A Motorcycle Apprentice Book
Added on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
A Motorcycle Apprentice Book
This new title from Veloce Publishing is by Bill Cakebread, and traces his years as an apprentice at the old AJS/Matchless Plumstead factory in London during the late 50s and early 60s.
Like most personal memoirs, this book paints a realistic portrait of a motorcycle factory in the heyday of the British motorcycle industry; a mixture of unique engineering talent, bolshie union leaders, vague management skills and some great machines being produced, alongside the workaday transport.
Bill’s tales really bring the era to life, not just the work, but the sheer damp, frugal drudgery of austerity Britain in the late 50s. Hard to believe now but some basic foodstuffs were still on ration when Bill began his apprenticeship in 1958. The archive pics show deserted streets in London, grim factory chimneys belching smoke and gaunt, under-nourished faces peering out from ill-fitting clothes. The war cast a long shadow across Britain.
My favourite anecdote from the book is the day Bill discovered an error in the steering head angle of the Norton Featherbead frame, which allowed the Norton downtubes to clunk the bike’s front mudguard in an emergency stop. As AJS and Matchless became part of the Norton group in 1963, I don’t suppose many senior managers were that grateful for Bill’s observations on drawing office cock-ups.
Matchless and AJS bikes were never that appealing to me, as they seemed a bit staid compared to Triumphs, Nortons or some BSA machines, but if you’re a fan of those two Plumstead marques then this book is a fascinating insight into the everyday reality of producing those classic bikes of the 50s.
You can see more biking books at; www.veloce.co.uk
