Riding the 1911 Isle of Man Junior TT-winning Humber 350 | Humble Beginnings

What difference does a century’s worth of engineering technology make when racing at the Isle of Man TT? Consider the following: Just over 100 years ago, on June 30th, 1911, the first motorcycle race was held on the IoM’s now-infamous Mountain Course. Rider Percy J. Evans won that event aboard a 339cc Humber V-twin. Evans set the first Junior TT lap record on his second of four laps, dispatching the 37.5-mile distance in 53 minutes and 34 seconds at an average speed of 42 mph. Compare that to the current Junior TT lap record of 17:42 at 127.836 mph, set by Michael Dunlop on his Honda CBR600RR in 2010, on essentially the same race course. In this case, almost 36 minutes and nearly 86 mph is what 100 years of development is worth!

Humber & Co. was a pioneering British motorcycle manufacturer. Thomas Humber began producing bicycles in 1868, and in 1896 the Coventry-based firm debuted what is recognized as the first practical motorcycle built in Great Britain, powered by a 2-horsepower Pennington engine. The company expanded into automobile production in 1901, and continued to build bicycles and motorcycles until ’05, when a disagreement with engine supplier P&M; caused them to temporarily discontinue motorcycle production. That resumed in ’09 with an innovative, 2¾-horsepower machine powered by Humber’s own Pennington-designed engine.

The Humber TT racer shown here is based on that machine. Though it looks almost laughably crude today, the Humber was very sophisticated for its time. The side-valve, 50-degree V-twin is a desaxé format with the air-cooled cylinders offset slightly from the crank centerline to reduce power-robbing friction losses—just like the new Kawasaki ZX-10R. The 60 x 60mm "square" engine was also avant garde when everyone else used a long-stroke layout to produce torque.

Built on what is essentially a glorified bicycle frame, the diminutive Humber is exceptionally light at just 125 lbs. This helped it climb hills better than its heavier rivals, which was invaluable in 1911 when motorcycle racers were required to complete the grueling 8-mile, 1400-foot climb up Snaefell Mountain for the first time. Another advantage was its geared rear hub. More than one third of the entrants in the 1911 TT were single-speed machines, whereas the Humber let its rider select between three ratios using an admittedly complicated foot-clutch/hand-shift setup.

I had a chance to experience this machine first-hand courtesy of Sammy Miller. The example in question is owned by Ken Blake, and is on semi-permanent loan at Miller’s motorcycle museum in New Milton, Hampshire, UK. Blake discovered the bike languishing uncovered in a garden shed on the Island in 1990. An elderly woman’s father had acquired the bike directly from the Humber team after the 1911 TT, but because the numberplates were long gone and no Humber records survived, it’s impossible to know which of the six 1911 TT racers it is. The only sure thing is that it’s the only known surviving example, making it a one-in-six possibility that it’s Evan’s race-winner.

Riding the Humber isn’t exactly a point-and-shoot proposition. The sheer number of unfamiliar controls and procedures require as much (or more!) focus and concentration than riding a modern superbike. Just starting the engine is a chore. First, prime the float in the AMAC carb, then open the muffler’s cutout flap (for urban cruising), release the decompression lever on the left bar, advance the timing of the gear-driven Ruthardt magneto using another lever on the left bar, then finally bump-start it at a walking pace. Return to neutral (located between second and third gear) and allow the bike to warm up a bit, adjusting the idle via a throttle lever on the right bar.

Once the Humber is humming, it’s time to set it in motion. First, select the bottom gear by pushing all the way forward on the lever at the left side of the fuel tank. With the gear engaged, kick the rocker pedal at the right footrest rearward to disengage the clutch and achieve forward motion. There’s no provision for slipping the clutch, so departing from a standstill is rather abrupt. This must be where the expression “kick it into gear” came from. Then, gradually open the throttle lever to accelerate. Push forward to go faster and pull backwards to slow down—hence the expression, “throttle back.”

