And look at the angle of the lower fork link. Even without a rider seated it is almost horizontal. Why did Vincents persist for so long in jacking up the front end to the detriment of safety?
I like the Remark: "Show finish as far as possible". Was it prepared as a show model?
Note the rigid RFM.Mr. Stärkle was a vainy man who wanted to attract attention with his new machine, which he had already ordered at the Earl Court Show before everyone else. I still knew him and visited him with this machine.
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Note in the race foto: Both hands on one side of the handle bar. Staerkle was 3 times European ChampionMr. Stärkle was a vainy man who wanted to attract attention with his new machine, which he had already ordered at the Earl Court Show before everyone else. I still knew him and visited him with this machine.
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Ernst told me, that Staerkle had raced only rigid framed NSUs before WW2 and did not want anything elseAmazing that someone with racing experience would think that the sprung rear end was a disadvantage for sure he can never have raced in the rain against ridged bikes. In my experience, that is when the RFM really comes into its own.
Still think of how long it took Trials riders to get the sprung rear end message there is a lot of inertia in clubroom attitudes and I think even more back then and earlier for instance after all my wifes 1925 EW Douglas has an automatic oil pump but it would not sell without a swichable separate circuit and a manual pump because that was the perceived method .
2nd pic Ernst 2014 in Italy