el Presidente on the VMCC London-Brighton run

[AdminGuy]

Pete just before riding the VMCC's 1903 Dreadnought from London-Brighton. Very cool! And the weather looks the same. Thanks for the photo Pete!

[AFJ]

Well, this is certainly an accomplishment for Pete Gagan and the AMCA of which he is President.

While probably not well known to most AMCA members, the Dreadnought motorcycle is a unique machine constructed by pioneer British motorcyclist Harold "Oily" Karslake and now kept in the care of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club. The Dreadnought name comes from the turn of the century name for the first of the Royal Navy's heavily armoured battleships or "Dreadnoughts".

In the first London to Brighton old motorcycle Run in 1930, the Dreadnought was the first bike to start the event and on that occasion it was ridden by George Brough, then the manufacturer of the famous Brough Superior motorcycles.

George Brough had been given the honour of being the first starter in 1930 because in 1914 he had been the winner of an "Old Crocks" motorcycle run from London to Brighton and back for motorcycles made in 1904 and earlier. On that occasion George Brough was riding one of his father's Brough motorcycles.

So President Pete is waving the flag of Antique and Vintage Motorcycling as it is practiced on this side of the ocean all the way to the place where riding the "old crocks" hobby began - on the 56 mile route from London England down to the South Coast and the seaside town of Brighton.

Congratulations!

Al Johnson

[AdminGuy]

Thanks Allen - I really appreciate you filling us all in on the background and history of this machine.

No doubt -a very big honor. So I send a big thanks out to all the VMCC folks!

[Pete Gagan]

Thanks for the Kudos' Al. It was indeed quite an honor, and the VMCC really rolled out the red carpet for me.
The Dreadnought is quite a machine. There is no clutch, gearbox, pedals, or much in the way of brakes, and the traffic is very heavy in some spots. Oily was a tall fellow, and the bike was built for his 6'4" frame and long legs.
Man and machine got on well together, and Brighton was reached without incident. A few years back, at the opening of the Chunnel, Wally Flew, then VMCC presdent, rode it, and the gas tank burst, and it caught fire, burning Wally's trousers and scorching his privates. I was glad not to have a repeat. (Wally did recover nicely, however.)
The adventure will be in a future "Antiques Rode Show" article.
Pete