Oh, and don’t forget to adjust the air-mixture lever—the shorter of the two mounted on the right handlebar—after the engine has warmed up. And you absolutely cannot forget to work the oil pump on top of the circular oil tank. This must be done periodically to keep the engine’s big ends fully primed—remember, the piston rings are only splash-oiled! Four drops per minute is best, Miller says, but you should check the exhaust from time to time. If it starts throwing off too much smoke, just back off the oil flow…

First gear is so low it’s really just for getting off the mark, so soon it’s time to hit second. Throttle back, push the foot clutch down to horizontal, pull the gear lever toward you and kick the clutch back—all a bit smoother now that you’re moving. The convoluted gear-change process means you’ll want to think twice—even three times—before shifting. Fortunately the Humber’s torquey V-twin is so flexible that it’ll pull from very low revs in top gear, and you can hold second for long periods before changing up.

Stopping the Humber is hardly less complicated. It seems like it should be easy: Just squeeze the right-hand brake lever to pull the stirrup brake upward against the front rim, while simultaneously stomping on the right foot pedal to work the rear friction-pad rim brake. These measures are wholly inadequate, however, and barely more effective than dragging your feet on the ground. Downshifting is no good, either—by the time you’ve completed that convoluted process, you’ll have run into whatever you were slowing to avoid! Here the valve-lifter is your best friend in trimming off speed, though stopping the Humber requires a new degree of skill in anticipating circumstances and judging braking distances.

The Humber handled quite well on the smooth pavement surrounding Miller's museum, considering the rigid rear end and primitively sprung, utterly undamped Druid girder fork. The sturdy leather Brooks saddle, aided by high-volume Ensign tires, iron out at least minor surface imperfections, though I can't imagine they did much on the rutted dirt race course a century ago. The Humber's low build and short, 54-inch wheelbase help it steer pretty well, flicking easily from side to side through an S-bend at Circuit de Miller, but the up-angled saddle crushes your crown jewels when you assume the racing posture that Evans and his teammates adopted a century ago.

So many things we do on auto-pilot today are an adventure on the little Humber. Motorcycles have certainly come a long way in the past 100 years, but by the standards of the day this Humber was a total package—which is why it dominated the 1911 Junior TT so completely. Forget those pedal-powered contraptions invented in Northern California in the late ’70s—this was the first true Mountain bike!

Humming Along
Humber Riders Ruled the Very First Junior TT

In addition to the premier five-lap Senior TT dominated by Indian-mounted racers (see Icon, page 18), the 1911 Isle of Man TT also featured for the first time a four-lap Junior TT for bikes measuring less than 340cc. Not only did a Humber win that race, Humber riders filled six of the top-18 places—establishing the lightweight, sophisticated British V-twin as one of the most capable and reliable motorcycles available at that time.

Motorcycles had competed in previous Tourist Trophy races on the shorter, flatter, 15.84-mile St. John’s course. Beginning in 1911, however, the event’s Auto-Cycle Union organizers decided the TT should represent an even greater challenge to man and machine, and required motorcycles to compete on the punishing, 37.5-mile Mountain Course. That circuit closely resembled today’s paved 37.73-mile lap, with the only difference a shorter run-up to what must have been a terrifying plunge down Bray Hill on those veteran boneshakers with their primitive brakes!

The white-shirted Humber riders ruled the proceedings that day, led by Birmingham motorcycle dealer Percy J. Evans (pictured here), who covered the 149.6-mile distance in 3:37:7 at an average speed of 41.45 mph. Fellow Humber riders followed in fourth, eighth, ninth, 14th and 18th places (of the 21 finishers)—a 100 percent finishing record for the marque’s then-brand-new, 2¾-hp 50-degree V-twin, proving beyond any doubt its durability and reliability on the brutal Mountain Course.

Tech Spec

Evolution
A Humber bicycle with a 2 3/4-hp, 339cc V-twin clipped on.
Rivals
Bicycles, horses, Ford Model T
Tech

**A brakeless, bone-shaking deathtrap! **