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Jim Kempster's Velocette Ktd


julian57

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Sorry...I am posting this topic under various sections but only because there is an urgency.....

 

Can someone out there please help regarding the location of Jim's Velocette KTD. There is a website which is no longer maintained but, if you google search for Velocette KTD, will come up as Jim's bike. It looks, from the image on the site, as if it is on display somewhere but, try as we have, we cannot locate it.

 

Jim was my wife's great uncle and her mum's uncle. She (Jim's neice is nearly 80 and would like to see the bike her uncle rode) so the tantalising photo is a case of so near yet so far as we cannot locate it.

The website seemed to be hosted by an Andy at Exeter falcons but, again, this has drawn a blank.

 

Anyone knowing where the bike is - please email me outside this forum.

 

Thanks

 

Julian

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Sorry...I am posting this topic under various sections but only because there is an urgency.....

 

Can someone out there please help regarding the location of Jim's Velocette KTD. There is a website which is no longer maintained but, if you google search for Velocette KTD, will come up as Jim's bike. It looks, from the image on the site, as if it is on display somewhere but, try as we have, we cannot locate it.

 

Jim was my wife's great uncle and her mum's uncle. She (Jim's neice is nearly 80 and would like to see the bike her uncle rode) so the tantalising photo is a case of so near yet so far as we cannot locate it.

The website seemed to be hosted by an Andy at Exeter falcons but, again, this has drawn a blank.

 

Anyone knowing where the bike is - please email me outside this forum.

 

Thanks

 

Julian

 

 

There is some debate about Velocette speedway bikes currently running on

 

 

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway

 

that may be of use to you.

Edited by speedyguy
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There is some debate about Velocette speedway bikes currently running on

 

 

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway

 

that may be of use to you.

 

But then maybe not. I get this impression of a dog having a wee at every lampost that it sniffs out.

 

Can a mod put a stop to it please? Phil never liked posts that contained links to other forums, especially when the link is often in the signatures.. Which is cleary not sufficient for speedyguy.

 

Not a post contributing to the thread is it really..? The Poster needs that explaining. AGAIN. AGAIN, AGAIN....

Edited by Jim Blanchard
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But then maybe not. I get this impression of a dog having a wee at every lampost that it sniffs out.

 

Can a mod put a stop to it please? Phil never liked posts that contained links to other forums, especially when the link is often in the signatures.. Which is cleary not sufficient for speedyguy.

 

Not a post contributing to the thread is it really..? The Poster needs that explaining. AGAIN. AGAIN, AGAIN....

 

 

The Velocette had a 411c engine. Bert Clayton from York (or Huddersfield) rode one for a team in the Northern League in 1929 and 1930. There is an established German site dealing with Velocette speedway bikes (and it mentions names like Alf hagon and Lew Coffin as trying the engine in more recent times). There's also a UK blog about these bikes. However, while the blog mentions that Jim Kempster did ride one, it does not mention if his bike is still in existence. I hope this contributes something towards the query raised by the initial Poster to this thread. Have a nice day, Jim. Woof! Woof!

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Why did you not put that in the original post? Because you would not know the difference between a KTT, KTD or KSS if it fell on your head. I have reported you for making posts just to include links to another forum to this forums adminsistrator, inspite of having them in your signature. I am not the first to notice it either. What is your problem? Megalomania or pure aggrandisement?

Edited by Jim Blanchard
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But then maybe not. I get this impression of a dog having a wee at every lampost that it sniffs out.

 

Can a mod put a stop to it please? Phil never liked posts that contained links to other forums, especially when the link is often in the signatures.. Which is cleary not sufficient for speedyguy.

 

Not a post contributing to the thread is it really..? The Poster needs that explaining. AGAIN. AGAIN, AGAIN....

 

 

It would seem that about 50 Velocette speedway bikes were built but not all sold. Velocette sold three in Australia, where it appear one of them at least was adapted for use on the big circuit at Penrith. It also appears that the same engine was adapted for use in the bikes when Australian sidecar racing was in its infancy. Velocette stripped down the bikes that were not sold for use on speedway, then resold the engines for use in other forms of motorcycle sport - they were apparently especially excellent in hill-climb competitions. Information still coming in, but doubtless you knew all this Jim. I and various contacts are still trying to find out where, if it exists, Jim Kenpster's Velocette is. Woof! Woof! :rolleyes:

Edited by speedyguy
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Why did you not put that in the original post? Because you would not know the difference between a KTT, KTD or KSS if it fell on your head. I have reported you for making posts just to include links to another forum to this forums adminsistrator, inspite of having them in your signature. I am not the first to notice it either. What is your problem? Megalomania or pure aggrandisement?

