The "Buzzing" Club

The DVLA have advised us that they have restarted processing paper applications for retention of an existing registration number or applications for a period registration. However, there could be up to 6 months delay in processing an application sent in now as the the backlog at Swansea is considerable. It might therefore be a good idea to delay applying for a dating certificate for a few months because dating certificates have a 12-month life. If they run out while the DVLA is processing your application, everything will be sent back to you and you’ll have to ask Phill for another (FOC) dating certificate. You’ll then have to start all over again……

We have just received notification from Mortons, the organisers of the April and October Stafford Classic Motorcycle Shows, that the show postponed from 25-26th April to 15-16th August has definitively been cancelled. It is hoped the Stafford Show scheduled for 10-11th October 2020 may still go ahead, depending on the situation with coronavirus social-distancing nearer the time. Please keep an eye on the Events Calendar here, it will be updated as soon as we receive further information from Mortons.

Following recommendations from the FBHVC and DVLA the NACC will not be processing any V765 paperwork applications until further notice. This is to allow the limited number of staff at Swansea cope with their work-load. We will continue to process dating certificates.

Let us all help the DVLA and key workers by not sending in paper applications until further notice. In line with the government’s advice the DVLA have a very limited number of staff on site who are only dealing with applications from those who are directly involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are not accepting any other paper applications.

Please keep abreast of their information by viewing the following link which was originally posted on 25 March, but is continually being updated. (Latest update was 17 April.)

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dvla-coronavirus-covid-19-update

6-MONTH EXTENSION ON MOTs

The DVLA have announced that, due to the coronavirus and need for social-distancing, from the 30th March 2020 all MOTs will be extended by six months until 30th October 2020. If your bike is due for an MOT within that period it will still have to be presented for an MOT by the 30th October. Please read full details on the DVLA website here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-mots-for-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-due-from-30-march-2020

In the light of the current situation with coronavirus and HM Government’s advice to the public to avoid all non-necessary travel and social gatherings, the Directors of NACC Ltd. and the NACC Committee have taken the very regrettable and difficult decision to advise all NACC Sections that, with immediate effect, all section meetings and runs are cancelled until further notice. This advice coincides with that of the Federation of British Historic Vehicles Clubs at: https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/news/article/coronavirus and confirms that the course of action we are taking today is the correct one.

This means that all NACC events, whether they be static, shows or runs, will have to be cancelled from today onward. All permits for future events will be void as of now, and no further permits will be issued until we are clear that the risks involved with social gatherings have been minimised.

Any updates to this situation will be posted here, and April’s issue of Buzzing will carry the same message as above.

NACC RESERVES AND THE CORONAVIRUS.
One of the benefits of having financial reserves in our club is our ability to cope with unforeseen events. It has often been difficult to explain convincingly to our members the reasons for holding such reserves. The Directors and Committee of the NACC have decided that we must now use these reserves to benefit our members, so a decision has been taken to extend all current memberships by 4 months free of charge, with immediate effect, in order to assist our members at this difficult time. This will be done centrally so members will not need to do anything. Your next renewal date will be put back by 4 months and following this will then revert back to the normal 12 month period the following year.

We’ve been informed by John Hayes’ son Tony that John passed away earlier this month. His funeral will take place on the 27th March at Bath Crematorium at 15.15pm. The planned gathering at the New Inn on the Bath to Wells road after the funeral has had to be postponed in view of the coronavirus problem. Tony hopes that some local NACC members might turn up on autocycles to send John off appropriately, and he will update us when this current emergency is over on a future tribute gathering.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Manchester Bike Show, scheduled for the weekend of 28th-29th March at Event City, Manchester M41 7TB, has been cancelled. No further information on whether this event will take place later in the year is available at the moment. If your plan was to go, DON’T! As soon as further information is forthcoming we’ll put it up here.

The NACC stand at the Bristol Show was ably organised by Steve Hoffman of the North Wilts Section and featured a total of twenty under-100cc bikes on display, including a good number of cyclemotors, mopeds and one forlorn autocycle – Bryan Norton’s Sun autocycle. Among the machines on display were a number of rarities – John Aston’s 1954 Mobylette AV32, Joe Skinner’s 1959 Gilera “Giubileo”, Ian McGregor’s 1952 Cyclaid, Paul Witchard’s “dans son jus” 1956 Terrot Lutin and Steve Hoffman’s 1973 Kawasaki G35S-C street scrambler. A full report will be published in April’s Buzzing, but in the meantime, here are a few photos.

NACC member Andrew Parry, a newly-retired gentleman of leisure, is planning to ride his 35-year old Yamaha Townmate, all 80cc’s of it, from Kidderminster in the West Midlands, to Slovenia in May 2020. Andrew reckons he will be able to do the journey on 10 gallons of fuel, hence the title. Watch this space for information as when he sets off his blog will detail his adventures.

You can read of his other motorcycling exploits here: https://10gallonstoslovenia.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/example-post/

An NACC member has had two cyclemotors stolen on 2nd January from his home in Leicester. They are: an unregistered Cyclemaster, engine no.  138987, in a Raleigh all steel bike – frame number 7924/ NN. This bike is fitted with a rear motorcycle type stand on an extended spindle so it is quite novel. It also has a French pannier bag and Huret speedo among other period fittings, including a re-spoked wheel. 

The second cyclemotor is a 1955 Teagle (see photo above), engine number 10428, in an Indian ‘Atlas’ 28″ 1996 bicycle (looks like 1950s Raleigh). It has a red-painted fuel tank and is registered as WTC 845. Both cyclemotors are in fully restored condition and were last on display at Founders Day in July 2019 on the Leicester Section NACC Stand.  Leicester police have been informed. Please call Roger on 07944 681195 if you’ve been offered either of these machines or the engines separately from the bicycles, or even some spares. We’ll post photos of these cyclemotors here as soon as they arrive.