News
NEWS scroll down for old news
Help Please!
An appeal for information and help.
I am in the process of restoring a 1932 Raleigh 5cwt LCV. This vehicle was purchased in pieces and with no technical information whatsoever. I am making good progress but would very much appreciate being able to look at a complete vehicle to take photographs, dimensions etc. My vehicle has chassis number 14133 and was registered March 1932. If you have such a vehicle and feel able to assist please contact
John Leech 01420 563818
j.leech814@btinternet.com
Located mid Hampshire.
Latest Newsletter is out online
No 234 December 2023. Merry Christmas.
Only club members may access this with a password.
08/12/23
Latest Newsletter is out online
June 2023 a bit late, sorry.
Only club members may access this with a password.
13/10/23
Click on image to enlarge
Where is it now?
13/04/2023
Whilst at Rempstone Show over the weekend I was an approached by a gentleman who is looking to find his grandfather's Model 15 Deluxe - registration UT 5915. The Leicestershire (where the gentleman still lives) registered machine was in the family until 1962-3 when it was sold to a collector. It is listed on the DVLA web site - but it isn't taxed or SORNED. It is on the club register of machines but it hasn't been in the club for more than 30 years and doesn't have any details of the current owner. If anyone has any information about this machine please let me know. The gentleman in question would very much like to buy the bike back...
Please contact
Andrew Clark
ac@blackhawkproductions.co.uk
Click on image to enlarge
Reliant Girder Fork For Sale -Now sold
13/04/2023
Bob, our Reliant Spares and Technical Advisor for Pre and Post War models is offering one of his girder fork Reliants for sale.
The blue van is sold. 14/07/23
See details in Classifieds & Wanted.
Click on image to enlarge
1963 Raleigh RM6 Runabout For Sale .
15/03/2023
For sale on Ebay, checkout Classifieds & Wanted.
Latest Newsletter is out online
February 2023
Only club members may access this with a password.
Pictures of the Bristol Show
In the Gallery section
February 2023
Pictures were available throughout the show on our FACEBOOK page. It is well worth getting on to get up to date happenings concerning the club and what our members are getting up to.
If you need any help contact me:
Steve Hallam website@rmerc.co.uk
Thanks to Martin Squire and Simon Dillon for the photos.
Membership renewal time
December 2022
REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS – MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FOR 2023
As we approach the end of 2022 I need to remind everyone that your Club membership subscription re-newal for 2023 is due.
As we approach the end of 2022 I need to remind everyone that your Club membership subscription re-newal for 2023 is due.
PLEASE RENEW PROMPTLY – NO NEED TO WAIT TO THE END OF 2022, THE EARLIER THE BETTER – THERE IS A CUT-OFF DATE OF 15 FEBRUARY 2023. After this date your
membership will no longer be valid and you will not receive or have access to the Club Newsletters, or Facebook, or Members’ Forum on the Club website. Full instructions on how to renew and pay for your membership are included on the Renewal Form click on the "Join"link in the header above.
membership will no longer be valid and you will not receive or have access to the Club Newsletters, or Facebook, or Members’ Forum on the Club website. Full instructions on how to renew and pay for your membership are included on the Renewal Form click on the "Join"link in the header above.
Thanks
Tony
Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show
26-27 February, 2022
Only a few days to go befor the Club will be at the Show
Only a few days to go befor the Club will be at the Show
The Royal Bath & West Showground,
Shepton Mallet,
Somerset
BA4 6QN
"The event is a magnet for enthusiasts, club members and traders alike – attracting thousands from all over the country and beyond. It features the finest themed club displays in the world."
Shepton Mallet,
Somerset
BA4 6QN
"The event is a magnet for enthusiasts, club members and traders alike – attracting thousands from all over the country and beyond. It features the finest themed club displays in the world."
New Parts available from the Raleigh Club 13/02/2022
Simon has updated the new items -parts list.
You can see it by following the link below
13/02/22
Raleigh Romas for sale - sold 24/07/2021
Club member Richard Cross is selling his Roma Scooters.
Go to the Classifieds and Wanted section for details.
If you scroll down this page you will find a couple of items about the scooters.
20/06/21
Raleigh Safety Seven up for auction.
This 1934 Raleigh Safety Seven is being sold by a club member, its in an auction at Mathewsons Auction House in Yorkshire. The sale will be held on Saturday 4th June from 9am: Lots 101+ - it is lot number 184.
