Words: Frank Carter & Trials Guru

Photos: Frank Carter private collection; Rochdale & District MC; Barnes Photos Ltd, Isle of Man.

Born in February 1937, Frank Charles Carter has devoted much of his life to motorcycle sport. A proud northerner, Frank served as Honorary Deputy Chairman of the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) from 2009 until 2018, having previously been a director of several companies associated with the promotion and administration of motorcycle sport through the ACU.

A lifelong member of Rochdale & District Motor Club, Frank has also been a strong supporter of the ACU Benevolent Fund, reflecting his long-standing commitment to the wider motorcycle community.

At Trials Guru, we are always keen to bring our readers the stories of those who have contributed to our sport not only through competition, but also by giving generously of their time, knowledge and enthusiasm behind the scenes. We are therefore delighted that Frank has agreed to share his story with us.

First Venture:

My first venture into motorcycling was the purchase of a 1930s 150cc New Imperial around 1953 for the princely sum of £5.00. It was a joint purchase by Colin and Roy Fielding, Gerald Sheridan and me from the owner living in Wardle, Greater Manchester and I remember we pushed it all the way home. I got permission from my dad to store it in the shed at the back of the garden at Binns Nook Road, Rochdale. I know we spent many hours in the shed stripping it down completely and after rebuilding the excitement of firing it up for the first time. The engine was completely devoid of any power, and you could very easily keep up with it on a bicycle. It had a hand gear-change on the side of the tank, which was very slow in operation, in fact whilst you changed gear the machine almost came to a halt.

One of the earliest problems was that the nut, which held the engine sprocket on the drive shaft used to come loose and drop off and we cured the problem by welding it on. We went on rides and I can well remember how we took our turn to ride the bike, with the other three following on their cycles. I think the furthest we ever traveled from home was up into the Pendle area, but the experience we received was second to none and a very enjoyable period.

More Adventures:

Eager to move into something a little more adventurous and up to date I tackled my dad about the joint purchase of a mini-motor which I could fasten onto the back of my bicycle and he could use for work and I could use for pleasure. It took a bit of time to get the interest going but finally he accepted provided we got a more suitable bicycle. So my lightweight cycle complete with cable brakes, dropped handlebars and derailleur gears had to go and a new ‘sit up and beg’ cycle was purchased. This had a steel frame and mudguards, Sturmey Archer geared hub and stronger wheels, but it was fit for purpose. I can’t remember where we purchased the cycle or the mini-motor from, but it was another step towards having a motor cycle.

The engine size was a mere 25cc and drove the cycle along through a drive wheel which was a friction drive pressing onto the rear wheel, the whole unit being fasten to the seat stem and mounted on stays above the rear wheel and a handlebar lever applied the pressure from the engine drive wheel to the cycle wheel. If we had lived in a dry climate I think that the success of mini-motors would have lasted far longer, but the costly wear and tear on tyres and lack of drive in wet weather eventually led to their downfall.

Excelsior:

Not to be deterred my next stage resulted in the purchase of an Excelsior 250cc two-stroke motor cycle which I purchased from a second-hand dealer in Ardwick, Manchester around 1955. This proved to be an excellent purchase and a bike I always enjoyed even though the rear suspension bushes were subject to excessive wear. They had a long history of competing in the TT and the bike reflected the experience they had gained from that. It was very much set up for use on the public highway, but was pretty useless off road.

James:

With thoughts very much channelled on rallies I decided to buy something more suited to the mix of secondary tarmac roads and off road lanes. The next purchase was a James 200 and this was just right for what I wanted at that time. It was good to handle off road and proved to be a very competitive machine. We used to go for rides, Colin, Roy, Gerald and me, on the byways and I used it on a number of occasions to ride in Rossendale club rallies.

At about the same time Gerald Sheridan also bought a James with an AMC 250 engine. It was a bigger looking machine with a good saddle and good on longer hauls. In 1956 we decided to entry the ACU National Rally and choose to use Gerald’s bike as the best for the purpose. That said I still remember in the early hours of Sunday morning during a spell of being passenger, standing up on the footrests for quite a long number of miles to relax my sore bottom.

We also rode in the Morecambe Rally, using my James, but after coming off the bike in the dark after skidding on cow pats, in which I suffered mild concussion, we lost our way and were forced to retire.

Devoid Of Trouble:

About this time my interest was moving towards trials and in early 1957 I exchanged the James for what I thought was a DOT trials bike. I remember turning up for my first competitive ride at the Liverpool Imp. Novex Trial, at Parbold, West Lancashire and someone said to me that I had the wrong tyres on my machine. It soon became apparent to me when I looked at other DOTs that my machine was different in many ways and the gist of it was that it was in fact a scrambles machine equipped for road use. They allowed me too complete the trial, my performance was certainly not a threat to any other riders.

