martinmauger Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 Posters who've seen The Motorbike Show on ITV4 will know it mostly covers road going bikes but speedway had kinda 1 1/2 mentions last nite (Thursday 6th June). Presenter Henry Cole visited The Ace Cafe in London and the owner said "after the speedway had finshed at Wembley on Thursday nites, motorcyclists would pop in for a cup of tea then blast up and down the road on their bikes". He must have been referring to league speedway, but surprising that so many bikers apparently went to Wembley, so few road bikes are seen at the tracks. Henry also visited Lewis Leathers in London and as the camera panned across rack of old vintage leather jackets, one could be seen with Hackney Hawks painted on the back, not with the familiar logo but must have been the speedway team. The Motorbike Show is repeated, at least in the East Yorkshire area, ITV4 next Wednesday 12th June 12:00 midnite.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 Also, on the first episode of the program 63 Up they had a cabby on and showed some old footage of him at Hackney stadium from when he was younger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moxey63 Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) I watched Coronation Street the other night, a soap based just a few miles from Belle Vue speedway. Edited June 7, 2019 by moxey63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I remember Raquel, the dizzy barmaid in the Rovers going out with a speedway rider to make Des Barnes jealous...and daft Ricky Butcher, or was it Troy Pratt, riding for Arena-Essex after a couple of practice laps..and regulars in the 'Vic, calling him Barry Sheene and saying "he thinks he's racing at Daytona"...The scriptwriters obviously did their research there...and Seth and Amos taking a break from farming to have a blast around Owlerton..(or maybe I dreamt that.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I try to follow the Motorbike Show but often forget when it's on so not seen all the episodes. [putting on serious speedway anorak] I once recall someone in the Rovers mentioning that someone "used to ride speedway at Belle Vue and he was very good", I'm bored at work and speedway is off tonite (sigh). I saw a spectator during the IOM TT coverage wearing a Belle Vue Aces hoody, though it could easily have been an Ace Cafe garment.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) I've just realised what The Motortbike Show is. An old friend of mine sometimes appears on it - a guy called Allen Millyard. He's a bit of a bike genius, and we went to school and did an apprenticeship together. He used to fix my FS1-E! Edited June 7, 2019 by Grachan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sotonian Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Grachan said: I've just realised what The Motortbike Show is. An old friend of mine sometimes appears on it - a guy called Allen Millyard. He's a bit of a bike genius, and we went to school and did an apprenticeship together. He used to fix my FS1-E! That's an understatement. His creations are amazing, especially his Velocette V-twin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted June 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 Allen Millyard is a very clever man, as is Sam Lovegrove. Without blowing my own family's trumpet (too much), my father had already built his own outboard motor using a Mobylette moped engine attached to a home-made shaft and gearbox. He then built a 100cc twin cylinder Mobylette engine (joined 2 50cc moped engines) for a more powerful outboard. I mostly lack such skills, my only claim to such mechanical engineering fame was converting a 125cc Yamaha (DT-E 125) from extremely troublesome 12v battery coil igntion to a more reliable 6v flywheel magneto set up using parts from a 100cc Yamaha (DT100) with totally different stroke, so the strator plate had to be altered and new slot cut in the flywheel to achieve the correct ognition timing. Total & utter faff but needs musted at the time. I also once rebuilt a motorcycle engine then a car gearbox in my bedroom, but that's another story.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 (edited) Watched an episode of George and Mildred on Dave a few months ago.. The toast was burnt or something and there was then a comment about cinders and a Speedway track.. Hilarious... Big time Speedway is again just around the corner when 1970's crap sitcoms can push it into their script... Edited June 7, 2019 by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Stadia Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 I was watching British Superbike the other day and there was a mention of a speedway rider, Squib Burton, I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryW Posted June 7, 2019 Report Share Posted June 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Ray Stadia said: I was watching British Superbike the other day and there was a mention of a speedway rider, Squib Burton, I think! Mentioned because he won the first ever bike race at the Donnington track in 1931. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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