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Being a trials man myself I enjoyed the Greeves Scottish story featuring Chris Cullen in the September 2019 issue. The last time I saw Chris Cullen was on a Steam Packet ferry, bound for Douglas and the ISDT in September 1971. I was 17 and on my way to the IoM for my first time,…

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I enjoyed your article on lightweight military motorcycles (June 2019 issue) and thought readers may be interested in the civilian version of the James Military Lightweight (ML). After the Second Word War ended, James continued to manufacture a civilian version of the ML until 1948, at which point they were able to start developing new…

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There were quite a few observations about aftermarket rear suspension in your September 2019 magazine. It should be noted conversions were not just confined to off-road machines. Here are some photos of my late father outside the De Havilland factory at Hatfield, on his Hartley Ariel, with a McCandless rear suspension conversion. In those days,…

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On pages 6/7 of the September 2019 issue of TCM, the aeroplane is a French-built SNCASE SE 161 Languedoc, powered by four 900HP Gnome Rhone engines. Air France used 40 of them – 100 were built. It was able to carry 33 to 40 passengers. This one, registered F-BCUN, was number 61. Alas, I don’t…

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I was delighted to read Andy Westlake’s article (TCM, July 2019) about a 350cc scrambles Matchless and his fond memories of that era. I was a competitor at that time and this was my 1953 350cc Matchless at a scramble meeting somewhere in Cheshire in about 1957. I am the bloke in the corset and…

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With regards to the Louie McLean article in the August 2019 issue and the statement that her husband George “went on to run a motorcycle dealership in Perthshire”. George McLean’s business was in Dundee and I would have accepted Angus or Forfarshire, but not Perthshire! As you can see from the attached photograph, the motorcycle…

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With reference to Herman Meier, as featured in You Were Asking in the TCM of August 2019, I met Herman several times. The pictured bike was ridden in sprints by John Kimberley, and I suggest the photo was taken at Church Lawford. Norton expert Bill Stuart did much of the machining Herman needed when he…

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I found the letters by Bruce M Bennett (July 2019) very interesting as that was the era I started riding and his mention of his employment at Thornton Heath depot reminded me of the following: My cousin Alan ‘Johnny’ Johnson was a sergeant in the Met based at that depot, riding Triumphs. When the Daimler…

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Nice article and pictures on the Matchless G3LS in the July issue. I owned/restored the bike before selling it on. Specification includes a 7.5 compression ratio piston and SH (scrambles) cams, minor port polishing and a Lucas Wader magneto, fettled by Shaun Hawker. I bought the frame and engine as a lump and sourced all…

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