— an article by John Makinson —
Both my Dad and I are crazy about bikes, and in particular pre-war bikes. I was infected by this bug from Dad as he has owned and collected bikes since the late 1950s. He had always wanted a Brough Superior (who doesn’t!) and after many failed attempts to source a bike at an affordable price, he gave it up as a bad job. Shortly after though, we were on our annual pilgrimage to the IOM TT where upon we saw a Coventry Eagle Flying 8. It looked a bit shabby as a lot of old bikes did in the 1970s but it was happily transporting its owner around, and we came across it on several occasions during our holiday. Dad presumed that Coventry Eagles, which didn’t have such an illustrious name or back story might be a more affordable alternative to the Brough but still had the same tank and V twin power unit.
In those days the only main stream way of advertising for bikes was the MCN so shortly after our return, an ad went in say: “Wanted Coventry Eagle Flying 8 , any condition considered”.
The next week we got a phone call from a man in Blackpool who had a Coventry Eagle (CE) in his Coal Shed, however there were doubts over whether it was to be a Flying 8. We went along and sure enough it was not. This was a Pressed steel frame with a 150cc Villiers. It was what is known as a “Wilfred”. These CEs were lightweight and mainly 2 stroke commuter bikes, and were used in large quantities during the war years by the RAF for crews to get around the aerodromes. This one was a blue bike so we knew a little about it. £5 changed hands and so the CE obsession began.
The ad stayed in, hoping for bigger birds, but sadly other smaller, less Brough-like machines surfaced and every time we went to check the bike, Dad bought it. Somewhere in the mix a man called and said he didn’t have a bike to sell but had a collection of original sales brochures, so Dad bought those as well. This just made matters worse because other smaller bikes appeared to be just as interesting and desirable.
Eventually someone actually rang who DID have a flying 8, albeit in bits . A deal was struck that we would swap a load of Calthorpe Parts for the bike. We travelled down to South Wales and the swap was complete.
The previous owner said that the bike had been a sand racer at Pendine before the war and that it had been partially broken to make a timber saw! To say it was in a sorry state was a massive understatement. However with no room to work in the garage, naturally the process of assembling what we had took place in the upstairs bedroom! There was lots of pieces missing, and lots wrong, but over time a rolling chassis was created and after about three years of occasional bursts of energy a bike was carried down the stairs. It wasn’t by any stretch of imagination a bike ready to ride, it was just loosely assembled. Years passed and the project got side-lined as can often happen , especially with Coventry Eagles… why? Well unless you’re a top engineer and fabricator you’ve got no chance – no available parts, owners club, or internet to hunt for stuff in the 1980s.
Years later in 2015 I approached Dad and asked if I could have a go to finish the project off. Incredibly he said yes and I apprehensively wheeled the bike to my workshop and with help from an old friend assessed what it would take to get it usable. The reality was: EVERYTHING!
The engine was stripped, the gearbox taken apart, and we started building the Flying 8 from the ground up. Looking back I realised that all of the fabrication was done twice and the first attempt simply wasn’t either right or practical. It was a fascinating, character building project and I probably would make a quicker job of it the second time around… but I guess that’s the benefit of hindsight.
A few years after the first build I took to the road and made several courageous rallies such as the VMCC Coventry to Brighton Run, the Piston Rally in Spain, the North Coast 500 in Scotland, and followed around the Irish National in Southwest Ireland. In the main the bike behaved OK. I never quite got the gears sorted as there was so much wear on the Sturmey Archer box, but eventually I managed to find replacement gears/ shafts etc and that made a huge improvement.
Another recurring issue were the “fir cones” or valve covers at the top of the head. They were made from alloy and if on a very long or hot run they would simple melt and blow out like a champagne cork!
So with Steel corks and a new gearbox we look forward to taking part in lots of fun rallies and events this year along with a few of the other Coventry Eagles I’ve been lucky enough to restore.
If you are looking for a first bike restoration project I would advise against a Coventry Eagle, simply as parts are so scarce. But if your looking to own a good runner, I’ve found them to be great fun and a pleasure to ride.
an article by John Makinson for The Girder Club
If you would like to be kept up-to-date with the latest news and information on vintage motorcycles, feel free to sign up to our newsletter, which we aim to ping out each month.
Leave a Reply