Where BSAs Dare! BSAs 1952 ISDT Golds and Maudes Trophy
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Where BSAs Dare!
BSAs 1952 ISDT Golds and Maudes Trophy
Norman Vanhouse
Foreword by Jeff Smith MBE
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"Brings back memories crowding in on all sides... a book which needed to be written penned by a craftsman!" Jeff Smith
"Superb Maudes Trophy achievement" Murray Walker
"One achievement of the Small Heath folk must never be forgotten ... the best Maudes of all" Bob Currie
"This is a book with an unusual combination - an imaginative and heroic story and a thorough piece of historic research. Highly Recommended." Jim Reynolds "A recommendation that every OBM reader buy a copy of Norman Vanhouse's book" Pete Kelly, Editor Old Bike Mart
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In 1952, BSA wanted to publicise their new 500cc Star Twin. So what better way than to set the bike a nearly impossible task? They took three standard BSA A7 bikes, and, under Auto-Cycle Union observation, rode them to Austria, entered the 1952 ISDT (International Six Days Trial), considered the Olympics of endurance motorcycle sport at the time, won three Golds, then rode the same bikes north through Germany, Denmark and Sweden to Oslo in Norway where they undertook a speed test knocking up over 80mph on each bike whilst on low gearing suitable for the ISDT in which they had just competed – and all this in just over three weeks and mostly in unrelenting rain! Then they rode the same bikes back to Birmingham!
This dramatic and compelling story is told by Norman Vanhouse, one of the three riders involved, and really gives a feel of what it must have been like, especially struggling against all the elements in the ISDT. This feat of endurance and reliability of both man and machine is probably still unmatched in the modern era. The book also includes a history of the Maudes Trophy itself from 1923 to the last attempt to win the Trophy in1994, which provides some amazing perspective to this legendary story. A joy for all BSA owners, especially those with a BSA Star Twin, motorcycle trials riders and other enthusiasts who relish motorcycle travel and adventure. And of course a compelling read for all!
Contents
Foreword by Jeff Smith MBE; Preface by Graham Vanhouse; Acknowledgements by Norman Vanhouse
<style="line-height:>Introduction
Summer 1952
Across Europe
Behind The iron Curtain
The International Six Days Trial (ISDT)
Up to Scandinavia
The Speed Trial
Claiming the Maudes Trophy
What happened next
Maudes Trophy History 1923-1994
Appendix 1 Results of the 1952 ISDT
Appendix 2 Official Programme of the 1952 ISDT
Where BSAs Dare! BSA's 1952 ISDT Golds and Maudes Trophy by Norman Vanhouse
October 2015, 188 pages plus Foreword by Jeff Smith MBE, 72 illus. ISBN 9781909213210