McEvoy Motorcycles

McEvoy

"A £130 996-c.c. British Vulpine-engined o.h.v. V-twin solo McEvoy provided our tester with lots of excitement. It had no speedometer, wasn't actually timed but, paced by other motor-cycles, did something like 70 m.p.h. in second gear and 80 to 85 m.p.h. on half-throttle in the highest ratio. The machine was new, yet was untroubled at a cruising 60 m.p.h., and the absolute maximum was estimated to be an easy 95 m.p.h. As it was, the McEvoy was used to follow a trial and, after starting competitors at one-minute intervals over a 40-mile course, it overtook them all, going feet-up up the test hills and, in spite of a five-minutes' conversation with the marshals en route, arrived at the finish a quarter-of-an-hour ahead of the first arrival!

Tunnel Slide was a slow second gear ascent, using quarter-throttle. Roadholding, cornering and braking, by 8-in. Enfield internal-expanding brakes, were all impeccable. A good steering damper was fitted and on decent roads was "only a sort of Coué device to inspire the nervous rider with greater confidence," but over rough-going, when the 3-in. tyres caused considerable bouncing and pitching, it effectively steadied the steering. The Terry saddle and positioning of bars and footrests made for great comfort, while the immense round-tube Druid forks, with friction dampers, worked nicely. The engine needed frequent tappet adjustment to keep it silent but embodied the excellent feature of rockers operating below the valve springs, thus isolating the latter from the hot cylinder head. The Sturmey-Archer gearbox had the lever arranged for foot-change and functioned splendidly. Starting was a first-kick affair, hot or cold, flood or no flood, thanks to the two-jet Binks carburetter, the Pilgrim oil pump did its job faultlessly, and good features were the finish, the cast aluminium chain guards, quick-action filler caps and John Bull knee-grips. Shortcomings? Well, an ugly silencer, like a "Brooklands" "can" yet not any use for B.M.C.R.C. racing, that didn't do its stuff and the fan-tail end of which fouled on left-hand corners and broke up, and a light cranked-rod between brake pedal and brake cam-lever that allowed too much flexibility. Otherwise, full marks to a machine not many of you, on two wheels or four, would pass today, were its rider really trying."

Reports on sports machines of 1926. Motor Sport Magazine, 1949.