Local Museum bikes

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Silk made in Darley Abbey by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

Made in Darley Abbey in the past.


.Jones by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

A UK specialist tuner

[SteveD CB500K0]

Everyone thought he was mad in the 70’s. Making a 2-stroke (whatever next )


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[AshimotoK0]

He worked for a company owned by Furmanite  called Onsite Engineering (or something like that) in the late 1980's. Came to visit us where I worked with a view to using water hydraulics  for powering onsite tools. After our business meeting, he showed me all his plans for the Silk he was doing as a magazine prize. Told me we he was head hunted by John Bloor to design Triumphs but didn't fancy it for some reason but I think he was used as an adviser to them.

[SteveD CB500K0]

What sort of bike was he designing in the late 80’s Ash?


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[AshimotoK0]

What sort of bike was he designing in the late 80’s Ash?


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Not so sure he was designing anything at that point specifically,  only building  a Silk 2-stroke for the magazine prize and acting as a motorcycle design consultant in his spare time. His role when he came to see us was nothing to do whatsoever with bikes but when he presented his business card, I asked him if he was involved with the Silk motorcycle in any way ...  it was a bit embarrassing as he said 'I am Silk of Silk bike fame' ... after the meeting finished and most people had cleared off, he tootled off to his car an fetching in a load of drawings of the competition bike to show me. I think  Furmanite had bought out his business and when the bike production finished, they employed him as an engineer (they did machinery for machining massive pipelines/flanges on-site). Nice bloke to talk too .. obviously much more passionate about bike design than boring old heavy site engineering.

[Rozabikes Tim]

Everyone thought he was mad in the 70’s. Making a 2-stroke (whatever next )


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]

I have in mind the Silk was a reworked Scott??

Yes the Silks were made in Darley Abbey. I spent many a happy hour white water canoeing in the river there.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Everyone thought he was mad in the 70’s. Making a 2-stroke (whatever next )


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]

I have in mind the Silk was a reworked Scott??

Yes the Silks were made in Darley Abbey. I spent many a happy hour white water canoeing in the river there.

Yes the first Silks used the Scott engine - I believe they went on to design their own engines based in part of the original Scott ones the firm stopped production in late 1979 it was a local frame builder in Spondon who built the frames. For some reason I thought they also used the J.A.P. engine probably as I have seen Spondon Framed specials with such engines in my youth with a Silk badged tank.

https://www.silk-motorcycles.org/silk-company-history.html