The World’s Greatest Motorcycle Tour (Part 3)

25,000 miles round the world on B.S.A.s 

Continuing the story of the most spectacular and longest running promotion ever staged by a motorcycle manufacturer.

Part 3: The North Island, South America, Africa and home.

By Ashley Blair, New Zealand BSA Motorcycle Owners Club

During the run north from Wellington on 17 August 1927 the only scene to impress Castley and Cathrick was the view from the top of the Paekakariki Hill with, “rollers coming in to a beach like long, orderly ranks advancing to the attack”.  A well attended civic reception was given to the tourists at 3:30 pm in Palmerston North. The mayor, Mr A.J. Graham, welcomed the visitors on behalf of the people of Palmerston North and congratulated them on their grit, courage and determination, which, as with Englishmen of a past generation was a shining example of “men of the bulldog breed”. Cathrick, in his reply, said that they had come to the conclusion that there were only two countries in the world worthwhile spending a holiday in. The first was the Federated Malay States and the other was New Zealand, which they much preferred.  Castley expressed gratitude at the large crowd present and thanked all the motorists and motor cyclists who had meet them at Levin and brought them to Palmerston North. He also commented on the wonderful hospitality which had been shown them in the Dominion.

The Manawatu Motor Cycle Club, presided over by Mr H.E. Edwards, put on entertainment in the evening for the visitors and a large crowd. Castley and Cathrick gave details of the many humorous experiences on their tour. Various toasts were proposed and musical items concluded the evening. The next morning they set out early for Wanganui. They were met on the road by 40 motorcyclists and escorted to Adam’s Ltd where they had their earliest ever civic reception – before breakfast.  The mayor, Mr W. J. Rogers, congratulated the riders on their success and commented on the splendid workmanship of the English motor engineer.  Large numbers attended the evening lantern slide lecture where they once again related many of their “thrilling adventures”. Castley was a hit with the audience when he said that, “New Zealanders are the keenest motor cyclists in the world”. On Friday 19 August they left Wanganui at 8 am expecting to be in Hawera by 10:30 am, in Eltham at 12:00 noon, in Stratford at 1 pm and to arrive in New Plymouth at 3:30 pm.

On the way to New Plymouth they had only a single glimpse of Mount Egmont. Members of the New Plymouth Motor Cycle Club met the tourists at Inglewood and escorted them to the B.S.A. agent Messrs. Lightband and Wann’s garage in Devon Street where their machines were parked. The Mayor, Mr F. E. Wilson welcomed the visitors to the town. In the evening there was the usual talk at the agents followed by supper at Chequers Tea Rooms with members of the New Plymouth Motor Cycle Club.

Castley and Cathrick were up early next morning for a 6 am departure for Hamilton. They were accompanied for the last three days of the ride to Auckland through the King country and Waikato by Mr H.S. White of Skeates and White, the Auckland B.S.A. agents. Between Te Awamutu and Hamilton the tourists were joined by a “young lady motor-cyclist” riding a lightweight machine who took the lead of the piloting motorcycles for nearly 20 miles. She rode at a steady 40 mph and it was all that the 9hp heavy weight twins could do to keep up. Yet another civic reception followed the tourists’ 5 pm arrival at Hamilton on Saturday 20 August. They were entertained by the Hamilton Motor Cycle Club at a dinner in the Hamilton Hotel, the event being chaired by Mr S. Tisch, vice president of the Hamilton Motor Cycle Club. The mayor, Mr J.R. Frow said that it was always a pleasure to receive visitors from the Homeland. The visitors would be assured, he said, of a cordial reception where ever they went in New Zealand on the mission of sport, colonisation and commerce.  Cathrick, during his speech said,

“I won’t forget the week-end at Hamilton. We were met at Te Awamutu and led for the first time by a lady, who was very fast”.

A Voice, “Not literally?” (Laughter).

“No,” complained Cathrick, “I was not allowed to complete my sentence. I mean fast on a motor cycle”.

Following the speeches they gave their lecture at the showrooms of Mr A.O. Rice, the B.S.A. agent. The following day they visited Cambridge where they were entertained to dinner. They left Hamilton on Monday 22 and were given a public reception at Pukekohe. A large contingent of motorcyclists met the pair at the Great South Road and escorted them into Auckland.  Promptly at 3:30 pm the tourists arrived at the GPO Auckland with their escort led by a woman riding a motorcycle and sidecar. After having their photograph taken they gave their impressions of New Zealand roads saying that the last 20 miles into Auckland was the best they had been on since leaving England. They also commented that New Zealand roads were very changeable with every mile or so being different. There was a large crowd waiting for them when they arrived at Skeates and White, the Auckland B.S.A. agent. On Tuesday there was an official welcome at a luncheon put on by the Auckland Automobile Association. Over a year before the English Automobile Association had written to the Auckland AA indicating that Cathrick and Castley  would be arriving in Auckland on 26 August 1927. To be only four days out after a whole year on the road was quite a remarkable feat. 