I had bought the bike from Warburton’s at Hazel Grove, Stockport, and I was soon back to them to say they had sold me a scrambler not a trials bike. They put me in touch with John Roberts, who worked for them and who had a works-sponsored DOT which he was selling. Between the two they agreed to exchange the bikes without any money changing hands.

Competition:

The first competitive Motor cycle event I rode in was the 1956 ACU National Rally. It was a joint entry of Gerald Sheridan and me, and we travelled a total distance of over 800 miles from the start at Wednesbury, Birmingham to the finish at Morecambe in twenty-four hours, on a 250cc James.

In 1955, I became a member of the Rossendale Motor Club and competed in Motor Cycle Rallies, but in 1957 I decided I wanted to become involved in motorcycle trials as well, and I became a member of the Rochdale & District Motor Club. It was in that year that the club had taken on the task of providing the course for the North Western Centre National Red Rose Trial. As the Clerk of the Course was a near neighbour, I found myself involved at an early stage in the organisation of the event. I worked with him as he developed the event and for the trial I was appointed the Section Leader for the sections at Robin Bank and Hallfold in Whitworth.

At the AGM of that year I was elected a member of the committee for 1958 and this signified the start of a long involvement with the club. In 1959 I was voted the ‘Clubman of the year’ and I was appointed the club representative to the Rochdale Sports Council. I was responsible for the club taking an active role in the Rochdale Sports Festival for a number of years. I was voted to the position of Trials Secretary and obtained the permission of Landowners and Local Councils for the use of land for our trials events for many years. I was Clerk of the Course for the National Red Rose Trial, which was initially only concerned with providing the course, but I negotiated with the NW Centre for our club to take full control of the event. Within a very few years the event was to become a British Championship and this position remained with the club for many years. It was this involvement, which over the years had seen me hold the positions of Club Secretary, Chairman and President, the position I still hold. I was also made a Life Member of the Club in recognition of the work I have done for the club over many years.

ACU:

At a very early stage I attended the North Western Centre ACU Board Meetings as the club’s delegate and in 1960 I was voted to the position of the Centre Trials Secretary. This was a position I held until the 1970s when it was decided to decentralise all the centre events to the clubs. This was the final result of the work I started with the Red Rose Trial. In 1995 and again in 1997 on behalf of the centre, I organised the British rounds of the World Trials Championship and secured the use of Hoghton Tower, Blackburn, events that won acclaim as the best ever held in Britain. I eventually was voted to the position of Chairman of the Centre, a position I held for over twenty years before being voted the position of President. Because of my election in 2002 as a Director of the Auto-Cycle Union, the Internationally recognised Governing Body of Motor Cycle Sport for Great Britain, I retired from my position as President of the Centre whereupon I was made an Honorary Life Member of the Centre. Regardless, I still attend the centre management meeting and take an active roll in centre affairs.

In 1975 I was appointed to be a delegate to the National Council of the Auto-Cycle Union, a position I treated with full importance and in 1978, I was voted on to the ACU Trials and Rallies Committee. This was subsequently changed to Trials and Enduros Committee and in 1984, I was elected Chairman of that committee, a position I held until my retirement at the end of 2001. During my time as the Chairman, I attended many Federation Internationale Motocyclisme (FIM), World Championship Trials and Enduro events throughout Europe as the appointed jury delegate of the Auto Cycle Union, and the oldest established off road world event, The International Six Days Enduro, an event regarded as the Olympics of Motorcycle sport, in the capacity of jury delegate in France and Australia.

2002 saw me elected to serve as a Director of the ACU Ltd and a year later appointed as the Deputy Chairman, again a position I held until my retirement in 2009 as required by the age regulations. It was a great privilege to be appointed to the ACU Board and approved by the National Council as the first ever Honorary Deputy Chairman, and still attended the majority of Board meetings and National Council meetings.

Having started as a rider and in a very short time developed my love of motorcycle sport, I have always had a firm affection for the first event I ever competed in way back in 1956. That event was the ACU National Road Rally, an event that at its height annually drew anything up to 1,200 riders and even today attracts a minimum of 600. I went on to join the organising committee in 1980 becoming its chairman until I retired at the end of 2011 after holding the position for twenty-five years.

Trials Guru: “It is without doubt that Frank Carter is not only a life-long enthusiast but also – Dedicated to the Sport and Dedicated To Trial!”

‘Frank Carter – The Trials Life’ is copyright of Frank C. Carter and Trials Guru

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