 

 

You are correct about various types of engines - I am not a mechanical person. I never have been interested in the mechanical side of any form of motorsport - just the people who take part in it. Most speedway people like to know what the riders are doing and, like myself probably :unsure: just don't care about the sport's technical side. Woof! Woof!

Edited by speedyguy
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I know I am correct. You think I do not know when any one talks crap? I had a KTT in in 1965, and the other all the crap you spout is why you have been slung out of the Speedway history forum....

 

Wee in the wind and play with the steam, as your not prepared to play by any rules... :lol: Must be megalomania then. :lol:

 

 

 

Edited by Jim Blanchard
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I know I am correct. You think I do not know when any one talks crap? I had a KTT in in 1965, and the other all the crap you spout is why you have been slung out of the Speedway history forum....

 

Wee in the wind and play with the steam, as your not prepared to play by any rules... :lol: Must be megalomania then. :lol:

 

Very sad!!! :rolleyes:

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I am sure that the guy who ran that brilliant site with the picture on was (probably still is) a forum member but I can't remember his name. Surely somebody can remember who it was that ran the Exeter site with the workshop pages. If nobody comes forward try Nevs on here as if it involves Exeter he will certainly know who it is.

Presumably you have tried the email address on the homepage chris@exeter-falcons.demon.co.uk as the site owner would know where he got the picture from.

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I am sure that the guy who ran that brilliant site with the picture on was (probably still is) a forum member but I can't remember his name. Surely somebody can remember who it was that ran the Exeter site with the workshop pages. If nobody comes forward try Nevs on here as if it involves Exeter he will certainly know who it is.

Presumably you have tried the email address on the homepage chris@exeter-falcons.demon.co.uk as the site owner would know where he got the picture from.

 

I have tried the suggested link several times and it appears to be a dormant site. At least, that's the message I keep getting. Has anyone else had any luck with the site? It would be interesting to know.

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I have tried the suggested link several times and it appears to be a dormant site. At least, that's the message I keep getting. Has anyone else had any luck with the site? It would be interesting to know.

 

 

I have just checked out the suggested link on the system at work - the South London Press - and it is there. However, on a cursory browse I could not find any reference to Jim Kempster's Velocette Ktd.

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Try here

I am sure you are right about who owned the site, presumably he would know where the picture came from even if not where it was taken.

[/quote)

In Scotland is the "From Cinder To Shale) speedway museum: and there are 100 speedwaybike in that museum.

In the museum is a Velocette speedwaybike and I think it could be Jim Kempsters old machine.

Just send me a pm and I will give you further details about that museum.

 

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WITW! Here's some information that may :unsure: be of use. WITW!

 

It's from Sheldon's EMU site, link (!!!) given in a previous Post.

 

Speedway Workshop

 

An archive of a speedway site

This site is an archive of the pages known as The Workshop Speedway and GrassTrack Machines previously at http://speedwaybikes.fortunecity.net/

 

Pages By: chris@exeter-falcons.demon.co.uk

 

The site has been offline for some time, and the only copy available at present, other than this, is at the Wayback Machine. If the owner would like to come forward and reclaim the site, please, just say the word and all these pages will be redirected to your new site, or if you so desire, removed entirely.

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WITW! This is a message just received which MIGHT interest some people! WITW!

 

Dutch

 

Velocette, Today, 06:35 PM

 

Group: Members

Posts: 36

Member No.: 7165

Joined: 19-May 06

 

 

Hi Speedyguy.

 

The (Jim Kempster?) Velocette speedway machine is on display in the Scottish speedwaymuseum, (from Cinder to Shale)

Owner of that museum is former Speedwayrider for the Berwickshire Bandits Ian Paterson.

 

At this very moment Mr Paterson is restoring a Harley Davidson CAC with 500cc from 1934.

If this bike is finished then there are 100 all perfect restored speedwaybikes in the museum.

Edited by speedyguy
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Thanks to all who have posted so far and we are on the right track heading for the From Cinders to Shale link. We therefore appear to be closing in.

 

Jim wasn't the one of the great riders of all time but was the first England team captain. From scrapbook of 1930's press cuttings passed to my wife from her family he was never the same after a nasty crash and left the sport mid 30's.

 

Fortunately, for the brief time he was near the top his constant smile earned him his nickname 'Smiling' Jim and my wife and her mum are proud of him..so thanks for all the assistance in locating his Velocette.

 

He enlisted at the start of the second world war and ferried planes to airfields.

 

Sadly, in ferrying a plane to Germany, just after the war his plane hit cables and he was killed.

 

We will update when we know more but thanks to all again.

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