Old timers to strut there stuff on DJ Rally
Motoring Staff
2010-03-10
The a very impressive entry of 124 motorcycles made between 1908 and 1936 for this year’s 40th running of the annual, current format DJ Run from Durban to Johannesburg mirrors the tragedy that was the virtual total demise of the British motorcycle industry that once dominated the world in terms of powered two-wheelers.
Nowadays the extent of the British motorcycle industry is basically limited to the “reborn” Triumph and Norton companies, which is a huge change from the halcyon days in the first 60 or so years of the previous century when Britain had numerous manufacturers and a vibrant industry.
Many of the famous names from Britain’s glorious motorcycle past are listed as competitors in the DJ Run, which starts in HillCrest, near Durban, on March 12 and finishes the next day at the James Hall Transport Museum in Johannesburg.
There are only a few non-British machines in the field, most of them German BMWs – including a 1935 R12 for the fun-loving publisher of Bike SA magazine, Simon Fourie – a 1934 four-cylinder German Zundapp, an American Indian Scout dating back to 1931 and two Italian Moto Guzzi Sport 15’s of similar age.
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