Foreword by Webmaster:
In 1964 Richard was a successful racer of
125,250 and 256cc high cam Moto Parillas in International road races
throughout Europe. He started his motorcycle racing career riding a
500cc Triumph Tiger 100 at Brands Hatch in 1956. From 50cc Itom to 500cc
Moto Guzzi, he went on to ride many makes and capacities of road racing
machines on most of the UK circuits before his chance introduction to
Moto Parilla in 1963.
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Now over to RM to start the story......
Introduction
I was first approached by the Moto
Parilla / Capriolo
UK importers in the summer of 1963 following publication of an article
in the Motorcycle News on a constant mesh multi speed gearbox I
had designed and installed in a G 50 Matchless. Their interest was to
know if I could develop my gearbox in 6 and 7 speed configuration to
fit into the Parilla unit construction engine and gearbox assembly.
After a number of meetings with the
Moto
Parilla / Capriolo directors, and a fairly successful test ride at Brands
Hatch on a Parilla H. C Grand Sport, I agreed to further develop my gearbox
design for Moto Parilla in return for the loan of 3 bikes and spares
with which I could enter "The Continental Circus" in 1964.
From the experience we would gain I also agreed to help Parilla /
Capriolo
develop new production racers.
I
arrived at Parilla's Milan factory in March 1964, with Vic Watton my mechanic,
friend & supplier of our Ford Thames transporter. Things were not as we had
anticipated on our arrival. Parilla Managers
and staff were extremely friendly and helpful but it was obvious sales
were not going well for Parilla. The competition workshop was closed, manufacturing staff
were working short time, and some of the Parilla directors I had met in
London were no longer with the company. There was even talk amongst the
staff of the company being taken over.
After consultation with the Parilla /
Capriolo directors back in Croydon UK, it was agreed that we should abandon,
or at least postpone, our program
to jointly develop new gearboxes with Parilla but continue to develop a
new 125cc engine, prepare our 250 and 256 bikes and join the
"Continental Circus" in April, as originally planned
The Parilla model
line up included a 50cc single and 350cc twin but
these models were non starters for International road
racing. Needing the maximum starts per meeting to earn our living (having been
offered £50 per qualified start at most meetings), we concentrated all
our efforts over our 3 week stay at Parilla, to preparing the 250 and
256cc machine (this was to be entered in 350 and 500cc races where
permitted) and to the development of a one off 125cc racer based on a
scaled down 175 H. C Parilla
Had
Parilla developed and manufactured gearboxes based on my constant
mesh design we would have fitted 6 speed clusters
in the 250 and 256 bikes and a 7 speed cluster in the planned 125. As
things were, we had no other practical alternative but to put Parilla 5
speed clusters in the 250 & 256cc machines and a six speed cluster
of my own design (originally intended for 250cc machine) into
the 125.
The 125 was planned to be of a square
(bore & stroke) engine
configuration however the 6 speed box installation took up so much time we
had to abandon the idea and took a chance on just sleeving down the
175 to 125. Of course this gave us a very long stroke engine which in time
became known on the Circus as "Morley's Steam Engine". To
the envy of many MZ, Bultaco and MV riders, this engine was extremely reliable
and kept going when many of them had stopped, particularly when we
were all running on fuel supplied by the East German, Czechoslovakian,
Yugoslavian and Hungarian race organisers, reputed to be well below 70 Ron!
Eventually we got the 125 together and after
test
runs on the Milan/Turin motorway, often with a Police escort, we set off
for our first race meeting at the Nurburgring, West Germany, at the end
of April 1964.
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