BIKES YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE: 1971 CHENEY-TRIUMPH T100C ISDT

After World War II, Eric Cheney went to work for the Archers of Aldershot dealership as a mechanic where he got the racing bug. Cheney became one Britain’s best riders, alongside his best mate Les Archer (who went on to become European champion). Eric had ten successful years on the Continental circuit before he contracted a serious infection while racing in Algeria that ended his racing career. Eric moved to designing and building motorcycle chassis and suspension systems.

With little formal training, Eric relied on his experience as an international scrambles racer in setting up his initial designs. Like many motorcycle designers of the era, he would draw the frame for a new motorcycle frame in chalk on the wall or floor of his workshop and then form the steel tubing using his chalk drawings as a guide. Eric was quoted as saying “I know when it’s right and it screams at me when it’s wrong.”

Although most famous for his scrambles and motocross designs, Eric stepped in to build a limited number of ISDT Cheney-Triumphs for the 1968 British Trophy Team. In 1970 and 1971 three 504cc Cheney-Triumphs were used by the British team in the ISDT, in which Cheney won the Manufacturer’s Trophy. His motocross designs were the last British built bikes to win a Grand Prix. Eric had a close relationship with BSA and after the demise of the BSA factory team in 1972, Cheney joined with former BSA factory rider John Banks to develop and campaign a highly successful BSA-powered Cheney motocross bike.

MXA’s featured Eric Cheney-built 500cc ISDT racer utilized a 498cc, air-cooled, OHV, parallel-twin, unit construction T100C engine. It features an alloy cylinder head, Lucas generator, points and coil ignition, Amal Monobloc carburetor, polished 2-into-1 under frame exhaust with polished silencer, a four-speed manual gearbox with a right side shift lever.

The Cheney-design nickel-plated frame is outfitted with an aluminum fuel tank, fenders and side panels, plus a black solo seat, Smiths Chronomatic speedometer, electric headlight and tail light, snail-cam chain adjuster, and steering damper. The telescopic front fork is mated to twin Girling shocks on the back. There is 5-inches of front wheel travel and – inches in the rear. The rear brake is a single-leading design and the hubs are conical.

Eric Cheney built the last British motorcycles to win both a World MX GP and British MX Championship, Eric passed away on December 30, 2001, at the age of 77.