Their lectures at Skeates and White on the evenings of 22 and 23 August were limited to 200 guests but loudspeakers were set up outside for those unable to get in. Cathrick and Castley again urged that New Zealand riders should travel to compete on the Isle of Man and promised to do everything possible to assist any riders who went to England for this purpose.  They had already met Alan Woodman, who went to the Isle of Man in 1910 but didn’t race after crashing badly in practice, and Hendrik Moller who raced a Norton there in 1926. They also met Percy Coleman, New Zealand’s foremost grass track racer and record holder.  Cathrick and Castley must have been persuasive because the very next New Zealand Autocycle Union conference discussed at length sending a New Zealand rider to the Isle of Man. The first Kiwi to be chosen by the NZAU to compete at the Isle of Man was there three years later in 1930. It was none other than Percy Coleman.

At 7:15 pm on Tuesday 23 they made a live broadcast from 1YA, the Auckland radio station. At 8 am on Wednesday 24 August they left for Rotorua and what was to be their strongest memory of the North Island, that of, “steam from a boiling lake shifting against the almost black shadow of pinewoods; dazzling sulphur deposits which sting the eyes with their white glare; a sullen sunken geyser rising and falling and bubbling below the mouth of its hole”.  It was Guide Rangi herself who showed he visitors these sights.

I have been unable to trace Cathrick and Castley’s movements for the next few days. The visitors remarked many times on their New Zealand leg that this was an ideal country for a holiday. The Taranaki Herald reported how charmed they were with New Zealand and that, “There was nothing they would like better than to go away with a gun and a fishing rod and have what would be the best holiday they could have”.  I suspect that a change to a later departure date gave them the opportunity to have their few days camping with rod and rifle far from civic receptions and the busy pencils of reporters.

On Tuesday 30August 1927 Cathrick and Castley returned to Christchurch. The following day they put on a special celebratory dinner at the United Service Hotel for F. N. Adams and his staff.  It was exactly a year since the pair had set out from London. They stayed on in Christchurch till they embarked on the 8,977 ton Rimutaka at Lyttleton. The ship went on to Wellington before leaving New Zealand on the morning of Tuesday 6September for Panama where they disembarked.

By 1928 the outfits were looking a little battered. Photo BSA Owners Club.

During the five weeks that Cathrick and Castley were in New Zealand they formed an impression of the country and New Zealanders that may seem astonishing today. Castley wrote that New Zealand was more civilised and advanced than was popularly believed back “Home”. Every middle class home, and that appeared to be the majority of homes, was fitted out with the latest labour saving devices which were seldom seen outside the Ideal Home Exhibition in England. They were amazed at the free education available to New Zealanders, at their fanatical regard for Britain and of their geographical knowledge of “Home”.  New Zealanders were seen to be just as hospitable, friendly and open as Australians but much more reserved.  They were favourably impressed with the enthusiasm of members of the motorcycle clubs in New Zealand which was second only to that of Britain. They were made honorary members of ten clubs in New Zealand.

The whole journey through New Zealand was backed by a masterful public relations exercise which ensured that in all major towns and cities and even in smaller centres there was a civic reception. The Otago Daily Times announced their arrival in Dunedin with the headline “ ‘Complete’ Advertisers. Motor Cyclists on Tour. A World-Wide Canvas”. One advertisement that was used in many newspapers throughout New Zealand featured a map of the world with a line tracing their track and superimposed with the words “Round the World on a B.S.A”. Below this was a border of the names of all the countries they had been through. Within these borders were the details of the local B.S.A. agency and when the tourists could be seen there.  Nelson was a notable exception with no B.S.A. advertising appearing in the Nelson Evening Mail, though Nalder and Biddle did put in an advertisement for New Hudsons during the visit. Other major sponsors made good use of the tour. Castrol used the standard “Round the World on a B.S.A.” but they also used advertisements headed “Round the World on Castrol” which included a personal endorsement of their products by Cathrick who said that, “Without doubt the mechanical efficiency of our engines depends on the right lubricant. Never have we experienced the slightest trouble, and I am convinced that Castrol is responsible for this happy state of affairs”. Dunlop used advertisements headed “Round the World on Dunlop Tyres”.  Many of the B.S.A. advertisements in New Zealand from late 1926 until 1928 referred to B.S.A.s as being Round the World motorcycles – even when the advertisement featured the entry level 250 c.c. models. These promotions would have contributed significantly to the statistic that 1,729 new B.S.A.s were registered in New Zealand from 1 January 1927 to 31 July 1929, more than any other motorcycle brand.

