1975 Greeves Griffon Enduro

Lot details
Registration No: NHM180P
Frame No: 63F403
Engine No: GPG2316
cc: 380

A Greeves first competed in the ISDT at the 1954 Welsh event, starting a long and successful association that would see Essex built machines competing successfully over the next two decades. The machine offered is one of six QUB Griffons that were entered in the 1975 event held on the Isle of Man, marking Greeves last foray into ISDT competition. The factory had supplied 14 Griffon's to the Royal Artillery Display team and with the ISDT approaching were asked by the Army to prepare six of them for use by the Army team on the Island. The Griffon was a fine scrambler with an abundance of power and good reliability when viewed in the context of a competition machine that would receive attention between races, but in production form was not well suited to the rigours of the ISDT. The change to ISDT specification included the fitment of a special generator to power the required lighting set, however, the short timescale precluded the opportunity to refine the engines tuning for its intended role. The consequences of this became apparent very quickly with heat seizures afflicting the motorcycles that required replacement cylinders. Jim Moore, the Army team manager made his feelings known, as did other team members, which were relayed to the world by an unsympathetic Motor Cycle News. By the time a Greeves representative had arrived on the Island all of the machines had retired from the event. An unfortunate end for the team and factory which, had they been given more time to develop the motorcycles properly, would no doubt have produced a reliable and competitive machine.
The motorcycle offered is one of the six machines built and thus represents a significant piece of Greeves history. It is described as being in original, running order, except for a twelve volt conversion and is offered with original letters, photographs and documentary evidence confirming its provenance.