Introduction
Iceni CAM Magazine
This is the home of the Iceni CAM
Magazine—a free e-magazine about Cyclemotors, Autocycles,
Mopeds … and more. It was launched on 15th April 2007 and
the most recent ten issues can be downloaded
here. All the articles from all the
previous magazines are on this website. For
non-computerised folks, printed copies are available at £1.50 per
edition; we can accommodate mail order too at £2.40 for single
edition or £9.60 for a year’s subscription.
So what’s it about?
It’s an e-magazine all about cyclemotors, autocycles and mopeds
that carries road test & feature articles, rally reports, free
adverts and other assorted information. Although we are an
independent production, we have strong ties to the EACC and also to the
New Zealand Cyclaid Register.
We are based in East Anglia, but are by no means limited to that
area. Much that appears in the magazine is of universal
appeal. We welcome contributions, whereever they are from, and
are also happy to help to publicise any events for cyclemotors,
autocycles and mopeds.
When’s it published?
We publish four times a year at the beginning of January, April,
July, and October. Iceni CAM is purely an enthusiast
production, and all produced on a tiny budget. The free
downloadable version will be posted on this website on the same day
as the printed version goes on sale.
All the issues of CAM Magazine that we’ve produced have been very
well received. Thank you all for your comments; they are much
appreciated. Several of you have also made donations, which has
helped enormously in keeping Iceni CAM going.
What’s in it?
The April 2024 edition is available now on our Downloads Page.
Production of ‘The Flagship’
represented the end of an era for us, in that this was the last bike
from the Derek Scott collection that the Mopedland workshops
bought-in as a job lot of 16 bikes in 2014. This source has
usefully provided IceniCAM with eight bikes for features over the
years. The Batavus Mk4S became the last of these machines, not
because it required the most work (that was the Post Office RM8,
since there were so many missing parts that it barely existed), but
because the prospect of resolving the problems with the Batavus were
more complex.
With the amount of money that had already been thrown at the
restoration of its main parts, the bike was obviously going to look
tidy when assembled, but the remaining work to achieve this was no
mean feat, since it started as little more than a few barely
assembled parts.
We’d never ridden one of these Batavus models before, and think
they must have been fairly uncommon machines, possibly due to their
relatively high cost compared to other sports mopeds, though the Mk4S
was solidly built, and well appointed by comparison to other
makes.
A similar machine that seemed more popular at the time was an
Austrian competitor of the Batavus, the KTM Comet Sport and
particularly the Comet Cross models, which had the same four-speed
Sachs engine with a UK market 18mm Bing carb, and performed and
handled very well. The Sachs was also a quite resilient motor
and seemed more resistant to premature mechanical ‘excitement’ than
Italian sports moped counterparts.
The Mk4S was produced from 1974, and already discontinued by 1978;
just three years then consigned to motor cycling history.
This was another nearly forgotten article
from the mothballed archives and, when pulling up the photo shoot file
and notes, we found they were dated 22nd November 2017 and
had no idea why it got ‘parked’ and remained undeveloped.
We’d known this as a local bike since the mid-1970s, when Dave Wooby
and Kevin Smith jointly bought it from Kirton Antiques and sold it on
to Dave Berry who thoroughly restored it. Next it went to Nick
Carver, who barely used it at all, then to Dick Fryer who rode it on
the first Essex Run in October 2002 (where it went really well) before
stashing it away in general storage. In 2017, Dick brought the
Consort to Mopedland workshops to return it to running order and get an
MoT to enable the sale of the registration number, so we took the
opportunity to road test and photoshoot, and the bike was subsequently
sold on once the number transfer was completed. Having been
restored by ‘Beret’, it was expected to be mechanically right on the
button, and absolutely went as well and as good as it looked.
We previously covered an early Villiers 4F powered F4 trigger-change
Consort in October 2014’s IceniCAM ‘2×2’ article and, despite having known
the bike for some 40 years, we didn’t really know quite what model of
Consort our featured bike was until checking its specs against the
listed details. F4F, but how many distinct Consort models are
there? It takes a lot of figuring out, especially when you
consider there were early rigid F4 frames stamped with F4S prefix, but
without having the plunger rear suspension! Even more confusion
could arise since stock pictures of the earlier F4 Consort with the
tubular girder front fork were also used in the period press to
illustrate the later F4F, presumably because they didn’t have any pics
of the F4F, or maybe they just didn’t care?
