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- This topic has 11 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by
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What’s your favourite Moulton?
Mine is the TSR 27 became of the ride quality, wide range of gears (21 to 108 inches), easy of use of gears, and the bike’s versatility.
But the TSR 30 is the better looker!https://www.flickr.com/photos/worksmoulton/8033679504/in/photostream/
My own personal favourite Moulton owned by me and has been ridden, but one has to treasure historic and rare competition pieces like this one.
Over the years we have made sure that the bike is available at BoA event, so that as many enthusiasts as possible can view the genuine article,Last year the S was ridden around the courtyard.!
KenMy favourite is my yellow APB3 Basket Case. Bought as a (very) second hand frame set from Tim the vicar!
I used it for transport for work till I retired a few years ago. It still gets the occasional outing. On a BoA ride a good while ago Craig and I swapped bikes for a couple of miles, he likened riding it to riding an armchair! As I am most definitely built for comfort not speed so this bike suits me perfectly. Also like me it is getting a bit worn around the edges!i’d have to say my south african built 66 f fame model as it’s the first moulton i bought, i now have 4 1/2 in various conditions,i believe it’s completely original apart from the saddle (unless there was an sa saddle manufacturer called “rocket”) .i’ve overhauled the front forks and intend to spray it just enough where required to stop the slight surface rust getting any worse.i’ve resprayed the front mudguard to the original colour and intend to spray the rear in the next few weeks, the intention is to keep it as original as possible because of it’s rarity, the playing around with a five speed hub, alloy rims,drops etc will be experimented on one of the other models i have which are “bog” standard
The TSR 27 is my favourite because of its practicality as a riding machine, like John’s APB 3 Basket Case.
The “nicest” would be my Major because of its great condition.
I suppose the “rarest” would be my Moulton Automatic but although only made in 1966 at BoA, in terms of rarity not in the same league as Ken’s S.
David, can you tell us a bit more about your South African-built 66 F frame as this is a new one on me?
Where were they built in South Africa and presumably they are exceptionally rare?hi Alexander
I got it from ebay about a year ago, it was listed as a “triumph, Raleigh, moulton” by a gentlemen who appeared to be making a living selling secondhand bikes in his garden. if I remember right it was an interim period and they were badged “Humber triumph Hercules” and possibly a few other names from British motoring/motorcycling’s past.They were built at the Raleigh Springs plant in SA after an agreement with AM and Raleigh.P. Grogan thinks it may be the only one, I would tend to think it may be the only one in the UK, but SA is a big country and who knows how many there could be lurking in barns out there? I have overhauled the front suspension but the rear seems to be fine, it’s a series two with the metallic polychromatic Autumn gold colour and white mudguards, mudguards are Raleigh with the ridge down the middle.I will try to upload some photos.I was hoping to get to the April gathering but my dog has been diagnosed with cancer we have been spending a fortune at vets and my wife has had to have cancer tests at the hospital this weekend so ii couldn’t get there.I will add it’s nothing special apart from it’s rarity, nothing like Ken butterfield’s immaculate racerI bought a SA moulton about ten years ago from a second hand bike shop in Oxford. It had all the transfers. It was a dark blue colour with white ridged mudguards which I believe we’re original. Because of it relative rarity I could not bring myself to “muck it about” , so I sold it on at the next BoA. It later appeared on eBay.
As for the automatic models I curently have two of them, one re sprayed in green and the other in black with a docked tail. I also have a continental in original dark blue, also with a docked tail. This is also 1966 and came with a duomatic from new!
When I dock the tails I fit a clamp like that on a Speedsix so that I can use the bike with or without the rear rack.
JbHi Alexander
The stickers would appear to be original.
Hi John, What was the SA badged as? was it Triumph, Rudge or something else? I wonder if they had a problem selling them with the political situation at the time and maybe some were imported by Raleigh? maybe they were just shipped back by expats returning home? I did a google search a while back and there are conventional bikes as well in the UK from the Springs factory, which was judging by the photographs quite a large concern.The frame does seem to be good quality so I wonder if it was made in BOA and then shipped out to SA? It’s a mystery worthy of the attentions of Sherlock Holmes!Hi John
Your Continental is a rare machine.
On the Preserved Moulton list from Jack Finucan there are even fewer of them than Automatics.
One has been for sale on Ebay for sometime.Here is a link to the moulton continental picture
https://www.flickr.com/photos/83752362@N00/7801351538/
jb
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