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A new year looms on the horizon, which means it’s time to sort out a classic bike calendar for 2008. And whichever sort of old bike you like, there should be something here to suit you…
In Memory of Beret
Andy Tiernan’s annual calendar is always a treat. It’s usually based around Nick Ward’s excellent illustrations, but the 2008 effort is an extra-special example because it’s been produced in memory of Andy’s late mechanic, Dave Berry (Beret to everybody) who died last year. Says Andy; ‘Dave was not only a perfectionist in his restorations but a true BSA man, having great knowledge of 1950’s and 60’s BSAs.’
1955 650cc BSA A10, nicknamed ‘Chrysalis’
So you can expect the Tiernan calendar to have a BSA theme, featuring Dave Berry’s collection of bikes. It’s available for a £5 donation to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, plus 60p in stamps to cover UK postage, from: Andy Tiernan, The Old Railway Station, Framlingham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 9EE.
See www.andybuysbikes.com for more details.
AJS & Matchless
The first calendar to arrive at RCHQ for 2008 was the AJS and Matchless OC offering, which gets off to a great start with a racing G80 pictured on the cover. The rest of this colour calendar features 12 fab bikes of the marque (from shiny replica trials Ajays to well ridden old warriors like a mid-1950s G9, or a sprightly 1965 Model 14 CSR), and it folds open to A3 size, with plenty of space for scribbling notes against important days. The calendar highlights important events in the club’s schedule of events, and contains useful reminders like when British Summer Time begins and when all the Bank Holidays are in May…
Matchless G80 in action
Best of all, the price is exactly the same as last year! So send a cheque for £5 if you live in the UK, to AJS & Matchless Owners Club Limited, Meadow View Cottage, Beenham Village, Berkshire, RG7 5NX or see www.jampot.com
Greeves Riders Reminisce
The Greeves Riders’ Association 2008 calendar is worthy of a special mention because it doesn’t feature current photos of bikes in use at the moment (which is the usual pattern for club calendars). Instead it provides a photo gallery of past publicity shots dating from 1954 through to the late 1960s; a month-by-month nostalgic review of how the bikes were portrayed when they were new.
Greeves Fleetstar at Southend Airport
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The year kicks off with a glorious shot of Olga Kevelos, ISDT and trials rider extraordinaire, poised for action aboard a 1954 20D De-Luxe roadster. This was Greeves’ first full year of motorcycle production and the photo reflects the bubbling enthusiasm of the company at the time. As the year progresses we meet an air hostess at Southend Airport, posed with a Fleetstar; various models at chilly locations but plenty of members of the Greeves staff too, and a fine array of machinery captured in its heyday – portrayed as its builders wanted it to be seen. The photos make for a fascinating stroll through the 1950s and 60s and the history of the Greeves marque. It’s the first time the GRA have put together such a calendar and they deserve extra credit for going to the trouble to research and produce such a charmingly nostalgic item. They’ve used photos from the club’s archive which were taken by the company but weren’t necessarily used in the sales brochures of the time. As the compiler explains; ‘Although Greeves did on occasion use professional models for their photo shoots, often they would simply ask a pretty girl from the office to pose with the bikes adding, at this distance in time, a degree of period charm.’ You need not have any real interest in the marque to love this calendar; it would make a great gift for anyone who has an interest in that period of motorcycling. It costs £5 from Colin Sparrow of the GRA; call 01992 621220 or email colinsparrow at btinternet.com |
Greeves stuff on eBay.co.uk |
High-Gloss Nortons
The Norton Owners’ Club offering is an extremely high class product; a ring-bound A3 landscape calendar with pin-sharp photos of glorious machines in full colour with spot-glaze on the photos to really show them off to best effect. Each page contains a description of the bike portrayed, plus the dates for the actual month with space to scribble, and a handy summary of the month before and after. The bikes featured include a Model 2, Model 77, CS1, C652 International (that’s the one with a Rotax engine), and a Dominator racing outfit.
The NOC calendar costs £7 and at the moment is only available to Norton Club members from www.nortonownersclub.org