Those were the days: ‘it’ll be fine’…
Second Support feature: Freebies
The idea with ‘Freebies’ is that you get
the bike(s) for free, but they might cost more to fix up than they’re
going to be worth…
Both the bikes in this feature came from John Squirrell, and both
were machines that were already long dead when he got them, then stored
in a damp shed for some ten years before Mopedland workshops were
‘lucky’ enough to get the opportunity to fix them—but at least we got
the bikes for our article.
We had (sort of) covered both machines in previous articles, the red
KTM Hobby in Fifty Quid-2 in
September 2016, and an electric-start SA50ME Passola in the New Generation article of January 2017,
but our latest kick-start SA50M was actually a different model.
Theoretically the higher compression ratio SA50M kick-start version
(6.4:1), should have performed better than the lower compression ratio
electric-start version (6:1), though the ‘M’ was obviously higher
mileage and maybe its best days were behind it.
As it worked out, the electric-start surprisingly outperformed the
higher compression kick-start, which we could only put down to motor
condition, since both bikes seemed to run well enough, just that the
lower mileage electric-start engine felt stronger.
From a decrepit wreck with a seized engine, the Passola SA50MM
recovered well: to a decrepit wreck with a running engine; though
everything worked, so it was put into use and, with a little further
running maintenance, it was still in use a year later.
The KTM Hobby has a unique motor in the Sachs 502/1A, which has a
planetary gear set for the primary drive reduction, but this is all
internal mechanical trickery, and the greater majority of riders in the
1970s who purchased these machines would have had no idea of the
wonders inside their engine.
The Hobby was just a humble and basic priced moped. The main
expectations of its customers were cost and reliability; while it
happened that the bike was cheap, unfortunately it didn’t prove so
reliable. The Achilles heel proved to be failure of the
decompressor/clutch-lock cable, which instantly rendered the motor
unable to be started, and replacement of the broken cable required the
entire bottom-end of the motor stripping out to engage a replacement
cable.
Surviving Hobby examples are now few and far between, so when we get
a chance at another one, yes, we’re going to take it. This green
example worked out very different from our first red example in
2016. Green’s motor ran much cleaner with no four-stroking and
achieved 3mph faster on flat, while red had spluttered out at 26.
The general performance and running difference might be put down to
better carburation, though both bikes were fitted with the same carb
model. Maybe red was running rich? Possibly different float
levels?
It seemed unlikely the new versus old
silencers were a factor, but who knows?
We go to Moped Mayhem with Chris
Skripek.
What’s Next?
The next magazine is scheduled for publication at the beginning of
July 2024.
Next Main Feature: For decades we’ve been haunted by a
single archive picture of a Raleigh moped model that was never made,
but what if unexpected evidence came to light that could turn this
theory on its head?
We’ve been researching and working on this project for literally
years now, which considering the significance of its subject matter,
is probably going to work out a significantly sized article, and may
compromise the usual support features.
This is … ‘The Ghost’, and it uncovers a long lost mystery that
has lain undiscovered for over 60 years…
Next First Support: If everything goes according to plan
(when does that ever happen?), then it might be a Norton design, with
a Villiers engine, in a Triumph frame … but for us, it won’t be an
easy ride.
Next Second Support: Our main feature ‘The Ghost’ may well
compromise the prospects of a third feature in our next edition, but
if we do find space to squeeze something in, then we might be going
on ‘Safari’ with some notes from the Denny tapes.
What else?
Well, there’s this Website … we’ve put a lot of useful
information here, and we’re alwas adding to it. We have a
directory of useful people to know.
Information on local events and, after each run, we put photos of the event on this website.
There’s also a market place where you can
buy and sell mopeds, autocycles, cyclemotors and other related
items
As each edition of the magazine is published, we add to our
collection of articles. From
Edition 3 of the magazine, we introduced another
evolution. Previously, features in the articles section had reflected what appeared in
the magazine, but you may now discover a bit of extra content has
crept into some items as they’ve transferred to the website—you might
call it ‘The Directors Cut’. The problem with printed magazines
is editing everything to fit page sizes and space, and there can
sometimes be bits you’d like to include, but they have to be left out
to fit the available space. The web articles don’t need to be
constrained by the same limitations so, although the text will remain
the same, the ‘Directors Cut’ graphic in the header indicates the
item carries extra pictures and bits that didn’t make it to the
magazine.
