1950's Motorcycle holiday

Nice pitures, and what a holiday it must have been. Thanks for sharing them!

I have had a 1955 Matchless G80CS – the scrambler version of the AMC 500 single with alu cylinder and mudguards. Fun bike. I wouldn´t have planned a euro-trip on that one, though.

Jon

Wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, that is a great story in pictures!

Nice bikes too and I thought I might have seen a Douglas like mine among them but not to be, however I did see a Riley RM series in one of the earlier shots and maybe another in a Germany picture. My 1952 2.5 litre RM sedan was a great gravel road car with its narrow tires and suspension like a rubber dinghy due to the flat ladder chassis and the wooden superstructure.:cool:

I had a friend who went on a cycling holiday to France. He went by Bristol Freigther. They loaded the bikes and cars. The freighter tried to take off but was to heavy. So they taxied back unloaded a car. Then took off and flew to France.

Dave

Nostalgia!!

Great pictures, a different era! It would be another decade before my father joined Silver City from Aquila to fly the 170 Superfreighters on the Lydd -Le Touquet run. My second aviation memory was flying to France with dad up front and being given a boiled sweet by the stewardess to suck on the descent. First memory in case you were wondering is being scared silly by the VC 10’s on approach to Wisley flying low over our house in West End near Woking. You have to wonder how many more albums are hidden away in lofts around the country with similar stories to tell! The chaps on this motorcycle trip would have been well checked at all the frontier crossings unlike today where you can speed around europe without a single check other then passports for the channel crossing being required. I can’t help but think that people will look at that period as the good old days, will we say the same about 2011 after another 56+ years??

Can’t see anything French, just thoroughly British Bristol Freighters and a Miles Aerovan!

Must have required some spares support to take British bikes on a journey like that!

Not really British bikes can be very reliable if they have been put together properly.They have got an unfair reputation because at one time they were cheap transport and suffered lots of bodge jobs on them.

Nice photo’s. I still have a 1949 AJS 500cc single at home. Which i’ve had for 36 years. Cost me £10.00.

Dave

ive got 1958 MATCHLESS G11 CS in CSR trim. 2nd owner from new, ive only had mine 20 years though. cost me £1800 when i got it but it was £278 new.

fantastic set of pics, a great blend of 2 of my favourite subjects, even more bettererer for me as ive not long been to Austria on my hols,

How in the name of all that is sacred do you expect me to identify an aircraft that I haven’t built a model of Pagey? 😉

Nice shooting soldier!:)

I know the Freighter/Wayfarer was immortalised by Airfix, but it could be a looong wait for a scale Aerovan!

Not a lot of aircraft but, wow, the bikes………….!!!

I believe a Brough Superior is to be auctioned next week. Will be interesting to what price it fetches……….. ?

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/877627-brough-superior-ss100-motorbike-set-to-fetch-record-300-000-at-auction

The Brough of course has strong aeronautical connections through Aircraftsman SHAW, “aka Lawernce of Arabia”.

Planemike

Can’t see anything French, just thoroughly British Bristol Freighters and a Miles Aerovan!

How in the name of all that is sacred do you expect me to identify an aircraft that I haven’t built a model of Pagey? 😉

Nice photo’s. I still have a 1949 AJS 500cc single at home. Which i’ve had for 36 years. Cost me £10.00.

Dave

What a wonderful find – cheers for posting that 😀
Love the ending story about the Dad taking out the modern Ducati too :diablo:

Brings back memories, used to hang over the fence at Lympne when Silver City first started about 1948?. In 1949 I worked for a few months in the Met Office and have a vivid memory of three Freighters returning from Le Touquet one evening in formation, and doing the classic break and landing.
Wonderful old bikes as well, I had a 350 Matchless. Afraid those days will never return.

Can’t see anything French, just thoroughly British Bristol Freighters and a Miles Aerovan!

Must have required some spares support to take British bikes on a journey like that!

Very classy way to travel – funny how everything always looks so much less cluttered and more cared for in old photos.
According to a vehicle search, only the Brough is still around…