Trials Bikes built between 1958-1968.

Because of the number of the trials models built by Greeves I thought we would start from the first model I owned back then, so we start with the Greeves "Scottish" 20TA of 1958. with Villiers 9E engine fitted.

Photo Courtesy and Copyright Lee Prescott.

Andy Briggs is the rider.

This superb shot taken on 20/03/2016, at the BMCA "British Bike" trial,

Is of a 1958 Greeves "Scottish" 20TA, still with original type silencer fitted only painted black. Still with that Old plume of trailing blue smoke. Other shots of the bike on the BMCA page.

Photo courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.

This was the model of Greeves I first owned the 1958 20TA , bought on the never-never from John Avery's emporium in Oxford, in 1961, second hand.

The bikes stood out more than others at the time by the simple fact that they were different.

The bike below is from 1961,Greeves 20 TD model, there is a difference in the subframe if you look.

Thank's Simon for pointing this out, there were just so many models and minor changes were there not.

Photo Courtesy Bonhams.

With the die cast alloy front frame beam that took ages to get right, in the end having to tin the steel tube with alloy, before placing this tube into the mould before pouring the molten alloy around it.

 To the distinctive "Moorland Blue" enamel the frame was painted with.

The forks were unique to Greeves, the earlier ones being more so.

 They were changed to the style above in 1957-8.

 The suspension part of the fork worked on the rubber in torsion bush principle, that all later small car trailers copied.

The damping was by Girling hydraulic units working in the hollow fork tube.

Greeves were also the first that I am aware of to use taper roller Timpkin bearings in the steering head, this is what saved my life probably at the time when I had an argument with a Fordson Major Diesel Tractor one lunch time. ("story on seventy years of ").

The trials models up until now were fitted with the British Hub so called "Tin" half hub brakes.

One glitch with these I remember, that drove me mad, and was probably the reason I got rid of the bike, was the fact that the rear sprocket on the wheel would keep coming loose, despite having the New Nylon lock-nuts fitted like the rest on the machine.

This is to be the 1962 model with revised frame and forks.

There just were a lot of Greeves Trials models, and models in general, the choice was vast if you wanted to own a Greeves.

At this time 1962 there were probably more Greeves trials bikes being ridden as a two stroke than any other breed.

Not only was it the trials bike, but the Scrambles bikes of this period, influenced by Dave Bickers being on the black and white small television screen most week ends on a Saturday afternoon, in the winter months, riding in the  BBC Scrambles series, and always covered in mud.

Dave must have won more of these 250 races than any of the other competitors.

This obviously influenced the sales of the brand.

And with the outgoing Don Smith being their number one trials rider at the time, the sales were soaring.

Photo Courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.

This is a 1962 Model TE and fitted with probably replicas of the Glass-Fibre mudguards, that Chris Butler used to supply the Greeves factory with at the time.

This bike is also fitted with the slightly later British Hub Company's "Motoloy" 6" alloy full width brakes.

The British Hub company (born 1903) is interesting on its own, and was mainly responsible for most of the Top-end Cycle and Tandem brakes up until their demise in 1969. And liquidated in 1971. The best known model cycle brakes were the "Airlite", "Racelite", and "Solite" hubs.

They also made the twin-leading shoe 8" racing front hubs for the Greeves Silverstone and CoTTon Telstar racing 250's of the time.

Their last all Alloy cycle hub was designed for the New Moulten cycle of the late fifties.

By the mid fifties their time of innervation seemed to be over at the  British Hub Co LTd, and the production of cycle hubs were copies of the continental manufacturers. 

Moving on...

There were Just so many types.

The 24 TFS.

1958 Model 20 TA...

Two New trials Models.

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Photo; Don Smiths 1962 Scottish prepared Greeves 252. ~Oo>

Photo Courtesy Deryk Wylde, OffRoad Archive.

This is Don Smiths, Greeves TES, prepared for the, and waiting to be used in the 1962 Scottish Six Days Trial. Note: that this bike probably has the first Square front exhaust (header) pipe fitted, that was unique to Greeves at the time. And it looks  like this bike also has Armstrong rear shocks still fitted, and not the later Girling at both ends...

The fuel tank and mudguards are the ones supplied to "Greeves Motorcycles" by Chris Butler of Butler Mouldings.

Snippet: Bert Greeves was still answering the phone saying "Morning Invacar"up until the demise of the company: But it will be his name "Greeves" that will be remembered the longest:

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Photo of the late Peter Stirland, a long time Greeves works rider.

Photo Courtesy Lee Prescott.

Peter was always in the back ground at Greeves and also always in the fore in the  results.

A rider that made little fuss, but just got on with the job. I think the only manufacturer I remember him riding for apart from Greeves, was Royal Enfield, on and off, and also BSA...

