I don't often get the chance to stop in
Verralls in Handcross, just south of London, but it's a venerable place with a great selection of older motorcycles, and a great pleasure to visit. Ian Hatton, who took over the business when
Brian Verrall died a few years ago, has been a pal since 1987, when he was a lowly mechanic on Brian's machines (and about 19 years old, while I was a lofty 25). Ian liked my painted-up Velocette jacket, and I purchased an MZ 250 from his father, which I then rode to the Soviet border and back in a great loop around Western and Eastern Europe, a trip of many thousands of miles - all on back roads, with zero mechanical trouble. That's another story, but we've since remained friends, and I've long been a fan of the business. Ian has continued Brian's policy of looking after machines they've sold - if there's a problem, they'll deal with it, usually for free (unless you run the bike without oil).
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| Stop in sometime, and have a chat with Gordon Button while he serves tea. |
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| 1939 Coventry Eagle 148cc with pressed-steel frame |
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| Greeves trial machine with aluminum I-Beam front downtube, leading link forks, and Villiers engine |
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| BMW R60/2 and Steib S500 sidecar |
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| BSA sidecar attached to a big BSA v-twin |
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| BSA Bantam motor peeks between Post Office legshields |
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| Gorgeous 1926 Rex-Acme with Blackburne external flywheel 350cc motor |
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| The Rex-Acme was a fantastic little hot rod in the day, with a tireless engine and exceptional handling |
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| Brough Superior SS80 JAP sidevalve powerplant - finned magnificence |
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| This crusty Barbour waxed cotton Trailmaster jacket literally stands up on its own |
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| Sunbeam Model 6 with 500cc sidevalve engine; a lovely machine to ride |
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| Sightglass for the oil feed supply to the big end of the engine. Note the Sunbeam's lovely enclosed 'Little Oil Bath' primary chaincase, which holds its grease well |
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| An 'oily rag' original finish 1914 Douglas in rare grey paint |
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| Ex-Post Office BSA Bantam in the window |
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| Tools of the trade |
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| Jon Dudley of 'The Automobile' chats with Ian Hatton |
9:09 PM
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