Author Topic: CLAMIL rear suspension  (Read 2403 times)

Offline dundrod60

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CLAMIL rear suspension
« on: January 28, 2016, 03:21:29 PM »
Somebody some day may discover an old bike with a rather large damping  mechanism controlling a rear swinging arm and which is bolted beneath the frame and hangs perilously close to the ground and if it also resembles one of those huge old fashioned door-closing units which used to be fixed above a heavy door to stop it slamming, congratulations, you probably have a very rare example of a CLAMIL REAR SUSPENSION UNIT!   As an aid to I.D. I can say from memory the barrel of it is approx 4" diameter and its length about 10".   This info may at some point be of use to a restorer and I saw one in action many years ago (about 1954) at the first Post-War Sprint held at a venue near Aldershot in Hampshire.   At the time I was a member  of the Mitcham Motorcycle Club and the unit was sold by Miller Motorcycles who had a showroom in Mitcham.   The designer of it was a Mr. Clark hence the choice of the unit's name -- CLA(rk)MIL(ler) -- CLAMIL! (ingenious).   Having watched the bike's progress down the staight-line sprint course, while crouching to observe the almost zero ground clearance and expecting 'sparks', I was happy for the rider that there was no "left-hander" for him to try to negotiate as that was the side of the frame the unit was bolted to.   (He turned right at the end to return to the pits)!             

Offline R

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Re: CLAMIL rear suspension
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2016, 04:06:36 AM »
The index for old bike mags for The Motor Cycle  5th Jan 1950 lists a Clamil spring hub.

Sounds like fertile minds at work....