THE MOTORCYCLE COMPANY
(for addresses see the end of this newsletter)

Dear Motormouse,

You may have missed the September edition of our newsletter. The reason for that was, that the computer of our webmaster had been stolen. Because of that we developed some backlog working out the details. Hoping to make it up to you, we will try to make this edition even more interesting, adding the necessary information.

In the first place we want to let you know about the new features of the newsletter. Every month we will give you a description about the "Motorcycle of the Month". We will tell you how and why.
In the next newsletter we will start with a few new points of interest. We have recruited the well known motorcycle journalist Rene de Ruyter, who will make the newsletter more interesting with his expertise. In this issue we will introduce you to Rene.

We have also decided on the new column, "The face of the business". In this column we might discuss a motorcycle or even a travel journal of one of our trips to Italy or England, on which we, regularly, find exclusive motorcycles or related subjects concerning the state of the classic field. We will also be choosing a new "Motorcycle of the Month" which will be displayed in our showroom and, of course, also on the web site. For the coming month, considering Fall is here, it will be an AJS of 1914. Why especially such an old timer? Rainy Sunday afternoons call for some glimpses into old motorcycle books, this month we will pay attention to the pioneers of then, we will also talk about how we perceive this pioneer time now in 2002.

Rene de Ruyter took a shot at the Hengelo rally put his cards on a Triumph of 1907. How he fared you will read later on. Enough interesting things to look out for in this newsletter. The next one is planned for the 2nd half of November.

If any of you still receive this newsletter even though you had cancelled, we sincerely apologise. Because of the theft we have lost a lot of our information. Please tell us again if you no longer wish to receive the newsletter. Enjoy.

For the MOTORCYCLE COMPANY TEAM
Harm and Robert.

P.S. PLEASE NOTE OUR NEWNGS HOURS.

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The Classic Motorcycle Info 1123

A better look at the picture shows us two bikes with a V-Twin. One of those is an AJS. A heavy bike very fit for use with a sidecar. But why a V-twin? These days we would say for the sound, the bangs coming from such an engine make us want more. Don't think too easily about a machine that old. You couldn't just jump and ride a bike like that. You had to be some sort of engineer to operate every lever on the bike.

Did you know, for example, that you not only had to brake before a curve, but also had to manually shift down, use the (foot) clutch and re-adjust the ignition? Also the setting of the carburettor had to increase and the oil pump had to be checked. If you did get through the curve without a major accident, the whole circus would start all over before the next curve. In other words, it was constant hard work. That is what made riding so interesting, not everyone was able to do it.

Well, maybe you understand why we chose the AJS as the motorcycle of the month It is displayed in our showroom and if I were you, I would come and have a look real soon. Only then you can see for yourself and understand how many levers I actually meant. Lots of Veteran Lovers participating at rallies have so much fun riding a bike like this one. The excitement gets greater when the rally can actually be finished and also the stories grow over how that came about. The motorcycle of this month is just such a bike. Restored professionally and mostly original. The bike has two foot steps and gas lighting which works on carbide.
The front fork is a Brampton. The wide front fender (model fire-fighter-helmet) is so wide to keep rain water away from the ignition magnet in the front of the engine. The bike also has a separate oil pump which has to be operated by hand. A funny detail is that the transmission doesn't show a 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear, but rather a low-, higher- and highest. Of these early AJS's only a few are left. We are ,understandably, proud to be able to offer you one. The object is more then worth it and will always be heard in motorcycle hearts. And tell me, who has such an old AJS just standing in his living room?

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3. HIGHLIGHT : TRIUMPH 1907 BY RENE DE RUYTER
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We will just continue with that nostalgic mood. We recently tried the Triumph from 1907. This motorcycle was acquired for the same reason by the company as the AJS and was also meant to be spurred. For this reason, Mr. R.de R. went to Hengelo (Holland) for one of the biggest Veterans Rallies in Europe.

