Going back in time with Motor Cycling

Motor Cycling was a classic British motor magazine.

 I took a walk back in time, recently, determining to read from cover to cover the Sept. 3, 1953 edition of Motor Cycling magazine. 

It was a different time. 

Motor Cycling was the first British motorcycle magazine, launching in 1902, but it tripped and had to be relaunched in 1909. 

By that time its longtime rival, The Motor Cycle magazine, had been in business for six years. 

Motor Cycling was more stable by 1953, with Graham Walker having been editor since 1938. A dispatch rider in World War I, he had an accomplished racing career. He had won the Ulster Grand Prix in 1928. 

Graham would leave the magazine in 1954, but by then Motor Cycling's green cover was well recognized as being "Read Wherever Motorcycles Are Ridden."

His "Editorial" in the issue that fell into my hands assured readers that quality, not the (falling) number of entrants, would assure the survival of the Manx Grand Prix.

As a weekly publication, Motor Cycling's inexpensive paper and lack of color photos are to be expected.

But the depth of technical writing and technical illustrations is remarkable. (No doubt much of this material was provided by motorcycle manufacturers, but it remains valuable, if presumably biased.)

My issue includes an extremely detailed and painstakingly drawn explanation of how to maintain a Model M23 BSA Empire Star.

(Hint: it's nearly identical to the wartime BSA M20 issued to the troops, so your military training during the war remains valid and spare parts abound.)

In general, Motor Cycling tended to feature racing reports, while The Motor Cycle offered more technical articles. Still, my edition of Motor Cycling analyzed the coming 1954 line of Watsonian sidecars, and spent a whole page examining "Lucas Plans for Next Year."

"Sports Gossip" was a column by Cyril Quantrill, who would go on to found Motorcycle News magazine two years later, and edit it during its formative years.

For the Motor Cycling edition I read, assistant editor R.R. Holliday went to the Isle of Man to report on practice preliminaries for the Manx Grand Prix, hanging Motor Cycling's headquarters banner on the Castle Mona hotel.

This was an important sporting event, and Motor Cycling not only provided a map of the grand prix route on the island, it offered advice on the best places from which to watch the action.

Imagine riding the race course on a 98cc moped!

It wasn't all serious, though. There's a page-long humor item by G.K.B., a woman who alleged to have ridden her 98cc Autocycle "Fanny" around the Manx circuit.

"There were no records broken and we were five laps short, but we did it," she wrote.

The true strength of Motor Cycling, in 1953, was its many and varied advertisements. Handsome ads touted brands like Ariel and major purchases like Firestone tires. 

Renold Mark 10 Chains advertised their competition victories.

Vincent invented a clip-on motor with a low center of gravity.

And the Vincent Firefly Cycle Motor showed off its remarkably low center of gravity, with the motor being attached actually below the bicycle's pedal crank. With 45cc of power, this clip-on motor for a bicycle was an odd creation for the same company that made the Vincent Black Shadow.

Royal Enfield was there, with E.S. Motors of Chiswick calling itself the 100% Royal Enfield Specialists:

"We are the largest ROYAL ENFIELD dealers and Spares Stockists in London," E.S. Motors claims, in an ad illustrated with a drawing of a 700c Royal Enfield twin.

Royal Enfield was featured in ads in 1953 magazine.

But the real meat of the magazine was advertisements for used motorcycles and for motorcycling accessories.

Not just parts, but apparel, including RAF goggles, U.S. pattern bomber jackets, and "Genuine D.R. Boots, not new, but in perfect condition." And all available by mail order.

It's in one of these ads that I learn that there is such a thing as a "Jeep Coat," fleece lined and in "Canadian officers' style." Dashing, and likely warm, too.

Perfect for riding your civilian BSA Empire Star.