The entrance lobby of the UK National Motorcycle musem

[Boffin]

Today I went for a short 150mile ride, picking up some landmarks for the Round Britain Rally. The rules prohibit me posting pictures of the landmarks until about mid-October so most of the pictures I took will have to wait. I did however, find myself passing the National Motorcycle Museum and needing the bathroom I decided to call in. The amin exhibition costs £7 to get in and I only intended to stop for a short break so I contented myself with the entrance area and shop. The museum was burnt to the ground a couple of years ago and hundreds of bikes were burnt out - happily most have been restored, although the race-winning bikes that still had the pit-lane patina on them are not quite what they were.

 

Having reviewed the pictures I took, some of them are rather blurred but I have got enough reasonable shots to be able to share a few with you guys.

 

Taxi!

 

Three very different Triumphs

 

Are you packing?

 

 

What might have been - 1500cc V8 Norton

 

 

 

 

1924 Montgomery Anzani 1000cc V-twin with 4 exhausts.

 

the forgotten four - Wooler 500cc horizontally opposed 4 cylinder

 

 

John Player Nortons - including the "Challenge" the twin that came too late.

 

 

A Norman Hyde Trident - the factory fired hin - he produced what they should have.

 

Tucked away almost out of sight - A Hesketh

 

 

 

Finally, on my way out I saw this - a sidecar outfit where the driver sits in the sidecar together with up to three passengers - bike and sidecar have an integral chassis - engine is a 1000cc Japanese V-twin.

 

 

Cya, Andy

[BereIsland]

Andy

When I was working near the airport a couple of years ago I used the museums facility's a couple of times, you can also use the cafe without the entrance fee, a great alternative to the Motorway Service station. I love that sidecar outfit, anyone seeing it would think the rider had fallen off

 

Steve

[Gary in Aus]

Andy ,

not trying to be too personal but did you think of "getting nude" with that Norton Nemisis , what a magnificent looking piece of machinery.

 

That sidecar outfit is brilliant, talk about not just thinking but actually doing outside the square.

 

Things like that make you wonder about the person who actually came up with the idea in the first place and what opportunities that had to realise other concepts / "visions".

 

I wonder how many graphic designers ,engineers, accountants, managers, marketing departments he had to deal with .Hopefully none.

 

Thanks for the photos

[Francois_Dumas]

Last time I visited there was 2 years before the fire. Good to see all looks reasonably 'back in place' again, although a lot of the exhibit pieces were destroyed.

 

Nina and I are visiting a musem too, today. It is always a pity that many of the objects are often placed so close to each other that good 'free' photos are hard to obtain, and the lighting is usually questionable too.

 

The last two visits in the UK I made I went to see (and photograph) the Shuttleworth Collection (absolute and warm recommendation) and the RAF Museum in London.. both have horrible light inside the big halls

[Blake]

Great pics Andy!

 

BTW - Does anyone know how to retrofit one of these on a '96 R1100RT?

 

I'll pay top dollar!!

 

 

Are you packing?

[g_nuse]

I hadn't seen any of the museum since racing over there some years ago.

 

Thanks for the evidence that the museum is / has returned to much of it's early glory. It was a very sad time when the fire took place. A lot of unique bikes were thought to have been lost forever.

[George]

Andy great pics as usual, Kathy and I have not been there since the fire, looks like they have done an exceptional job though. Gotta love that Norton, awesome front end and motor...

150 miles, you are right that was short LOL, we did 230, doing RBR, got up to Silkstone, Bamford, Kearsley and finished off at a very windy Thorncliffe.

 

seeyou soon