Many thanks for your replies, but the pistons are aluminium, not cast iron, so i will run with a 6 thou gap.

Regards Alan

OK, here's a curious coincidence that might bear on Roy's comment that Nesbit Robinson's S1 Douglas did 100 mph at Brooklands.

A few years back we discussed how Pullin's development of the S1 lead, in March 1922, to him becoming the first rider of British soil to exceed 100 mph. https://www.douglasmotorcycles.net/index.php?topic=7014.msg27563#msg27563 To do this, he arranged to be timed over the very unusual distance of half a mile at Brooklands; usually the shortest recognised distance was 1 km. And the man who set up the electronic timing equipment at the record attempt? None other than Col. Lindsay Lloyd, the man who, just a couple of weeks later, was to sponsor the Public Schools MCC race meeting at Brooklands (see above).

There are many things I don't know about all this! But I do like the (unproven) idea that our top photo shows Nesbit at Brooklands, maybe at the Public Schools MCC meeting in April 1922, just a couple of weeks after Pullin had broken the 100 mph barrier. Col. Lloyd was the president at the PSMCC, he also timed Pullin, maybe Herbert Robinson presented a trophy to the PSMCC where his son Nebit was a member? If so, everyone knew everyone.

Re-reading Roy's last post I see I've misunderstood: what if Nebit's fancy bike - a road-going S1 Douglas with twin carbs and an airbox, as ridden by Pullin, the fastest 500 in the country - did do 100 mph at Brooklands, but not with Nesbit on it? (I was puzzling the impossibility of young Nesbit doing 100 mph!)

Was Nesbit's racy S1 Pullin's record-breaker, sold to Herbert Robinson, Douglas agent in Cambridge for his son?

That would be a good story.

Cheers

Leon

Attached is a photo of Nesbit Robinson's road bike. Is it a 1922/3 3 1/2 HP Sports? I'll leave it to you experts to tell me exactly which model it is. His grandson tells me that it was used at Brooklands and clocked at 100mph. Thanks

Roy

As EW- Ron has said it all looks so well organised I wonder if it was possibly this event which is listed for 1920

This event was a hill climb on public roads, so the machines were road-equipped and registered, although there were some naughty exhausts. So I doubt this was the event.

If we skip to 1922 the Public Schools MCC was pretty active, and club president Col Lloyd sponsored an entire "impromptu" race meeting at Brooklands, held on April 1, 1922. This would be a great opportunity for young members to put in some laps? On the day Col. Lloyd was "a tower of strength, officiating as starter, jusdge, time-kepper, and in various other capacities". I wonder if the club set up the trestles in the paddock for the ladies to to do the admin and the sandwiches. Nesbit would have been 19, which seems plausible for the photo?

Eddie did Stroud actually race the Douglas on velodromes, or just "demonstrate" it? Out here they tried racing on cycle board tracks - for example the Saucer built in Melbourne in 1909 - but it proved too dangerous. But at most events the local "crack" Cecil de Fraga gave demonstrations on his motor bike, eventually lapping at nearly 60 mph, despite the track being 8 laps to the mile. Madness.

Cheers

Leon

We know the history of our 1913 TT Douglas. It was bought new from the factory by Edward Stroud and used for racing on the board tracks around London. It was then laid up until 1960 - when it was bought by Alan Phillipps. The board tracks were originally intended as venues for bicycle racing, but were soon utilised for motorcycle events - so the board tracks could be added to the possibilities for events that catered for these early racing machines!

  Regards,
               Eddie.