Discussion
Hi Chaps
I introduced myself before on this thread about my new foray into motorcycling.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...
However this thread isn’t about me, this is about the past and someone very special to me, my late grandfather.
In June my mum came to visit us in Indiana from the U.K. and she’s finally found some old photos of my grandpa’s motorcycle trip through Europe from 1956!
I was so made up that I had to share them with you guys!
So my grandpa was born in 1935 in Wath Upon Dearne, Yorkshire.
His dad was a miner and they lived in pretty much poverty, his Mum died in his teens, he and his dad were then looked after by his Auntie until he left home at 21.
He went to work in the mines after he left school fixing the machines with his dad. But he really had a knack for engineering, so the coal board paid for him to do his engineering degree ( think he did that part time while working full time down’t ‘pit’. )
He also saved up and bought himself a BSA motorcycle sometime around 1954-55. ( Mum and I were trying to remember if it was a shooting star or not)
He had a couple of good friends from the mine, one of them also had a motorcycle (maybe a BSA).
I understand there really weren’t such things as vacations in England in the 1950s, I think people used to take off a couple of weeks in the summer to go to the seaside if they could afford it!
Only the really wealthy could afford to travel abroad, to Europe for example.
However my grandpa (just turned 21) and 3 of his friends from the pit had hatched a plan. They wanted to ride their motorcycles, 2 on each bike, around Europe. 4000 miles.
None of them had left England before, they would all have to ask permission from their employer to leave for a few weeks (without pay) and hope they would be employed when they returned.
Folks in Europe at this time didn’t speak English as fluently as they do today of course, and my grandpa and his friends had very thick Yorkshire accents and no foreign language skills!
Riding 2 BSA’s heavy laden, 2 up, 4,000 miles taking in beautiful cities, mountain passes and probably plenty of hijinks along the way! (See my grandpa’s handmade map of their route)
They were adventure riding way before adventure riding was a thing!
He told me about the topless beach they found, and the roadside repairs they had to do.
Unfortunately my grandpa passed away in 2006, I was heartbroken when he died. He helped me so much with everything and shaped who I am. I ended up being just like him, hands on, a mechanical engineer and a motorcyclist.
I loved listening to his numerous stories of motorcycle riding as a youth, and he still rode (BMWs) when he tuned 70.
The first photos are the Map, and them loading the bikes onto a plane just after or before a Morris Minor and a Ford Zephyr.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/ulgTJpgb[/url]
I introduced myself before on this thread about my new foray into motorcycling.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...
However this thread isn’t about me, this is about the past and someone very special to me, my late grandfather.
In June my mum came to visit us in Indiana from the U.K. and she’s finally found some old photos of my grandpa’s motorcycle trip through Europe from 1956!
I was so made up that I had to share them with you guys!
So my grandpa was born in 1935 in Wath Upon Dearne, Yorkshire.
His dad was a miner and they lived in pretty much poverty, his Mum died in his teens, he and his dad were then looked after by his Auntie until he left home at 21.
He went to work in the mines after he left school fixing the machines with his dad. But he really had a knack for engineering, so the coal board paid for him to do his engineering degree ( think he did that part time while working full time down’t ‘pit’. )
He also saved up and bought himself a BSA motorcycle sometime around 1954-55. ( Mum and I were trying to remember if it was a shooting star or not)
He had a couple of good friends from the mine, one of them also had a motorcycle (maybe a BSA).
I understand there really weren’t such things as vacations in England in the 1950s, I think people used to take off a couple of weeks in the summer to go to the seaside if they could afford it!
Only the really wealthy could afford to travel abroad, to Europe for example.
However my grandpa (just turned 21) and 3 of his friends from the pit had hatched a plan. They wanted to ride their motorcycles, 2 on each bike, around Europe. 4000 miles.
None of them had left England before, they would all have to ask permission from their employer to leave for a few weeks (without pay) and hope they would be employed when they returned.
Folks in Europe at this time didn’t speak English as fluently as they do today of course, and my grandpa and his friends had very thick Yorkshire accents and no foreign language skills!
Riding 2 BSA’s heavy laden, 2 up, 4,000 miles taking in beautiful cities, mountain passes and probably plenty of hijinks along the way! (See my grandpa’s handmade map of their route)
They were adventure riding way before adventure riding was a thing!
He told me about the topless beach they found, and the roadside repairs they had to do.
Unfortunately my grandpa passed away in 2006, I was heartbroken when he died. He helped me so much with everything and shaped who I am. I ended up being just like him, hands on, a mechanical engineer and a motorcyclist.
I loved listening to his numerous stories of motorcycle riding as a youth, and he still rode (BMWs) when he tuned 70.