The club will be at Founders Day 2021.
The club will be having a stand at VMCC Founders day at Stanford Hall on Sunday the 18th July.
Family Photos
Club member Andrew has posted this on the Forum but I asked him if I could put it here so non Forum members can see it and maybe help him out with his questions.
"I have just discovered a picture of my maternal grandfather and grandmother, probably taken around 1936.
They are on my grandfather's Nottingham-registered motorbike - which I think is a Raleigh MH31. Are there more knowledgable people out there who could definitively say if I'm right or what it is if I'm not?I would obviously love it to be a Raleigh.
Also attached is what I assume to be the same bike in a rather less clear photograph.
In addition I've attached another picture I found in the same pile of photos of an unidentified person on a Nottingham-registered Model 21 (I am pretty sure of this).
Any more information or help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Andrew"
20/02/2021
If you can help please email me and I will pass it on to Andrew.
Thanks
Steve
website@rmerc.co.uk
The club now has a Facebook page
You may have noticed the Facebook icon at the top of our Homepage. This will link to our new Facebook page.
Click on this and go to the page to invite yourself (if you are a current member) and show us what you are doing with your vehicles and whatever is going off in your world of Raleigh and early Reliant.
Steve Hallam
31/01/2021
Roma Update
(scroll down for the original post)
Richard recently contacted me to say:
"I seem to have acquired another Scooter ! I have purchased it from Wales, it was first registered June 1961 !
So I believe it’s probably one of the first few batches I would imagine !!
It all seems very original, so I am going to do the minimal restoration to keep it as original as possible !"
So I believe it’s probably one of the first few batches I would imagine !!
It all seems very original, so I am going to do the minimal restoration to keep it as original as possible !"
The pictures opposite is of Richard's second Roma.
Many thanks to Richard for letting us know about his vehicle and the pictures.
26/01/2021
Fancy a brand new Raleigh Motorbike?
I was interested to find a company in Kenya advertising new Raleigh motorbikes for sale. Although branded as Raleigh they are in fact made by a Chinese manufacturer.
I contacted Raleigh UK Ltd to check if they were legitimate and recieved the following reply:
"Hi Steven,
They are using the Raleigh name/branding under license, however those products are not Raleigh UK's products and hold no resemblance to Raleigh UK."
They are using the Raleigh name/branding under license, however those products are not Raleigh UK's products and hold no resemblance to Raleigh UK."
I think I will stick with my Model 21.
Steve Hallam
Roma, Roma, wherefore art thou Roma.
The latest club newsletter has an article -
"Raleigh in the
Nineteen-sixties" in which the author John Lloyd writes about the Roma
range of scooters and concludes with the question "Where are they now?
As a result, I was recently contacted by Richard, a new member who used the club (vehicle) dating service to obtain an age related number plate for his newly restored Raleigh Roma Rs1 scooter.
Richard purchased it part restored and unregistered, he says
"I fell in love with this little scooter when I spotted it on a social media site, I knew nothing about them just liked the look of it, until I bought it and started to research about them I didn’t realise just how rare they are .
The picture opposite is of Richard on his Roma.
Many thanks to him for letting us know about his vehicle and the pictures.
Note.
This scooter was originally manufactured in Italy by Bianchi. Named the Orsetto. In the UK it was named Roma and made under-licensed by Raleigh.
Another far away van.
In my previous report I mentioned that Hong Kong was quite a long way for an exported van to be found (even if it was fictitious). However I have discovered a van which is even further away.....
Habitat by Resene is an online magazine produced by Resene Paints to showcase their products. I found the following article about the van.
---------------------------------------------------
"History on three wheels. 09 May 2013
This cool 1948 Reliant three-wheeled van has recently been restored at Auckland’s MOTAT museum. Originally a delivery van for Sandringham Paints and Papers, the Reliant was a familiar sight in the area for more than 20 years, until its donation to MOTAT in 1973. After several years in storage, restoration began under the leadership of Ken Ramsay, and was completed by another volunteer when Ken fell ill. Although the Reliant arrived at MOTAT sporting turquoise livery, research judged it the work of 1960-70s paint job so the colour was reverted as close to its 1950s appearance as possible – including the image of a Resene paint can!"
Thanks to ‘Habitat by Resene’ for the story/lead, and Ken Ramsey for the top photo.
