Hi all, having been very active on the car transporter thread , I thought it was time to bring on a topic on transports here too. Knowing that MC in earlier times did not need the big ones , it might here be more on vans etc. Unless perhaps someone know of the big Italians in the 50's. Perhaps paddock pictures could find a way here too ? Or their own thread ?

A picture of Patrick Pons´s transporter. Not sure of the year, but it must have been 1975/6. Can´t for the life of me remember where the shot was taken though.

Not sure if this are Smart's and Spaggiari's bikes on board, but they used this showroom bus for their trip to Imola in 72

Belgian flag and the trees/tree line Spa?

TT Assen 1978

Hi,

Its Børge W Nielsen's yellow Mercedes in the background, and his 350 outside with a special seat and fairing, think it was made in Switzerland, at that time he was sponsored by the Danish Yamaha importer Franz Kroon.


Leif

Is that the one Stu Avant mentioned a few posts back, a 500 litre heating oil tank, dummy diesel tank and no brakes?

Ok chaps no piccies , wish I had but more than 1 rider I knew had more than 1 set of number plates for different countries he visited !!What are your memories of these misdomeanours ???

That looks very much like a Guzzi machine No idea of person or transporter

Thanks ! Post 28 , who is the big van , and from where ??

Guy Bertin is one of those few riders I was fortunate to meet personally, through coincidence since I had no connections in the racing world and was just a normal Joe Fan cheering from behind the fences. He had been sponsored in 1987 for his 250 Grand Prix season by the "Pavé d'Affinois" , a french cheese (!) brand. At that time I was working for a supermarkets chain outside Paris, and what do I see one morning of December 1987 upon arriving at the store ? A 250RS Honda racer in the middle of the entrance, and none other than Guy Bertin serving samples of Pavé d'Affinois to the clients !!! Of course I promptly went to have a chat with him, and when he mentioned that he hadn't made any accomodation arrangements and that he would need to look for a hotel, I immediately offered him to come and stay at my place for the couple of days he had his presentation running..he gratefully accepted my offer, but as you may guess he was not the happiest of us two..Geee, a famous Grand Prix rider staying at my home !!!!

Within those days he stayed with us, we were precisely due to move from a flat to a house , and when Guy heard of that, he told me he hoped I hadn't rented a lorry yet, because of course I could use his own lorry, which he had driven to Paris to bring his bike, and which was laying unused behind the store.Well I tell you, it was quite a feat to use a Continental Circus lorry, complete with work bench, spare parts , wheels and tyres, and even Guy's leathers hanging inside , to move my furniture aroud !

Here is the lorry in question outside the house I was moving into. That's Guy in the fur jacket. (and my wife in the blue coat, in case anyone cares )

Assen '56, apparently. another great picture from the velobanjogents web blog

Thanks for some good stuff here ! Knowing the talk about copyrights etc, , please if anyone has only links or tips for books etc. , come forward. Having for the first time seen AJS and Norton works transporters , I know the Italians too had some fine vans etc. like MV, Gilera , Guzzi . Or Morini, Benelli , Bianchi , Ducati (1958) ?

"Bloody hell, that's where the Nürburgring is supposed to be", Ray is thinking

Hi Renn, yeah, wonderful shot. Do you have any idea where it's taken?

http://www.nordhofen.de/unseregemeinde/index.html

Somewhere in the German outbacks, on the way from the Nürburgring to Schotten or vv or something like that ??

They should include "our" shot in their site, shouldn't they ?

Yeah, they might not have too many famous connections... Near Koblenz then?