1948 ISDT 350cc Bullets photo.
1950 350 Bullet Internationally famous advert.
On the back of the new post-war Bullet, the British team won both the Trophy and Vase competitions at the Olympics of motorcycling, the International Six Days Trial. A seminal success that showcased the value of the swinging arm suspension to the public.
The International Six Days Trial (ISDT), known as the Olympics of Motorcycling, was widely regarded as the most demanding and gruelling test of a motorcycle and its rider anywhere in the world.
Competing in an ISDT was relentlessly tough. Deep water crossings, rough mountain tracks, loose stones and rocks, slimy mud and choking dust plus steep hills, hairpin bends and fearsome falls all had to be overcome - for over 1000 miles and against the clock!
The ISDT was held annually from 1913 – interrupted only by the two world wars −until it was renamed the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in 1981. The competition continues in this form to this day.
Countries entered national teams, manufacturers entered their own teams and a handful of hardy amateurs also took part. Qualifying for the event was a considerable achievement. It was an even greater honour to represent your country in either its 5-man Trophy or 3-man Vase team. Most riders regarded participation in the ISDT as the pinnacle of their motorcycling career.
For manufacturers the ‘International’ was a test to destruction, the combination of high average speeds, brutal terrain and a ban on overnight maintenance taking its toll on their motorcycles – as well as their riders. The 1948 competition was typical in that only 81 out of 151 entrants made it to the end of the sixth day.
Points were lost if a rider failed to complete any section on time, with just the smallest margin allowed between checkpoints to make roadside repairs, usually the result of accidents, or fix punctures. Only those who maintained a perfect record, with not a single point lost throughout the whole six days, were awarded the ultimate individual prize: a gold medal.
When the British ISDT team selection event was held in Llandrindod Wells during the summer of 1948, Royal Enfield’s new 350 Bullet had seen action in only a handful of trials competitions. A road-going version was still months away from going on sale to the general public and its revolutionary swinging arm rear suspension needed to prove itself to riders as well as the selection committee.
1948 ISDT 350cc Bullets photo.
1950 350 Bullet Internationally famous advert.
Two Bullets were selected for the Trophy team, ridden by pre-war ISDT stalwarts Charlie Rogers and Vic Brittain. A third, ridden by Tom Ellis, was the reserve. ‘Jolly’ Jack Stocker secured a place in the 3-man Vase team. As an advocate of heavier and more powerful motorcycles, he was aboard a rigid framed 500cc Royal Enfield Model J.
The 1,272 mile 1948 ISDT centred around San Remo on the Italian Riviera, but with much of the course venturing onto the high altitude dirt roads and gravel tracks of the Ligurian Alps.
From the beginning the weather played its part. A storm created a flooded road and great swathes of mud. Then in the mountains, mist slowed the riders on precipitous mountain climbs and descents. By the end of the first day only the British and Czech Trophy teams retained clean sheets.
Days two, three and four continued in the same vein. A report in the motorcycling press of the day claimed that the required average speeds were, ‘… almost suicidal. The track was narrow in places and at point after point there was a sheer unguarded drop on the left. As Alan Jefferies remarked concerning these frightening stretches, there is no return ticket.’
The report continued: ‘Riding to schedule meant riding as hard as seemed humanly possible − brakes, acceleration, sliding round bends, applying every trick of the trade and almost needless to say thrashing machines unmercifully. The aim of the International was being achieved, but at very considerable risk to the riders.’
Vic Brittain had a relatively straightforward ride, apart from a puncture which he managed to repair quickly. All the Bullets were prepared for this eventuality with quick release wheels and a bottle of compressed air attached to their frames to enable rapid inflation of punctured tyres.
However, both Rogers and Stocker suffered serious setbacks on the fifth day.
Stocker’s bottom yoke broke, leaving one of the fork legs perilously unsupported. He used a tyre lever like a splint around which he tightly wound a spare clutch cable as a makeshift mend.
Rogers had a serious accident. Flying along a dirt track at 50 mph, he rode into a mud patch which concealed a vicious rut. Both motorcycle and rider shot into the air, cleared a low stone wall and came crashing down in the adjoining field. Rogers was knocked out cold but, miraculously, his Bullet suffered no major damage. Regaining consciousness, he was able to right his bike, remount and rejoin the competition.
Upon reaching the Albenga checkpoint, he fainted. Red Cross nurses revived him with wet sponges and a glass of brandy. Yet, against the odds, he soldiered on, reaching the finish line within time and without losing marks. It was, nevertheless, a close call. ‘Lucky I’m still here,’ he said, as he wearily climbed off his Bullet.
Amazingly, despite feeling sore and poorly, he completed the final day, which included a fast speed test.
1948 ISDT Jack Stocker searches for his time card at a checkpoint.
1948 ISDT Italy Vic Brittain 350 Bullet at a checkpoint.
Stocker, on the other hand, had prepared a more substantial repair during the night in the most unusual circumstances. In a side street near his hotel he fortuitously found a parked Royal Enfield 350cc Model G, which had identical forks to his Model J. The bike was borrowed and used to work out his next move.
In the morning, when he retrieved his mount from parc fermé, Stocker hurriedly attached a U-clamp to the fork and replaced the clutch cable with a tightly-wound chain before setting off. But as confidence in its strength was low, he wore two bulky leather jackets in anticipation of the fork’s collapse and his inevitable tumble. The bike became almost unrideable when the other fork parted from the bottom yoke. Yet, at speeds approaching 80mph, he made it to the finish, securing his own Gold Medal and the Vase team prize for Great Britain.
1948 ISDT Stocker (right) close to the edge overtakes an FN rider.
The 1948 ISDT was a huge success for Royal Enfield. The British teams won both the coveted Trophy and Vase competitions and all three Royal Enfield riders were awarded gold medals.
1948 ISDT Successful Royal Enfield Team photo.
1948 ISDT gold medals 350 Bullets advert.
Most importantly, and in no small part thanks to the fortitude and skill of those valiant riders, the new Bullet with its swinging arm suspension had proved its worth. It could now go into production with an internationally recognised reputation for durability and reliability, a reputation ultimately depended on by millions of riders around the world.