Below his report.
"It was a winner right away. The rain fell on day 1 of the rally, pouring down. You can do a lot with an old bike, but riding in the rain will be a problem. Because we are riding one of the oldest Triumphs, a single speed (that means it doesn't have a transmission) , we call it a belt driven bike.
The engine is in straight connection with the rear wheel through a belt. But of course. the belt slips when wet. No problem, we thought. We will just make it shorter. That was easier said than done by the way. It was time to ask the experts. Armed with hole punch, a couple of connectors and an awl we wrestled the rubber braid. Result, belt shortened, twice poked in finger, but an hour later the motorcycle was ready for the "launch". Since the rain had stopped and the puddles almost evaporated, we gave starting the Triumph , a shot. Beforehand I had cleaned it all, the valves, carburettor and the float chamber.

The bike went onto the back stand, valves wered and we kicked. And see there, almost immediately the engine, not having been run because of museum storage, started. After a warm up, he decided to stop and got pushed towards the road. The single speed doesn't have a clutch. It is imperative to jump on the bike the moment when the engine runs. You may also- and that might work better- kick start it, like riding a bicycle (therefor the word motor-cycle). Once on the road it was a true pleasure. Almost a privilege. The engine ran like a sewing machine, threw out some oil that was pumped in, but still ran like a true veteran. What is a pleasure to see, is the small tank which is longer than you would think, with the beautiful gas light right in front of you. That is when you realise what it is to ride an old motorcycle. Don't expect too much of the brakes. It also is key to keep this engine running. You have to "engineer", all levers on deck, we could say. But once on the way? Dreaming of the good old days.

The Triumph from 1907 is a single cylinder and very nice to look at. The beautiful rush work on the tank and the seat with multiple springs is a sight for sore eyes.
The old single really has two facets. It is a true pleasure to ride and also very nice to look at. The Single speed wouldn't look too bad in the living room either. Even the "ol' lady" might make up her mind, at least for awhile. Well, this was it for now. I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope you will want to see this beauty for yourself. You know the address in Bergambacht.

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4. RARE SPARES
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Often we find special spare parts on our searches for special motorcycles.
Sometimes it is impossible for us to just leave these parts, knowing that others might be looking for these parts for their restoration projects.

That is why we buy these parts and place the bigger items on our WEB SITE. At this time we have received spare parts for several MV Agusta models. Of course we also buy used parts for other brands. To give you an idea, these are interesting parts, not for sale just anywhere and then focussed on the brands we sell.

It is impossible to place all the parts on the web site. Please call or email us with any special needs you might have regarding the parts you are looking for. If we don't stock it, we may be able to get it!

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5. UPCOMING EVENTS
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The racing season is over, but the time for us to walk the shows for interesting bikes and parts is coming up.
-- October 19th and 20th ,CLASSIC SHOW Stafford England.
-- November 16th and 17th, NOVEGRO (Milan) Italy.
This one is a real must and we hope to meet you here!!
-- December 13th and 14th, VEHIKEL Utrecht

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6. WEB SITE
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As mentioned, we have expanded the web site with Rare- Spares. Find it under "We Sell".

At this time we are developing a totally new web site.

If you, as a user, have any ideas, comments or remarks for our new web site, please let us know. We do appreciate your input.

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7.NGS HOURS.
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A lot of our time is taken by looking for and buying interesting motorcycles. For that we have to leave our showroom more and more. Our network of foreign customers and suppliers is also growing, spending more time at the shows abroad. To give you an impression, the weekend of October 12th and 13th, we will be at the VETERAMA in Germany. To properly prepare we need precious time. Time we have to share with the showroom. Both can no longer be combined.

To do all this correctly and also offer you even better service, we decided to, starting January 1st, change the setngs hours of our showroom.

On Friday and Saturday we will have our regular hours of 10.00 am until 5 pm. All other days we will only beby appointment. If you want to visit us, please call ahead and we will gladly schedule an appointment.

We will be available by phone from Tuesday through Saturday.

Until THE MOTORCYCLE COMPANY ISON
WEDNESDAY till SATURDAY FROM 10 AM- 6 PM (Saturday 5 pm.)

ALL OTHER DAYS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

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THE MOTORCYCLE COMPANY
Ambachtstraat 3, 2861 EW Bergambacht
Tel: , Fax:

http://www.TheMotorcycleCompany.net
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