Old Bike Mart Magazine April 2013 Back Issue

By this point in the year I had expected to be writing about the lovely spring weather and the beginning of the riding season, instead, at the tail end of March there is devastation in the UK as the winter weather returns with a vengeance. Events are cancelled as the country grinds to a halt under a blanket of snow which, in some areas, is several feet deep.
Red Marley Hill Climb in Worcestershire, an Easter Monday regular, was the first major casualty, the ground being too soaked for any form of paddock to be provided in the fields where the climb is held. Then, literally as this column was being written, news came through about the cancellation of the 75th Pioneer Run. Amid weather reports forecasting heavy snow likely to cause major disruption to the south east of England, the Sunbeam MCC wisely decided cancellation of the run to be the best bet.
Though most of the motorcycles entered in the Pioneer would have had to cope with such conditions when they were at the cutting edge of motorised transport over 100 years ago, road conditions would have been different to those of 2013. Were you able to transport back in time to the beginning of the 20th century even the crowded South East would seem a quiet motoring backwater with little traffic. Even adverse weather conditions such as snow would not present too many problems to the pioneer motorcyclist.
Why? Low power and narrow tyres that can cut through the snow means no skidding under acceleration and if the rider does become stuck, the bike is so light it can be lifted out of trouble or, if the ‘trouble’ was upon the rider suddenly, then the bike can be picked up quite easily. Though modern motorcycles – vehicles in general really – are far superior in many respects to such pioneer machines, I shouldn’t like to ride a typical modern road machine in heavy snow... Tim.