This photo was taken by Lee at the Colmore Revisitation.  Section, "Camp" hill near Broadway.

Simon's information.> Here. later.

Photo Courtesy Lee Prescott.

Here is a 24 TE Scottish of 1963-4 with MP forks fitted, and an unknown smaller Half hub.

Now we get to the Skip from the Scottish name, to the Greeves Anglian.

This is the 1965? Greeves "Anglian"24 TGS Model with the so called "Banana" forks fitted.

And the redesigned Greeves Challenger Alloy barrel and head fitted, The "Silverstone" race bikes helped to prove the engines reliability.

Below Tony Davis aboard the Works Greeves Anglian

Photo Courtesy Simon Hatcliffe.

Simon> .Correct with the Anglian the 24TGS came out in November 1965 but the banana forks are the later type, the early ones had the shocks mounted on top of the fork loop and the rear of the loop was closer to tyre, same as this photo .

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1968 Greeves Anglian 24 TJSB.1968. Now with Metal Profile Forks fitted, on this model...

This is the last Greeves Anglian model of 1968. And although Greeves were the least worried company using the Villiers engine at the time, as they could have used their own.

With Bert Greeves, and Derry Preston Cobb, wanting to retire anyway, A disastrous fire in the factory made the decision for them, to mark the end of the Years of Greeves Motorcycles.

So another British motorcycle company turned to ashes.

More later.

Page One.

Page Two

And there is still more to tell.......

When Greeves was started again to produce the Anglian model replica...

Was it just the wrong time for these New Anglian's to appear or was it just the owner of the company got it wrong?

Greeves Motorcycles Ltd was started by Richard Deal in 1999 and the first completed Anglian was ready in 2002... A lot of time and money went into getting these bikes back onto the market ... but sales just did not take off...22 were built between 2002 and 2006 and only another six between 2006 to 2023... such a shame they should have been pushed harder I feel, and after Don Smith fell out with the owner, sales seemed to just stop over night...Richard Deal after playing with a modern type Greeves trials motorcycle from 2008 until 2014 eventually put the company up for sale in Febuary 2017...but it did not sell and Richard now moved to Norfolk still has Greeves Motorcycles Limited in 2023 but although there seems like a lot of stock on the books I don't no if it is selling... I will try and find out...GPD Developments from Nuneaton UK The company that set up in business  in 2002 to produce the complicated alloy beam casting and engine components etc seem to have gone from strength to strength so Greeves still lives on in some respect...  

A New Greeves Anglian TJSB frame is still listed on the Greeves website at a price of £1,300...in August 2023...

One thing that occurred to me, did the New Greeves Anglian frame of 2002 have the same dimensions as the last 1968 TJSB Anglians? Greeves from 1968 had a 19"WM2 rear wheel fitted, to find grip it said and spread the tyre of the time, but was this also to steepen the head angle for the MP forks fitted?

 The 2002 Anglians had the 18" rear rim, to be able to use the current tyres... did this alter the later's steering...

23/12/2023...

An Update from Richard Deal 

Good afternoon

I have been reading with interest about everything you have been saying about Greeves trials machines and about the company.

My name is Richard Deal the owner of Greeves Motorcycles Ltd

I resurrected the company in 2000, and since then we have re built restored and manufactured well over six hundred Greeves bikes from 1955 models to our latest 24 TJSB250 and our new 280 fluid cooled Greeves 280 TI modern trials bike.

Currently we have eight bikes working their way through the workshop

In addition to the  bikes in build,  we have produced parts which we send out worldwide,  for customers to build their own restore or just keep them running.

Over the years we have staved off several take overs of the company, but for one reason or another everybody to date has fell by the wayside, mainly they don’t understand what effort is required to produce parts and bringing the whole thing together...

Yes we do have new barrels, heads, brake shoes, conical hubs and brake plates cast and machined...

Furthermore we have had all the patens made so as to manufacture the  Villiers 37 A bottom half including gear box

So as the end of the day we can produce the Anglian from scratch all brand new

Even the front Aluminium beam we manufacture as well.

Justyn Norek senior and Justyn Junior are good friends of ours so when we visit Italy we enjoy a glass of wine and catch up on bike talk

Justyn senior had input into the new trials 280 TI Greeves we designed in 2010.

On this bike we have won four awards in the Scottish Six Days trial

Best finish was in 2012 when we finished in the top fifty

No mean feat for a new British built bike that everybody said could not be built in the UK

Well we proved everybody wrong.

Would look forward to your further correspondence in future

Greeves is still firing on all cylinders here in North Norfolk doing well with a very full order book.

Kind Regards

Richard Deal

Greeves Motorcycle Ltd...

Thank you Richard let us know of progress with future updates...

More later.

Updat2023...12...