Any value at all

A pile of Motorcycle Mechanics magazines from the late 50s to the mid 60s
not a complet series but around 30-40 off.
There are various handy items like a rotary fan thing in front of you to
give you clear vision and various ads for totally S SOB equipment.

Terrys "AERO" valve springs
Bardahl 2 stroke Oil
Centurion Lids

Surprising how many have survived though.

Belstaff
Sellotape
Solvol
Araldite

It is the "how-to do-it" Magazine

Are they worth anything or is it the bucket for them...?

 

Used mags are worth absolutely **** all, with the exception:

(a) Of Bike magazine, pre-1980.

(b) Of any edition which has a test, preferably a first test, of
anything now regarded as a classic. These editions sell for a few quid
on Ebay, sometimes surprisingly large sums (I saw a mag that had an
early Suzuki GT750 Kettle test in it go for £25).

These classic roadtest issues are snapped up by collectors who are
building a portfolio of ephemera to go with their bike(s). I know, I do
it myself[1].

My advice: go through them, select *only* those issues that have such
tests in. I suppose you'll be looking for Gold Stars, Rocket Gold Stars,
Bonnevilles, Venoms, Thruxtons and the like. And bin the rest.

Actually, I was browsing a used mag stand at Kemp[ton Park the other
weekend, and there was a pile of old editions of Motorcycle Sport going
back 25 years. I found five which had my stuff in, and they cost me 20p
each. Worth it, just to have them as keepsakes.

[1] I've got four[2] early magazine tests of the 400 Four, for example.
[2] Bike, Motorcycle Mechanics, Motorcycling Monthly and Motorcycle
Sport.

 

Thats useful TOG I will have a browse through.

I have a few Bike mags from the 70s the one I have to hand was testing
things like the Suzuki GS400, Honda XL250 etc.

This particular issue has a competition... 1st prize CB550-Four..2nd prize
CB400-Four... 3rd prize CJ250-Twin.... 4th prize... SS50 (5 speed).

Two out of the 4 are still worth a bit... don't fancy 3rd prize though my
mate had one or it may have been the G5 before it.
What a POS.

 

Heh. Should have been 1st price CJ250. 2nd price two CJ250s. 3rd prize 3
CJ250s....

 

The message <NwYNk.96684$2>

Turbovisor. Developed from the spinning disc on the glass 'window' on
warship bridges.

I had one in the '60s, and it was great - just until you tried to look
behind you at speed...

 

Thus spake The Older Gentleman () unto the assembled multitudes:

Gnnnnn! And to think I had just about every 'Bike' from the 1970s, and
sent them all to landfill (this was before recycling ever started, not that
that would've been any less stupid). I had simply run out of space,
acquired a wife, and something had to go (the wife would've taken a dim
view of being thrown out, I'm sure ;-)

 

I kept my collection, and Boxerboy of this parish sold me his archive
for something like £125 some years ago. So I've got just about every one
from Issue One.

I'm missing one or two from 1991, I think, and a couple elsewhere.

 

Do please elaborate it builds a scary picture in my mind..

 

there is a very similar device still being sold to Kart racing types -
lookee here



http://www.nickygrist.com/turbo-rain-visor-142-p.asp


I have to say that in the 3 years I spent kart racing I never saw anyone
actually using one of these, can't think why.


Dudley

 

There was a 'horseshoe' frame of (IIRC) aluminium bonded to a rubber
backing which was strapped round the helmet.

The frame had two pivots somewhere a but above the ears so you could
raise the 'visor'.

The visor itself was a well-balanced dish made of (I think) acrylic,
which had a small ball-race in the middle. It had vanes shaped somewhat
like turbine blades (also acrylic) arranged round the perimeter, which
turned the dish.

The visor was secured through the centre by an aluminium bolt with a
circular knurled head.

When fixed to the frame, the Turbovisor rotated quite fast even at low
(bike) speed, throwing-off any water, and what streaks that remained
were blurred to invisibility by the spinning dish.

Worked very well - until - as I said, you turned your head. Firstly,
there was a noticeable gyro effect, but turning your head so that the
back of the dish scooped-up airstream had the sort of drogue effect
which screwed your neck owl-like...

Also, one looked a right tit with the thing raised so the dish was
horizontal. Sort-of Dan Dare Space cadet look.

But if you remembered you'd got the thing on, and it was raining at all,
it beat any other visor or goggles into a cocked hat.

 

The message <gea4mk$hrj$>

I think I may well have explained...

 

Yeah, I had a CJ, stands for "Complete Junk" I reckon.

 

The message <>

Not surprised. Remember when John Ebrill (sp?) told you how to true a
wheel by making all the spokes ping at the same pitch? I never read his
column(s) again.