We also have an Information Service—if you
want to know more about your moped, we can help.
What we do
Iceni CAM Magazine is committed to
celebrating all that’s good about the Cyclemotor, Moped and Autocycle
scene; researching toward the advancement of the pool of knowledge
about cyclemotors, autocycles, old mopeds, and other oddities; and
the publication of original material. We are a declared
non-profit making production, though we still need to fund everything
somehow to keep the show on the road.
The magazine is free on line, and the nominal price of supplying
hard copies to non-computerised folks is pitched only to cover
printing and postage. All advertising is free since we believe
that the few people left out there providing
parts & service for these obsolete machines do so as a hobby and
an interest. This involves far more effort than reward, and
they should be appreciated for the assistance they provide. Our
Information Service is there to help anyone
needing manuals to help with restoration of a machine. We make
a small charge for this but, again, we have set our prices so the
just cover postage and material costs. However, we are trying
to make this free too! We are setting up an on-line library where you can download
manuals at no charge.
Overheads involve operation of the website, and particularly the
generation of features. Articles like Last Flight of the Eagle can
cost as little as £20 to complete, while others have cost up to £150
to generate, eg: Top
Cat on the Leopard Bobby. With these overheads, you may be
wondering how we get the money to keep it all going. So do
we! But, somehow, it works, helped by a number of generous
people who have sponsored articles or made donations to keep the show on the
road.
How long does it take to research, produce, and get these feature
articles to press? Well, up to two years of preparatory
research in some cases, where little is known about the machine or
its makers, and where nothing has been published before. Then,
collating all the information and interviews, drafting and
re-drafting the text, travel and photoshoots typically account for up
to 40 to 50 hours to deliver the package to editing.
There are many examples where these articles have become the
definitive reference material for previously unpublished machines
like Mercury Mercette & Hermes, Leopard Bobby, Ostler Mini-Auto, Dunkley Whippet & Popular, Stella Minibike, Ambassador Moped, Elswick Hopper Lynx, and many others.
We’re committed to continuing to produce these articles, because
we believe it needs to be done, and we’ve got a proven track record
for achieving it. Nobody else has done it in 50 odd years, so
if we don’t do it—who will?
To whet your appetite for what’s ahead, here’s an
updated list of machines with developing articles for future
features: Ariel Pixie, Beretta–Mosquito, Capriolo 75 Turismo Veloce, Cyc-Auto (Wallington Butt),
Cyc-Auto (Villiers), Dot ViVi, Dunkley S65, Dunkley Whippet
Super Sports, Elswick–Hopper VAP MIRA test prototype, Gilera RS50,
Hercules Her-cu-motor, Honda Gyro Canopy, Honda Model A, Honda
CD50, Honda SS50, James Comet 1F, MV Agusta Liberty, Norman
Nippy Mark 2, Norman Nippy Mark 3, NVT Ranger, Powell Joybike, Rabeneick
Binetta, Raleigh Ireland ‘Super’, Simson SR2E, Solifer Speed,
Sun Autocycle, Sun Motorette, Vincent Firefly, Yamaha FS1-E.
The working list changes all the time as articles are completed
and published, and further new machines become added—so as you see,
there’s certainly no shortage of material.
Readers have probably noticed a number of the articles collecting
sponsorship credits, and we’re very grateful for the donations people
have made toward IceniCAM, which certainly assures we’re going
forward into another year. We don’t need a lot of money since
IceniCAM is a declared non-profit making organisation, and operates
on a shoestring (and we’d like to keep it that way)—run by
enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.
It’s easy to sponsor an article by either picking a machine from
the forward list, and we’ll attach your credit to it, or simply
making a donation. There is no fixed amount, it’s entirely up
to you, and however large or small, we’re grateful for any
contribution to keep the show on the road.
If a vehicle you’re interested in seeing an article about isn’t in
the list, then let us know and we’ll see about trying to add it in
the programme, but we do need access to examples—perhaps you have a
machine you’d like to offer for a feature?
See the Contact Page for how to:
Sponsor an article–Enter a free advert–Submit an article yourself–Write a letter to us–Propose a machine for feature–Offer your machine for test feature …