44 replies to this topic

[TZ350H]

I have not posted pictures before.  This is my first attempt.  Fingers crossed.

 

[TZ350H]

I have not posted pictures before.  This is my first attempt.  Fingers crossed.

 

 

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The Manx was pictured at the Haynes Car and Motorcycle museum in Somerset.  Well worth a visit for the cars, not so many bikes though.

[TZ350H]

More from last week ends Bristol Show held at Shepton Mallet Bath and West Showgrounds.

 

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[knickerbrook]

 

Great photos!

The gent in the green jacket and bobble-hat is my old sponsor Eric Jenkins! 

And that 500 Seeley is a corker - pity about those upright handlebars though !

[ERIC63]

I saw a Triumph engined Greeves like that in Laxey at the MGP three or four years ago.Wonder if it's the same one?There can't be that many about.

[TZ350H]

I saw a Triumph engined Greeves like that in Laxey at the MGP three or four years ago.Wonder if it's the same one?There can't be that many about.

You would imagine that it a very rare machine.  Looks well though.

[TZ350H]

More from Bristol.

 

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[tonyed]

I was looking at the Greeves Oulton wondering whether it was the bike raced by an old racing compatriot of mine, the late lamented Frank Ball. I tried to enlarge the info boards on the bike but could not read the print.
However last night my boss from work, a keen Triumph owner, dropped some mags into me to aid my post operation recovery, and lo there in Januarys OBM ads is the very same machine for sale. The ad confirms it is indeed Franks machine.
Sadly Frank died some years ago in a light plane crash.
I well remember at a Snetterton double header Frank coming a cropper when late on the Saturday evening he had taken the Greeves out onto the circuit to test it and in the rapidly fading light failed to see the metal barrier placed across the track to prevent such nafarious goings on. The resultant damage to bike and being resulted in dns the next day.

Edited by tonyed, 12 February 2015 - 09:33.

[Jim77]

Is this the one!

 

 

 

[SMonty]

Well top marks for your picture posting skills TZ350H - didn't take you long getting the hang of it. Some truly adorable machinery.

[TZ350H]

Well top marks for your picture posting skills TZ350H - didn't take you long getting the hang of it. Some truly adorable machinery.

 

For some reason, I thought that posting the pictures would be more complicated than this.

[TZ350H]

Is this the one!

 

That's the one.  Interesting article.

[ITPOTT]

I was looking at the Greeves Oulton wondering whether it was the bike raced by an old racing compatriot of mine, the late lamented Frank Ball. I tried to enlarge the info boards on the bike but could not read the print.
However last night my boss from work, a keen Triumph owner, dropped some mags into me to aid my post operation recovery, and lo there in Januarys OBM ads is the very same machine for sale. The ad confirms it is indeed Franks machine.
Sadly Frank died some years ago in a light plane crash.
I well remember at a Snetterton double header Frank coming a cropper when late on the Saturday evening he had taken the Greeves out onto the circuit to test it and in the rapidly fading light failed to see the metal barrier placed across the track to prevent such nafarious goings on. The resultant damage to bike and being resulted in dns the next day.

Hello tonyed,

Just to let you know I now own the Greeves and would like to find out as much of its history as I can, the bike was restored a few years ago and has sat in a hallway for show since. I now intend to get her running and do some parades

and possibly a race and the odd sprint but will see how things go. What I would really like is to find out who, if not Frank, made the frame, the tubing is very light, downtube is 1" o/d all other 5/8", looks like it has a Ducati (250?) headstock. From some of the pictures on the web, Jim Lee and a Spondon, it seems similar in design to them so could be copied from them. From the show at Shepton a Victor Argent remembered racing against Frank and he is trying to dig out some info he might have. If you or anyone out there has any info/memories pictures etc I would be most grateful if I could have copies. For my part I raced from 1975 to 79, 75-76 500 Triton, 77 250 Benelli,  best year was 78 when I raced a RD250DX Yamaha, one win at Brands, 9th in the Avon Roadrunners series (I used TT 100's!) and 2nd in the BRC 250 production bike championship and 79 when I rode a Honda 125 and a CX500. The CX I stuffed into the wall at Sarahs Cottage in the 79 Manx practice. Very lucky with the Manx crash, helicopter ride to Nobels, just a bump on the head but was not allowed to race because of it. Must be getting into my second childhood now as I raced at Gedinne, Belgian Classic TT on my 1938 350 Inter last year and will be doing the same this year. What a lovely circuit, people fries and beer. All the best, love the forum. Tony Lockwood 

[tonyed]

I must admit I know nothing regarding the bikes' original construction.

 

However I can ask an old mate of mine Roger Jennings if he knows.

 

I'll post back

[tonyed]

Speaking to Roger yesterday his knowledge of the machines' history is that it was originally built by Bob Stevenson and Brian Wooley as a 500cc single. Brian was involved with the early RAS Greeves 250 as a non-works entry.This is documented in the Reg Everett book 'Rocker to Racer.

 

The 500 proved 'fragile' and Frank, on his purchase of the bike, abandoned the 500 engine and fitted in the Oulton motor. As far as he knows this is still the original frame.

 

Frank built the tank on this machine in balsa wood and then fiberglassed over it and fitted a rubber fuel cell, if it still has this tank.

 

Another mate of mine Jim Chalkley raced the ex-Trevor Elliot Oulton during this period. Trevor had attempted to watercool another Oulton but could not get it to run without overheating. He gave up and bought a TZ. Another mate Geoff Bastard also had a big 380 Greeves but again abandoned it in favour of a new TZ D.

 

Dr Gordon Blair of Queens University Belfast made the bravest attempt at a 500cc two stroke single with the Seeley framed QUB single, with it in mind to replace the aging four stroke designs.  

[TZ350H]

Speaking to Roger yesterday his knowledge of the machines' history is that it was originally built by Bob Stevenson and Brian Wooley as a 500cc single. Brian was involved with the early RAS Greeves 250 as a non-works entry.This is documented in the Reg Everett book 'Rocker to Racer.

 

The 500 proved 'fragile' and Frank, on his purchase of the bike, abandoned the 500 engine and fitted in the Oulton motor. As far as he knows this is still the original frame.

 

Frank built the tank on this machine in balsa wood and then fiberglassed over it and fitted a rubber fuel cell, if it still has this tank.

 

Another mate of mine Jim Chalkley raced the ex-Trevor Elliot Oulton during this period. Trevor had attempted to watercool another Oulton but could not get it to run without overheating. He gave up and bought a TZ. Another mate Geoff Bastard also had a big 380 Greeves but again abandoned it in favour of a new TZ D.

 

Dr Gordon Blair of Queens University Belfast made the bravest attempt at a 500cc two stroke single with the Seeley framed QUB single, with it in mind to replace the aging four stroke designs.  

 

Ray McCullough raced that QUB 500 2 stroke single and won a few races as well including the 500 races at Tandragee and Mid Antrim in 1973 if my memory serves me correctly.  Ray worked as a technician at Queens University in the Mechanical Engineering section which was headed up by Doctor Gordon Blair later to become Professor.  The engine was also used as the basis to develop a 500 2 stroke scrambler.  That Mechanical Engineering department also carried out some 2 stroke development work for Yamaha in the Mid/late 70s and maybe in to the 80s as well. 

[ITPOTT]

Thank you very much for the info Tony. The tank would seem to be the original as the guy that restored it did say it had wood in it. It has a metal base and has now been treated with a tank sealer 

so does not have the rubber fuel cell mentioned.