When Cathrick and Castley arrived in Valparaiso from Panama they tried to find first hand information about crossing the Andes. It seemed that apart from a very rudimentary track, the only viable route was along the railway and after a day’s discussion they were given a document authorising them to use the railway lines and requesting assistance from station-masters. The 250 mile trip to Mendoza took four and a half days with each sidecar chassis just clearing the tracks. The way was frequently blocked by rocks and the section from Rio Blanco to Juncal, just over ten miles in length, took them ten hours of toil. They were literally making their own road by filling in holes and washouts as well as shovelling away debris brought down by the spring melting of snow.  From then on snow completely blocked the “road” and the only way forward was along the railway line. Several times they had to move off the railway track to allow maintenance gangs and trains to pass. At the summit, 10,500 feet above sea level, there was a two mile tunnel. The station master gave permission for them to proceed after the last train had left, late in the afternoon.  There were sheets of ice inside the tunnel which sent them sliding into the ditches on either side of the track but even worse, they were nearly asphyxiated by their own exhaust fumes during their 45 minute ordeal. 

South African Police on BSA 4.93hp de Luxes lead the tourists into Pretoria. Photo BSA Owners Club.

After the two had set out on the crossing there was an anxious wait in Small Heath which lasted till the 24November when a telegram arrived with the good news. They had made the first known motorised crossing of the Andes. They crossed much of Argentina having to push start their machines because of broken kick starts and the used rope stirrups in place of broken footrests.

The original plan was to sail home after crossing South America but the B.S.A. dealers in South Africa did not want to miss out on a great publicity opportunity and put in such a strong case to Small Heath that South Africa and Rhodesia were added to the tour. As in all the other countries visited, crowds of B.S.A. riders met the tourists and escorted them into cities and towns.  Their half ton outfits were beginning to show increasing signs of the extreme punishment that they had been subjected to on the tour.  That they suffered broken chassis members, broken springs, stripped gear pinion, broken throttle and clutch cables, failing lighting system, seized bearings, broken petrol pipe, broken fork link spindles on this leg of the tour is not that surprising considering the state of the roads they travelled on

Back at Armoury Road and the cheers of the day shift, March 1928. Photo BSA Owners Club.

When Cathrick and Castley disembarked from the liner Walmer Castle at Southampton they were escorted to London by forty members of the London Motor Cycle Club. It was a rainy day in March 1928 when the tourists finally made it home to Small Heath, riding up Armoury Road to the head office of B.S.A. and amidst the cheers of the entire day shift that turned out to watch their triumphant arrival.

Cathrick and Castley’s Record on the BSA Round the World Tour

• Miles travelled by motorcycle: 25,000

• Number of countries visited: 25

• Months on the road: 19  

• Civic receptions attended: 58

• Lectures on the tour: Over 100

• Records: First to cross the Sinai Desert with sidecars, first motorized vehicles across the Andes

• Number of punctures: Uncounted

• Worst roads: Portugal

• Best roads: Java and the Malay States

• Prettiest girls: Cape Town

• Most beautiful women: Buenos Aires

• Finest drink for such a tour: Beer

• Most picturesque country: New Zealand

Special thanks for research assistance to:

• Annice Collett, Vintage Motor Cycle Club, UK.

• Doug Moncur and Margaret Avard, Australian National University.

• Gillian Tasker and staff, Alexander Heritage and Research Library, Wanganui.

• Glenis Needham, Hamilton City Libraries.

• Jane Skayman, Mortons Media Group Ltd.

• John Cochrane, New Zealand BSA Motorcycle Owners’ Club.

• Mike Gooch, Puke Ariki and District Libraries, New Plymouth.

• Papers Past, http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/,

• Robert Cochrane, New Zealand BSA Motorcycle Owners’ Club.

• Staff of National Library Reading Room, Wellington.

• Tony Rippin, South Canterbury Museum, NZ.

• Steve Foden, BSA Owners Club, UK.

I see this Tour as an important part of the history of BSA motorcycles and of motorcycling in New Zealand. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has information or memorabilia of Cathrick and Castley’s tour and their subsequent careers.