The first photos are the Map, and them loading the bikes onto a plane just after or before a Morris Minor and a Ford Zephyr.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/ulgTJpgb[/url]
So as you’ve seen in the photo above, him leaning against his BSA on the mountain pass in Switzerland is bloody cool.
I found out the location is Susten Pass, near the summit, just behind him is a tunnel through the mountain.
One day I’m going to get back over to Europe and retrace his route, and try to replicate that photo....
I found out the location is Susten Pass, near the summit, just behind him is a tunnel through the mountain.
One day I’m going to get back over to Europe and retrace his route, and try to replicate that photo....
Good story with nice pictures, thanks for posting!
According to DVLA, OWX200 is still around and on the road. It is showing as a 650cc so that would make it an A10 - also known as a Golden Flash. A Shooting Star was a very similar machine with a 500cc engine.
If you were interested in the bike today then it may be worth posting this story in the BSA owners club forum as im sure the current owner would be interested, even if they're not a member im sure someone would recognise the bike from shows or clubs.
Rich
According to DVLA, OWX200 is still around and on the road. It is showing as a 650cc so that would make it an A10 - also known as a Golden Flash. A Shooting Star was a very similar machine with a 500cc engine.
If you were interested in the bike today then it may be worth posting this story in the BSA owners club forum as im sure the current owner would be interested, even if they're not a member im sure someone would recognise the bike from shows or clubs.
Rich
Fantastic story and some brilliant photos there!
Thanks very much for sharing, do you have any more details/pics? I for one would love to see more.
Coincidentally, my Grandad was an engineer and loved motorbikes too. Sadly I never got to meet him as he passed before I was born so sadly don't have the stories you perhaps have.
Thanks very much for sharing, do you have any more details/pics? I for one would love to see more.
Coincidentally, my Grandad was an engineer and loved motorbikes too. Sadly I never got to meet him as he passed before I was born so sadly don't have the stories you perhaps have.
Krikkit said:
What a fantastic looking trip, would be great to try and recreate it today.
As dibble says, even working out your route in those days would've been a labour of love with a map, string and notepad.
Ha ha ha .. the string and map image was strong in my mind when I wrote my comment, might email the FiL and see what the reg plate of his BSA is lol ...As dibble says, even working out your route in those days would've been a labour of love with a map, string and notepad.
SilverHarrier said:
Good story with nice pictures, thanks for posting!
According to DVLA, OWX200 is still around and on the road. It is showing as a 650cc so that would make it an A10 - also known as a Golden Flash. A Shooting Star was a very similar machine with a 500cc engine.
If you were interested in the bike today then it may be worth posting this story in the BSA owners club forum as im sure the current owner would be interested, even if they're not a member im sure someone would recognise the bike from shows or clubs.
Rich
Well funny that you say that...as you’ve already found with a search on DVLA, it still existed somewhere, not road registered but also not scrapped. According to DVLA, OWX200 is still around and on the road. It is showing as a 650cc so that would make it an A10 - also known as a Golden Flash. A Shooting Star was a very similar machine with a 500cc engine.
If you were interested in the bike today then it may be worth posting this story in the BSA owners club forum as im sure the current owner would be interested, even if they're not a member im sure someone would recognise the bike from shows or clubs.
Rich
In July, spurred on by a friend who found his dad’s old Aston Martin the same way, I posted some of those photos on a BSA FB group.
The responses were so positive, pretty much the same as here, and many, intrigued by the story, wanted to help.
One of the members actually found the bike! It was up for auction with H&H, to be held at The British Motorcycle Museum in just a few weeks time! (How’s that for timing?)
I showed this to my mum. She’s no interest in old bikes but this being her dad’s bike, she was overwhelmed and we decided that we must have it back in our family.
Brilliant story and great snaps. Your Grandad and his mates showed a fair bit of 'gumption' to organise that trip back in those days especially given their background.
You should definitely buy that bike back (must be divine providence that it has come up for sale again, just when you are looking for it). You should do the same trip on his old bike. That would be a great end to a fantastic story!
You should definitely buy that bike back (must be divine providence that it has come up for sale again, just when you are looking for it). You should do the same trip on his old bike. That would be a great end to a fantastic story!
BritVsRedneck said:
I showed this to my mum. She’s no interest in old bikes but this being her dad’s bike, she was overwhelmed and we decided that we must have it back in our family.
Got no idea of your financial situation but I'd put £20 in a GoFundMe or similar to help get it reunited ....dibblecorse said:
BritVsRedneck said:
I showed this to my mum. She’s no interest in old bikes but this being her dad’s bike, she was overwhelmed and we decided that we must have it back in our family.
Got no idea of your financial situation but I'd put £20 in a GoFundMe or similar to help get it reunited ....Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff