Trials Bikes built between 1958-1968.
Because of the number of the trials models built by Greeves I thought we would start from the first model I owned back then, so we start with the Greeves "Scottish" 20TA of 1958. with Villiers 9E engine fitted.
Photo Courtesy and Copyright Lee Prescott.
Andy Briggs is the rider.
This superb shot taken on 20/03/2016, at the BMCA "British Bike" trial,
Is of a 1958 Greeves "Scottish" 20TA, still with original type silencer fitted only painted black. Still with that Old plume of trailing blue smoke. Other shots of the bike on the BMCA page.
Photo courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.
This was the model of Greeves I first owned the 1958 20TA , bought on the never-never from John Avery's emporium in Oxford, in 1961, second hand.
The bikes stood out more than others at the time by the simple fact that they were different.
The bike below is from 1961,Greeves 20 TD model, there is a difference in the subframe if you look.
Thank's Simon for pointing this out, there were just so many models and minor changes were there not.
Photo Courtesy Bonhams.
With the die cast alloy front frame beam that took ages to get right, in the end having to tin the steel tube with alloy, before placing this tube into the mould before pouring the molten alloy around it.
To the distinctive "Moorland Blue" enamel the frame was painted with.
The forks were unique to Greeves, the earlier ones being more so.
They were changed to the style above in 1957-8.
The suspension part of the fork worked on the rubber in torsion bush principle, that all later small car trailers copied.
The damping was by Girling hydraulic units working in the hollow fork tube.
Greeves were also the first that I am aware of to use taper roller Timpkin bearings in the steering head, this is what saved my life probably at the time when I had an argument with a Fordson Major Diesel Tractor one lunch time. ("story on seventy years of ").
The trials models up until now were fitted with the British Hub so called "Tin" half hub brakes.
One glitch with these I remember, that drove me mad, and was probably the reason I got rid of the bike, was the fact that the rear sprocket on the wheel would keep coming loose, despite having the New Nylon lock-nuts fitted like the rest on the machine.
This is to be the 1962 model with revised frame and forks.
There just were a lot of Greeves Trials models, and models in general, the choice was vast if you wanted to own a Greeves.
At this time 1962 there were probably more Greeves trials bikes being ridden as a two stroke than any other breed.
Not only was it the trials bike, but the Scrambles bikes of this period, influenced by Dave Bickers being on the black and white small television screen most week ends on a Saturday afternoon, in the winter months, riding in the BBC Scrambles series, and always covered in mud.
Dave must have won more of these 250 races than any of the other competitors.
This obviously influenced the sales of the brand.
And with the outgoing Don Smith being their number one trials rider at the time, the sales were soaring.
Photo Courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.
This is a 1962 Model TE and fitted with probably replicas of the Glass-Fibre mudguards, that Chris Butler used to supply the Greeves factory with at the time.
This bike is also fitted with the slightly later British Hub Company's "Motoloy" 6" alloy full width brakes.
The British Hub company (born 1903) is interesting on its own, and was mainly responsible for most of the Top-end Cycle and Tandem brakes up until their demise in 1969. And liquidated in 1971. The best known model cycle brakes were the "Airlite", "Racelite", and "Solite" hubs.
They also made the twin-leading shoe 8" racing front hubs for the Greeves Silverstone and CoTTon Telstar racing 250's of the time.
Their last all Alloy cycle hub was designed for the New Moulten cycle of the late fifties.
By the mid fifties their time of innervation seemed to be over at the British Hub Co LTd, and the production of cycle hubs were copies of the continental manufacturers.
Moving on...
There were Just so many types.
The 24 TFS.
1958 Model 20 TA...
Two New trials Models.
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Photo; Don Smiths 1962 Scottish prepared Greeves 252. ~Oo>
Photo Courtesy Deryk Wylde, OffRoad Archive.
This is Don Smiths, Greeves TES, prepared for the, and waiting to be used in the 1962 Scottish Six Days Trial. Note: that this bike probably has the first Square front exhaust (header) pipe fitted, that was unique to Greeves at the time. And it looks like this bike also has Armstrong rear shocks still fitted, and not the later Girling at both ends...
The fuel tank and mudguards are the ones supplied to "Greeves Motorcycles" by Chris Butler of Butler Mouldings.
Snippet: Bert Greeves was still answering the phone saying "Morning Invacar"up until the demise of the company: But it will be his name "Greeves" that will be remembered the longest:
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Photo of the late Peter Stirland, a long time Greeves works rider.
Photo Courtesy Lee Prescott.
Peter was always in the back ground at Greeves and also always in the fore in the results.
A rider that made little fuss, but just got on with the job. I think the only manufacturer I remember him riding for apart from Greeves, was Royal Enfield, on and off, and also BSA...
This photo was taken by Lee at the Colmore Revisitation. Section, Camp hill near Broadway.
Simons information.> Here. later.
Photo Courtesy Lee Prescott.
Here is a 24 TE Scottish of 1963-4 with MP forks fitted, and an unknown smaller Half hub.
Now we get to the Skip from the Scottish name, to the Greeves Anglian.
This is the 1965? Greeves "Anglian"24 TGS Model with the so called "Banana" forks fitted.
And the redesigned Greeves Challenger Alloy barrel and head fitted, The "Silverstone" race bikes helped to prove the engines reliability.
Below Tony Davis aboard the Works Greeves Anglian
Photo Courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.
Simon> .Correct with the Anglian the 24TGS came out in November 1965 but the banana forks are the later type, the early ones had the shocks mounted on top of the fork loop and the rear of the loop was closer to tyre, same as this photo .
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1968 Greeves Anglian 24 TJSB.1968. Now with Metal Profile Forks fitted, on this model...
This is the last Greeves Anglian model of 1968. And although Greeves were the least worried company using the Villiers engine at the time, as they could have used their own.
With Bert Greeves, and Derry Preston Cobb, wanting to retire anyway, A disastrous fire in the factory made the decision for them, to mark the end of the Years of Greeves Motorcycles.
So another British motorcycle company turned to ashes.
More later.
Page One.
Page Two
And there is still more to tell.......
When Greeves was started again to produce the Anglian model replica...
More later.
Updat2022...