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This cool 1948 Reliant three-wheeled van has recently been restored at Auckland’s MOTAT museum. Originally a delivery van for Sandringham Paints and Papers, the Reliant was a familiar sight in the area for more than 20 years, until its donation to MOTAT in 1973. After several years in storage, restoration began under the leadership of Ken Ramsay, and was completed by another volunteer when Ken fell ill. Although the Reliant arrived at MOTAT sporting turquoise livery, research judged it the work of 1960-70s paint job so the colour was reverted as close to its 1950s appearance as possible – including the image of a Resene paint can!"
Thanks to ‘Habitat by Resene’ for the story/lead, and Ken Ramsey for the top photo.
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Information about the work undertaken by MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) in Auckland can be found on the link below.
Thanks to the museum for allowing use of the botttom photo. Credit: Reliant Motor Company. 1948. Van [Reliant 3-Wheeler Van], 1982.987. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
Reliant delivery van in Hong Kong
- a social history?
While browsing the internet for any interesting content for this website I came across this intriguing picture. Having lived in Hong Kong for 20 years I was impressed to think that a Raleigh travelled so far and was able to cope with the sometimes very hot and humid climate.
However........
All is not what it seems. On closer inspection I noticed the van has a UK registration plate, it generally appears glossier than the surrounding items and if you look carefully you can see a cottage or bungalow reflected in the door panel, certainly not what you would expect in Hong Kong Central.
Despite this I think it is a fun concept and a clever bit of editing by Jan Saudek. Jeff Wharton took the photo of the van.
Thanks to Jan for permission to use his "illustration."
Club Secretary Mick Sleap passed away recently.
It is with deep sadness that we have to announce the passing of Club Secretary Mick, after a short illness.
Mick had been a stalwart of the club for many years, holding many Officers posts in that time and helping owners with spares, advice and machine dating over the years, a more detailed obituary will be in the next Newsletter.
In the meantime if you have any queries regarding spares, dating certificates or any of the other things that Mick carried out, please contact myself or Tony and not Mick’s wife Teresa. With the present problems, this may take some,time so please bear with us.
Hope you are all keeping well and busy.
Thank you
Dave Comber and Tony Eyre
31/3/20
Event changes
Following public health advice in relation to Coronavirus (COVID-19) events which the Club were planning to attend have been affected. See the Events section for information.
Raleigh baker's delivery van - a social history
While browsing the internet for any interesting content for this website I came across this superb picture. Not on a site to do with motorcycles but on a Blog about the history of Market Lavington in Wiltshire. It has information about Jim Sheppard, Easterton’s ‘Tip Top’ baker and his delivey vehicles. It is well worth a look to get an insight into the life and times of when this type of vehicle was used.
Many thanks to Sue Frost, Honorary Curator, Market Lavington Museum and Jim's family for permission to use the photograph.
The following are links to Jim's story on the Blog
Raleigh Website has a new domain name
You may have noticed this website had a very long domain name. It has now been replaced with a much shorter one.
rmerc.co.uk
The old link should send you to this new address for a while.
Raleigh Ultramatic on TV December 2019
On Monday 2 December 2019 Henry Coles' new series
Junk & Disorderly Episode 9 on ITV 4,
included a Raleigh Ultramatic.
Raleigh Motorbikes at VMCC Kings Lynn in July 2019
Three Raleigh motorcycles took part in the Kings Lynn section runs during "Dannys Veteran and Vintage Weekend based at Fendicks Fishery and Caravan Park". A few pictures of each bike are in the Galley
Gallery
Raleigh Motorbikes at VMCC events in June 2019
Raleigh motorcycles have been spotted at VMCC events across the country. Firstly at the Bamburgh Run in Northumberland on the 9th June and then at the Banbury Run in Oxfordshire on the 16th June.
Gallery
Reliant Regent on TV April 2019
On Wednesday April 10th 2019, Henry Coles' new series
Find it, Fix it, Drive it, episode 3 on Channel 4,
included a Reliant Regent Side-Valve of 1951 vintage.
Distinguished Gentleman's Ride 2018
On Sunday September 30th 2018 I took part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride with my friend, Pete. He won best bike in show at West Kent but a photo of it was not published so we got this mention in December's Classic Motorcycle magazine.
Raleigh at West Kent Run 2017
Actually old news!
Our website coordinator, Steve, attended the West Kent Event and was interviewed by Rick Parkington of Classic Bike Magazine.
Thanks to them for permission to use it here.