Sprite-UK/American Eagle-USA /Alron-AUST

[Tossa]

Well it was a manjimup programme and i think there was at that time only one typewriter in the town, and only one person who knew how to operate a gestetner!!

[VMX60]

John
The program posted is the one an only  
Alron entry or rider or bikes of any cc over all those years
Strange that in 17th june 1974 Northam program R/Weir is riding a CZ in the unlimited race no Alrons to be seen in print
 Agree that the 250 was a Enduro SDR made up to race MX maybe with a down pipe etc

Cheers

[Tossa]

I maybe wrong on the date as per the yr, but i am pretty certain there was a 400 at a Northam event.  but then again i have been known to be wrong somwhere in my past. lol!!

[VMX60]

Tossa
Im not claiming your wrong about the dates just trying to confirm in print with the programs if Alron raced where an when
What actually happened we will never know
Will just keep looking
If i could confirm the 250 raced was a phantom that what dads bike would be restored to race next year VMX might end up back to how your dad had race it in SDR specs 
Cheers

[Tossa]

 Didn't mean any disrespect in my reply, sorry.  I understand what your trying to find, it's just so dam hard in that era,  i remember on several occassions what was put in the programme quite often didn't match what was on the track

Dad road his in many events especially enduros(marking out and participating), he also rode it as a trials bike with sidecar (australian titles) and I'm pretty cetrtain as an MX bike at sometime, but will check with him.  Though JC might already have that info!!

[Tossa]

VMX60 the programme for Northam was my father listed as riding, because I'm pretty certain the event i saw the 400 he was also riding.

[firko]

i remember on several occassions what was put in the programme quite often didn't match what was on the track

Slightly off the thread but backing up your subject, we had a pretty handy B grader in our club called Bob Church who worked for Speedway Safety Products, the importers of all sorts of bike gear during the 70s. One thing they did import were Wassell products including their pretty little 125 with a Sachs motor. Bob was hired by his boss to ride the little bike in selected meetings to raise the Wassell profile. Getting a sponsored "works" ride was great for Bob but there was one flaw in the idea. Wassells were basically crap and not even slightly competitive. Bob had a plan however. He'd enter the meeting on his Wassell but would actually race his trick DG equipped Elsinore. The boss was more interested in playing bowls on a Sunday than going to the races so 'Churchy' got away with it for months. On the monday after the meeting he's invariably show his boss the program with Wassell written next to his name and the trophy he'd often win. The ruse went on for months until he was busted when his photo appeared in Revs clearly aboard his Honda but the caption stating that it was a Wassell. The boss eventually got over it when he realised that he was stuck with a shipment of bikes that nobody really wanted bacause they were indeed so bad. He forgave Bob and actually let him keep the bike!
The last I heard, Bob still had his almost unridden Wassell stored in his parents garage concealed under a chenille bed spread. 

[JC]

John
The program posted is the one an only  
Alron entry or rider or bikes of any cc over all those years
Strange that in 17th june 1974 Northam program R/Weir is riding a CZ in the unlimited race no Alrons to be seen in print
 Agree that the 250 was a Enduro SDR made up to race MX maybe with a down pipe etc

Cheers

M,

From what I'd heard I didn't expect any/many Alrons to show up on the programmes apart from the shop one(s). Many thanks for chasing it up.

Perhaps by June 17 either Roger (Weir) was sick of the 400 Alron or the Alron broke (again). Either way it looks like he moved on to greener pastures (ie CZ)

[VMX247]

Another interesting day you've had gents 
JC
Maybe you could ask Mr R Weir a few more questions of the events and bikes he rode in the 70/74 era ?
Where is R Weir ? JC
Do we know where that Alron riden at Manji ended up ?

Some vmx folks are out at the West Australian Symphony with a free concert on the Perth esplanade(foreshore) where they will play the 1812 overture using the Swan bells and 7 Field Regiment (105mm howitzers)..in other words sipping Margaritas under the evening sky with the girls     
cheers S&A WA

One wonders why one bothers to tolerate the riff raff of todays society, whilst trying to enjoy a little bit of culture!!!  I feel besmirched!!

Tossa
That besmirched word is not in the dictionary --what happened ? did some mug nick ya Margaritas ?
 

[Tossa]

[/quote]
One wonders why one bothers to tolerate the riff raff of todays society, whilst trying to enjoy a little bit of culture!!!  I feel besmirched!!
[/quote]
Tossa
That besmirched word is not in the dictionary --what happened ? did some mug nick ya Margaritas ?
 
[/quote]
Definitions of besmirch on the Web:

defame: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me! ...
smirch: smear so as to make dirty or stained

Yep great research oh margarita thief you!!!

[JC]

Dad road his in many events especially enduros(marking out and participating), he also rode it as a trials bike with sidecar (australian titles) and I'm pretty cetrtain as an MX bike at sometime, but will check with him.  Though JC might already have that info!!

Yes, Mitch rode his 250 Alron (SDR engined) mostly in enduros but occasionally in MX too. He previously rode an Ossa Pioneer & a 400 Husky 4sp. He said he never rode a 400 Alron in competition.

Unfortunately last time I tried to ring Roger his ph had been disconnected & I never had his mobile #

[firko]

I've been doing a little research and just found that old Frank Hipkin may have been a bit like Ron Lyon when describing his products. In American Eagle literature the frames are described as being made of  Reynold 531 tubing. I had my doubts about that and after digging around for a while found the following quote from Frank himself.

 "All the motocross frames are made from 1.5mm, 1" diamter ERW tube, I was advised  by a top frame builder  not to use 531 only if you are silver soldering, It is not strong enough for off-road use. All sprites frames were sif brone welded"

Erw is basically just common old mild steel tubing perhaps with a slightly higher nickel content. That puts end to any speculation about Alrons being chrome/moly.

[Tossa]

I've been doing a little research and just found that old Frank Hipkin may have been a bit like Ron Lyon when describing his products. In American Eagle literature the frames are described as being made of  Reynold 531 tubing. I had my doubts about that and after digging around for a while found the following quote from Frank himself.

 "All the motocross frames are made from 1.5mm, 1" diamter ERW tube, I was advised  by a top frame builder  not to use 531 only if you are silver soldering, It is not strong enough for off-road use. All sprites frames were sif brone welded"

Erw is basically just common old mild steel tubing perhaps with a slightly higher nickel content. That puts end to any speculation about Alrons being chrome/moly.

if I'm correct my old man reckons the only part of the Alron that was either chrome moly or reynolds (can't remember which) was the swing arms and which were stamped.  JC can confirm which it was

[JC]

Yep, dead right (that was discussed earlier on this thread)

Mark, any indication of the year/date of that Hipkin quote?

Alison, Roger was up Glenfield way last I spoke to him. He still had family in Perth but I have no idea which Weir & there's lots listed.

[albrid-3]

where these Alron, American Eagles, any good in there dayof racing.