Tandon Motorcycles

[Dave2006]

Hope you don't mind, but I've registered with the forum to try to find some info on some photos, hopefully members may be able to help.

My father in law has recently died, amongst his photos were some of his bikes from his racing days after the war - he'd often speak about his Norton International, but we don't remember him talking about this, his Tandon




From the images I can clearly see it is a Tandon and that it has a Villiers engine... but what model, what year might it be? From the shape of the frame it looks like a Tandon Kangaroo, but the rear suspension doesn't match other photos I've seen on line as his bike doesn't have rear twin shock absorbers.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Dave

[JR]

What super photographs , I would say from the early 50's....In those days scrambles riders just converted road bikes for Scrambling and this would appear to be what your father did and he probably rode to the meeting and home afterwards.....I rode in this period but do not recollect seeing this bike.....As you say it is a Kangaroo with a 125 c.c villiers engine with an sporty  head which had a very unusal rear suspension.....Scrambling was done on a budget in those days as you know doubt have noticed your dads bike has a knobbly back tyre but a road going front that was not done on purpose but purily what he could afford, but I bet he really enjoyed himself....Love to know where the meeting was ?.....John Willis

[Dave2006]

Thanks for the speedy reply JR

hows how observant I am, I'd not noticed the road tyres on the front and knobblies on the back. The lack of any lights or indicators would suggest (to me) that he didn't ride it there and back.

If it is the Tandon Kangaroo and it is monoblock rather that twin shock, does that make it a Mk1 from 51/52 as per the post by 'Stickinthemud' on Sept 29th? http://www.classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=3907.msg13811#msg13811

Other bike photos in his possessions include a Norton International called 'Bigga Banger' which (according to the scribbles on the back) posted second fastest time of the day at the Brighton Speed Trials in 1946. And a Matchless, which I think is a G3 / G3L painted black. But I might need to post these pics elsewhere.

Dave

[JR]

Hi Again....I would have put it about the same year as stickinthemud but he would have probably scrambled it say around 1955/6 as I would doubt that your dad brought it new and converted it and also in approx 1952 Tandon brought out a very pretty swinging arm earls fork scambles bike of 197 c.c. made for the job.....I would say your Dad brought a rough road bike and converted it and went out and had some fun, scrambling in those days was made up of lots of bikes like that, I started on a converted B31 BSA 350 road bike which I tuned up and had some success with before getting a full  350 Scambles Matchless......By the way it would not have had indicators they were a thing of the future and you did'nt have to have lights and of course there were no such things as MOT's but even today your can get a daylight MOT without lights and in those days your either rode it to the meeting or if you were lucky enough to have a motorbike and side car chassis as transport, there were not to many vans about....Norton has never been my mark but if your Dad had an Inter in 1946 most people would have only dreamed about owning such a bike even today....Matchless well thats a different matter I still own several in various guises but there is a very good Owners Club Site.....Don't know to much about Tandon road bikes really other than what I have picked up recently but I was given a ride on a 1952 197 c.c. Tandon Scrambler on several occassions by Andrea Baldet a Motor Cycle dealer in  Northampton back in those days and recently came across and brought the only official works Tandon Scrambler which John Babb rode which I am now restoring and the only thing I now need to know is the true BEIGE COLOUR that Tandon painted there bikes.....With modern paints there are so many shades.....I also have a Trials 197 Tandon which I shall rebuild at the same time once I know the colour......Is there any clue to the name of the meeting in the photographs where your Dad rode.I woukd love to know could have ridden against him....John

[Stickinthemud]

Those were the days - when the same machine was used for both going to work and competing at weekends. Only the well off would have transport to carry their machine and I suspect would ride a more expensive and faster machine than a 125 Tandon! Note the lack of cars/vans in the paddock on photo 4.
Lights would have been removed either at home or at the meeting depending whether it would be dark before the rider reached home! Excellent photos Dave.
I've had a look at Bruce Main-Smith's copies of the 1953 and 54 Tandon sales brochures and the machine is almost certainly a Tandon Superglid (presumably pronounced Superglide). It appears in the '53 brochure along with the 197 Superglid Supreme but was not in the '54 one.
The attached copy of the announcement in 'Motor Cycling of Sept '52 shows both the Kangaroo and Superglid.
The Superglid has the larger 2 gall tank, the Kangaroo tank held only 1 gallon. Everything apart from the non standard seat fits the bill - which would have been £121 7sh 9d in 1953. Cheaper than most of it's rivals.
I'm intrigued by the cylinder head. When I bought my Kangaroo, it came with a 12D engine like the one in photo and in the 'basket' was one of those non standard heads! Photo attached.
Does anyone know anything about them? Presumably it improved performance, kept cooler and could have 2 plugs in case of 'whiskering', although your photo 2 photo appears to show a cable so presumable it was for a decompressor to help the not so good brakes of the day.
Excellent theme. Let us know where you post the Norton Inter and the G3 Dave.

[Stickinthemud]

.....I also have a Trials 197 Tandon which I shall rebuild at the same time once I know the colour.........John

JR - according to the '53 B M-S copies, the Kangaroos were always 'Black stove enamelled. Bright parts chrome-plated.' Be interested to see a photo of your trials bike.
The Superglid was '....polychromatic blue, Tandon Rouge or black.' For 1954 all models went over to Beige with the famous red flash on the tank.

Here's more about some of their models - the Milemaster (a pre-war styled road bike) had gone and 4 models were listed for 1953. The 125cc Imp was the only rigid which together with the Kangaroo Supreme, Superglid and it's bigger brother 197 Superglid Supreme completed the range.
For 1954 six models were listed. The Imp remained and was joined by 2 conventionally sprung bigger 197cc brothers (one with 3, and 1 with 4 speed) but gone was the Kangaroo and in came the more successful 'Scrambler', the 225cc 1H Villiers engined Monarch and the Twin Supreme with the 242cc British Anzani rotory valved engine.
Sadly they did not sell in the required numbers, particularly in the initial target market of India and the company lasted a few more years before closing.
Shame

[Dave2006]

Thanks for the positive comments - I'm afraid there is no evidence as to where the photos were taken. The only writing on the rear is 'before' and 'after' on the reverse of the clean and filthy pics

Mum thinks he lived in Ilford at the time, and raced in Royston (near Harlow, Hertfordshire) - might you have raced him?

I'm going to find the right forums to post the Norton and Matchless pics....

Dave

[JR]

I raced all over the south of England up to Leeds and Manchester and abroad in this period, certainly I raced at all the events around London including The Alley Pally and Royston, what was your dads name?....Currently away on hols so may not aswer quickly....John

[Dave2006]

Hi John

His name was Donald Whitehead (Don). Apparently the race venue in Royston was called Rye House.

It would be a very small world indeed if it turns out that you raced against him

Dave

[JR]

Yes raced at Rye House fom 1952/3 onwards, but if my memory serves me right they lost the couse by 1960.....If your Dad raced there he would have also raced at Friars Walsh (its now under the M1)....mall world....ohn