Book review by Nick Jeffery

Book review by Jonathan Hill

‘Joe Craig: Making Norton Famous’. Photographs from the Craig family collection

Mick Duckworth 195 x 220 mm 217 pages

Hardback ISBN 978-1-3999-4371-0

Published by Mick Duckworth and available from www.joecraignorton.com - RRP £35

Neither Joe Craig nor journalist author Mick Duckworth should need an introduction to students of motorcycle history - Joe of course for successfully running the Norton race team from 1929 to 1955 and Mick for enjoying a reputation for quality reportage and 'getting things right'. Mick was in the fortunate position of gaining access to a collection of photographs preserved by the Craig family which he has now published in a quality hardback with an expansive biographical commentary which includes reference to the abortive BRM and Nougier four-cylinder projects..

So, what’s in the collection? Firstly, never-before-seen and wellcaptioned photos at home and abroad of a galaxy of Norton riders, starting with Joe in his early Irish racing days via Jimmy Shaw, Stanley Woods, Jimmie Guthrie, Tim Hunt, Jimmy Simpson, Walter Handley, J H ‘Crasher’ White, Walter Rusk, Freddie Frith, Harold Daniell, Ernie Lyons, Artie Bell, Ken Bills, Jack Brett, Ken Kavanagh, and Geoff Duke and many others. Plus shots of recordbreaking attempts and Continental teams like Gilera and BMW. Senior Norton management of Bill and Dennis Mansell and Gilbert Smith feature as do race team members Bill Mewis and Frank Sharratt. Rex and Cromie McCandless and a rare shot of Leo Kuzmicki, all of whose engineering expertise helped keep the Manx competitive in the post-war era, are shown too.

Although Joe is often considered to have been a Norton lifer this book also traces his career progression from being offered a works Norton in 1925, joining the team in 1926 and then becoming assistant to Walter Moore at Bracebridge Street in 1927. He subsequently departed back home when his offer to resolve problems with the early ohc models was rejected. Returning in 1929 after Walter Moore’s departure to NSU (‘Norton Spares Used’), he became race team manager and worked with Arthur Carroll in developing the ohc singles to keep them competitive for the following decades. His sometimesdoubted brief employment at BSA, proven by a copy of a letter to his son, is established as fact followed by a stay at Associated Motor Cycles (before they acquired Norton) with Joe shown sitting on a Sunbeam..

Bert Hopwood in his autobiography ‘Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry’ says of his dealings with Joe during his first short post-war period at Norton after Joe had returned as Engineering Director in 1947 'Joe was a dour Irishman who strongly believed that, unless silence can be improved, it should most certainly not be broken.' The pictures and background story told by this book belie that image with many showing a more human and intimate side, especially the section showing his family and sons’ motorcycling activities.

With an excellent index and both Joe’s own race results and those of the Norton race team 1929-1955 listed this book should not be missed by Norton and road-racing enthusiasts of the classic period.

“Royal Enfield – A Complete History”

Author: Greg Pullen 176 pages, 190 photographs and illustrations. Publisher: Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough SN8 2HR www.crowood.com E-mail: enquiries@crowood.com Hardback, 260 x 215mm. ISBN 978-1-78500-852-8 RRP - £25

Royal Enfield’s famous motto –“made like a gun” – hints at the factory’s gun-making origins, but few appreciate that it is the (allegedly) oldest motorcycle manufacturer in existence, that can boast of continuous production from 1909.

From its origins in mid-Victorian times, manufacturing needles in Redditch, Royal Enfield expanded into bicycle manufacture around the turn of the century under the guise of the Enfield Cycle Company and soon after developed its first powered vehicle. By 1904 the firm was concentrating on motor cars, resuming motorcycle manufacture from 1909 and launched the famous JAPengined V-twin sidecar outfit in 1912.

After developing its own engine, the company achieved racing success at Brooklands and the Isle of Man TT. Enfield was by now recognised as a technically advanced factory, adopting multi-speed transmission, chain drive, automatic dry-sump lubrication and a patented cush-drive rear hub that would remain a feature of all future models, as well as being supplied to other manufacturers.

The Bullet – which decades after its launch, when made in India, became known as a “sensible” machine for classic enthusiasts – was the first RE machine to carry this name – started its life in 1932 as a flashy sporting job and by the early 60s when production finished at Redditch, was one of the fastest 350s available. In addition, the Bullet can claim the longest motorcycle production run of all time.

Author Greg Pullen charts the rise, fall and rise again of Royal Enfield, from the company’s pre-motorcycle beginnings in Redditch, through the impact of two world wars, the importance of exports to India and subsequent establishment of factories there, to changes in ownership, recently launched models and new concept bikes for the future.

With 176 pages and 190 photographs, this book includes: The Vtwins, from the 1930s K and KX range to a glimpse of the concept V-twin shown in 2018; the singles, from two-strokes to side-valve four-strokes and the o.h.v. versions that first used the Bullet name, through to the new singles built in India; the British Bullet – its redesign in 1948 with swinging-arm rear suspension and production in the UK, the original orders from India and subsequent setting up of production there; the new twins – the 650cc Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT and the Bobber concept bike; competition success, with notable one-day and ISDT achievements, production racing the big twins and Geoff Duke with the 250cc GP5 road racer; remembering the British factories and new opportunities with the Indian factories.