The following article is from the Velobanjogent blog coming from Australia. Stuart Waycott appears in our reports on the ISDT 1937 and ISDT 1938. This excellent article features more about the history of his Velocette works outfit and his life since the ISDT. Do check out the rest of this blog, it contains a wealth of articles mostly dedicated to Velocette
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010
The Stuart Waycott 600 Velocette ISDT Outfit.
In the 1930’s British factories supported the countries effort to win the various ISDT…International Six Days Trial…… trophies.
Our interest in this blog is the Velocette outfit ridden by Stuart Waycott for the period from 1936 to 1939.
But what is this ISDT…?
It was the International Trophy presented to the Federation International des Clubs Motocyclistes as a perpetual trophy by the British Cycle and Motorcycle Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Union, in 1913.
It is a road trial, seemingly always on tracks and trails, that runs for six days duration, with controls to pass through and route etc cards to be stamped, culminating with a speed trial often held on a road race circuit.
Later the number of trophies were increased under the title “Challenge Trophies”.
After I wrote this I realised the original Phil Irving notebook on the trials bike with all his design calculations still in my possession had interesting stuff that needs to be opened to all…and so I’ll do a blog on this notebook shortly….
Left click on the images to enlarge…
The International Trophy
The ISDT Challenge Trophy set
The 1937 ISDT was run in Wales……
Map of course 1937 ISDT
Stuart Waycott was a member of the three solo and one outfit British team for 1936,37 and 38.
We used a Velocette OHC engine in a Velocette framed outfit.
For 1938, the period we are going to look at, the outfit was a modified Goulding sidecar that Phil Irving comments was at Veloce at the time.
The chassis of the outfit was altered considerably with springing and a sidecar wheel brake.
Design of Sidecar chassis
For 1936, Waycott used a KSS Mk.2 engine, but the actual capacity of the engine I cannot ascertain,although Phil Irving in his article detailed further down this blog indicates it was a TT engine, but my notes from a letter I wrote to the late Bob Currie in Dec.1981, editor of “The Classic Motorcycle”, indicate a photo in “MotorCycling” of 2 Sept.1936 showed Waycott being farewelled by Percy Goodman and George Denly as he left for the 1936 ISDT and he is clearly riding an outfit with a KSS Mk.2 engine in it, but I didn’t know the capacity. They were nominally 348cc.
Search as I may that copy of “Motorcycling” seems to have disappeared from my library…….but for 1937 and 1938 he certainlyused a 500cc OHC TT engine that was altered to 595cc with a bore of 85mm and stroke of 105mm.
Phil Irving was involved with this project in his time at Veloce Ltd.
Ironically the entry in the 1937 ISDT program is 595cc whereas in the 1938 program it is 598cc.
The bore and stroke information came from the notebook of Phil Irving and a calculation from them reveals 596cc.
Just the same the outfit looks super for it’s day….
Original side detail view of Velocette
Original LH side view of Velocette
When you’ve good original photographs, and these original 1938 “Motorcycling” photos taken with a plate camera give fabulous detail when enlarged.
Two items I’ll feature…
The special carburettor swill chamber off the float chamber to ensure under extreme cornering on the outfit that the float level kept a semblance of a level over the jets.
The other slightly less obvious is the exhaust valve lifter mechanism…difficult work starting a big single without a valve lifter, especially a Velocette with the low kickstart ratio…OHC racing TT Velocette engines didn’t need valve lifters, so this was likely a job PEI attended to…
Engine Detail
Engine Detail
Back to the entry…
Entry list ISDT
ISDT Team details 1938
From “The Motorcycle ” report of 15th July 1938
Photo of Velocette
As mentioned PEI was involved with the bike and after reading an article in the Dec./Jan. 1980 edition of “The Classic Motorcycle” with a report on the “600 Velo engine”…I urge you to get a copy…he wrote to Bob Currie, setting out his views…
I’ve made copies from the original PEI carbon copy ( no computers for PEI then…) and while it is 9 pages, it is historical and deserves to be in the public domain.
scan of article
Stuart rode earlier in the ISDT on other makes, always an outfit…
He emigrated to Australia and had a farm in Western Australia….
David Main of Albany,WA in an email to me takes up the finalisation of the story…
“…The latest issue of FTDU reminded me of my friendship with Stuart Waycott whom I met in 1969 when I emigrated from the UK I rode out on my Vincent to visit him on the farm at Kweda WA. He was delighted to take it for a ride but it was only last year when I very regrettably sold the ‘Rapide” that we discovered it had been first registered to Waycott Bros in Bristol! How’s that for coincidence!
Stuart had a house full of awards, cups, photos etc. Sadly all were lost when he died. He did give me 2 press photos taken outside their Bristol Premises. One was the ISDT Team, 2 Velos but Stuart is riding a matchless! Ivan Rhodes dates the photo as 1934/5. The other photo shows Stuart on a Rudge outfit. I believe one of his passengers was called Rowley but have no more info. Maybe some of the members can help out Stuarts Velo outfit had special QD wheels and a hole in the petrol tank for easy S plug changing. Tools clipped on the side somewhere.”
The photos emailed to me follow…
Stuart Waycott on Rudge Whitworth Ulster sidecar outfit VC 1636
ISDT sidecar outfits
sidecar
sidecar on track
#118 S Waycott with Works Velocette ISDT 1937
photo – George Rowley, Vic Brittain and S tuart Walcott with #118 Velocette 595cc ISDT 1937 (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe)
via The Velobanjogent: The Stuart Waycott 600 Velocette ISDT Outfit..
Speed Track Tales 
Quote “Well there was no ISDT in 1939, the clouds of war were over Europe and there was great concern that should WW2 breakout during the ISDT, the safety of the British riders could not be guaranteed and the event was cancelled”.
????? I think that is a completely erroneous statement! Perhaps the writer needs to read the story on this website to get the truth!
That was how the Australian author had the text at the time. He has since become aware of the error and amended his text using information from this site, we have had other material from him for the site. I don’t like tinkering with other’s texts I was going to add a comment to clarify that but now I see he has removed it from his original I will delete it.