange.

[pancho]

THE THING! From another world!!!
 
Seriously sounds like a powerful weapon, Can't wait to see it doing its "THING"
 Cheers pancho

[firko]

Get the bloody thing off Carlos...you and I know he'll never do anything with it . What a great piece of Aussie engineering. Y'know, there are actually people who reckon there's no place for hot rod specials in our sport....."I never saw any of those engine swap bikes racing in my day". Bring it on Steve, it's a unique piece of history that deserves to be seen on the track along with Jims Ariel.

[JAP 454]

Yep, Firko, we didn't have the option, in the early days, of factory Short Circuit race bikes until the Hagon revolution. If we wanted to race we built "Specials", and there were many, the Philmac Specials come to mind, one version used an AJS motor, semi layed down with the motor forming the front down tube of the frame. A lot of the early Guns used JAP motors in BSA or AJS frames, I bought one of those, a Compy AJS/JAP special ex Brian Bollins, from Lee Roebuck in the '70s, used the JAP in my Rotrax and put an iron AJ motor in the Compy and used it as a trail bike !!

I used Ariel Duplex frames until I built the 350cc Ariel Slider that Jim now owns.

Maybe there should be a class for these "Dinosaurs", there is a similar class in American Classic DT using that name, Demo runs only maybe with a Rec. licence ??, something like that might get the older bikes like The Thing out of the shed !!!
Foss

[pancho]

 An example of what you are talking about is my old B33 slider in the frame originally built by Geoff Coombes for 'Squeeky" Wyman withe the old Esso motor.

 It might qualify for 'Dinasour' class as it was typical of early successful sliders, and winning many titles with Jim at the controls.

 The fact that it had a 21 inch wheel on the front adds to my argument that the M.O.M.s is out of line limiting classic sliders to specifics, like 'single cylinder push rod' and '23 inch front wheel, 19 inch rear' etc.
cheers

[firko]

So true Foss.....Where would scrambles and dirt track be without TriBSA's, Grumphs and all of the other Frankensteins monsters that epitomised the sport in the fifties and sixties. I'm too young  to remember bikes like 'The Thing' or your family Ariel but know damn well that these were the trick exotica of their era. I had a conversation with a bloke at CD7 who went to great lengths to tell me that while he appreciates the work that goes into a special (we were discussing Frank Stanboroughs NSU Sportmax powered Greeves) he reckon'ed that they were never a part of "the motocross he knew". No matter what Frank or I could say to convince him, he was adament that because there weren't any specials when he raced, there was no place for them-full stop. That conversation prompted me to concentrate even more on building specials and aftermarket framed bikes more than any other thing. I can't wait to get started on my TriBSA. In the meantime lets get Steve started on the Thing and get Jimmy to concentrate on the Ariel to bolster the pre 60 class.....it needs all the help it can get.

[JAP 454]

Y'know, I've been thinking today, since Slides mentioned Charlie Ogden, about the engineering legends that helped us build the motors for these "Specials". One didn't just go to the bike shop and ask for a big valve for a 500 Ariel or a hi comp W****O piston for a B33 or a biggun for that matter, you asked one of these guys to make the bloody thing !!.

Guys like Charlie Ogden, Bert Meadows, Claude Cartledge, Art Senior etc. and the Guru of them all, in my opinion, was Sid Willis.

Sid MADE a double knocker desmodromic head for a MOV Velo and made an  ordinary,ride to work 250 into a road racer that made the exotica of the day sit up and take notice, he was no mean rider as well as a gifted engineer and gave the Guns of the day some hurry-up.
I was at Sid's one day, picking up me JAP head, when a freshly cast barrel was taken delivery of, it was for the Henderson / Toombs Matchy, ya could have driven a Bondi tram down the bloody barrel !!

Sid's workshop was about the size of four country dunnys, heat treatment gear in the garage and his blackboard calender said " so many days to Bathurst, so many pistons to make "

Bathurst !! what a Mecca that was, for everyone,riders and fans, EA and I went there just about every Easter as did many of our friends, met SMBH there,the year he rode the Norton, I was spannering for an outfit.

Art Senior used to take a portable forge up there, amongst other gear, some days before Easter, and experiment with cam profiles, if one didn't work too well , he just made another, on the spot.

I guess it was a different time and era that we won't see again except for the remaining few "Specials" and maybe it's time to get 'em out and showcase the talent of that era.

Just me thoughts today
Foss

[Curly3]

I really want to see both the " Thing " and the " Spear " in action together, now that'd put the cat amongst the buzzards in pre65, though I'll ride it if he don't want to.
Dirttrack has always been based around specials as with Flattrack in the US, niether would exist without them.Don't forget Nooge Smith, he lived behind my primary school Clemton Park, now there was a character.
Excuse my ignorance Foss, who is SMBH?
Something tells me there's a Mike Hailwood in there.

[JAP 454]

Stanley Michael Baldwin Hailwood, god rest him, got killed in a car going down the local Chipper for the night's dinner.
Foss

[Curly3]

It was a quiet country lane and he was doing well over the odd's in a sports car if my memorry serves me right, how else would we expect Mike the Bike to go out.

[jimg1au]

the engine has been soaking in deisel and the rear wheel nipples are soaking in wd40 have almost eveything now just need a shed
jim

[Curly3]

Shed? I gather that's a shot at me?

[JAP 454]

It was a quiet country lane and he was doing well over the odd's in a sports car if my memorry serves me right, how else would we expect Mike the Bike to go out.

You're right, Slides , he was apparently well over the odds and if my memory serves , it was a V8 Rover Vanden Plas.
Foss

[Slider29]

I've got a shed Jim

[Slider29]

You really need to get The Thing happening Steve,
for lots of reasons,........
regards   Mark
ps   it's family