Geoff Monty

Monty in 1969 working on a Triumph cylinder head with a twin spark plug conversion using additional, centrally-located, smaller 10 mm plugs, mounted into a bench-vice via a tube screwed into one of the original 14 mm plug-threads

Geoff Monty was an English professional motorcycle racer, constructor, rider-sponsor and retail dealer,[1] initially based in Kingston on Thames and later – under the name Monty and Ward – Twickenham areas, near London,[2][3] with a move to Edenbridge, Kent by 1968.[1][4][5]

In the mid-1950s he produced and campaigned his own brand of racing motorcycle known as the "Geoff Monty Special" (GMS), based on his own design of semi-spine frame with rectangular-section swinging-arm and a 350 cc BSA Gold Star engine having modified internals to achieve a capacity slightly under 250 cc.[6]

In 1964 AMC announced their brands would be no longer produce any race machines – the 500 cc Manx Norton and Matchless G50 or the 350 cc AJS 7R.[7]

Monty, in conjunction with his business partner Allen Dudley-Ward, a renowned Triumph tuner and ex-racer,[8] recognised a business opportunity and developed a new machine initially named Monward, based on his proven GMS frame and swinging-arm, initially fitted with a 650 cc Triumph Bonneville engine which was used as a test-bed by then-contracted rider, Bill Ivy.[7][9]

The name Monward derived from their surnames Monty and Dudley-Ward. The concept was then further developed – as Monty had done with the BSA Gold Star engine – by reducing the 650 cc capacity to under 500 cc, retaining the standard bore of 71 mm but shortening the stroke to 62.5 mm, using a new crankshaft having a shortened throw made by sidecar racer Owen Greenwood[10] together with 10 mm shaved-off the standard cast-iron barrels.[11] Additionally, an option was to instead fit the contemporary Triumph production engine with a standard 500 cc capacity.[12] Both types of engine were tuned and built by Allen Dudley-Ward featuring his Manx Norton oil pump conversion.[7]

The now-oversquare modified engine used the 650 Bonneville twin-carb cylinder head having bigger valves, ports and carburettors than a standard Triumph 500, allowing for efficient air-fuel intake at racing speeds. The 650-size crank journals and main bearings were larger than a 500 which allowed for greater reliability.

When track-testing the 500, Motorcycle Mechanics editor John Houslander reported that the engine would safely rev to 9,000 rpm making a potential 50 bhp and – with Isle of Man gearing and a four-speed gearbox – a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h) was likely.[11]

Concurrent with Monty's Monward, Allen Dudley-Ward was developing his own 500 cc race bike, basically a Triumph-engined Manx Norton, which he called DW Special[13][14] leaving Monty's Monward renamed as Monard.[11]

By 1965, Bill Ivy had joined the Tom Kirby team,[15] leaving Monty as an early sponsor of Ray Pickrell, providing a 250 cc Bultaco, a 350 cc Aermacchi and his own brand-name Monard with a 500 cc Triumph engine.[16] Speaking to Motor Cycle's David Dixon in 1965, Monty confirmed difficulty in finding customers for a complete new racer at 500 GBP, but buyers seemed prepared to pay 400 to 450 GBP for a well-used proprietary Norton or AJS/Matchless factory-produced race bike.[17]

For 1966 Monty turned his attention to building a new Triumph-engined racer based on the then-new Metisse frame.[18][19][20][21] Monty also was a stockist of engineering bearings, offering a mail-order service.[22]

Monty died whilst a resident of Wadebridge, Cornwall during 2009, aged 92. He was pre-deceased by his wife Greta, whom he married in 1941, in 2005.[23][24][25][26]

  1. ^ a b Motorcycle Mechanics, October 1967, editorial p.3 Monty moves. "After years of trading from his famous store in Twickenham, tuner/entrant/dealer and special builder extraordinaire, Geoff Monty, has moved. His new address is 110 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent". Accessed 5 May 2014
  2. ^ Motor Cycle, 27 July 1967, p.1044 "From next Tuesday, the well known racing-machine enthusiasts, Monty and Ward, are moving...to Edenbridge. Allen Dudley-Ward is retaining his racing workshop at 42, Orchard Road, Kingston-on-Thames". Accessed 3 January 2014
  3. ^ Motor Cycle Special Equipment Review, June 1967 "Monty and Ward, 45–47 Hampton Road, Twickenham, Middlesex". Accessed 3 April 2014
  4. ^ Motor Cyclist Illustrated, May 1968, advert p.36 Geoff Monty and Dudley-Ward for all racing and sports machines. 110 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent. Accessed 8 April 2014
  5. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, October 1969, advert p.24. Monty and Ward (Motors). Go production machine racing. We can supply or prepare your machine for next season. Trident, Daytona, T120 Bonneville. 110 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent. Accessed 8 April 2014
  6. ^ Walker, Mick (2004). The BSA Gold Star. Redline Books. pp. 184–186. ISBN 978-0-9544357-3-8.
  7. ^ a b c Cycle World, April 1965 Monward Triumph Special by B.R. (Nick) Nicholls. Accessed 3 April 2014
  8. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, April 1965. p.44 Check your combustion, better balance by Ian Speller. "MM visited the workshops of Britain's leading engine tuner, Allen Dudley-Ward at Kingston on Thames, Surrey" Accessed 14 April 2014
  9. ^ Motor Cycle 24 September 1964, p.597 Hot Stuff at Silverstone. Bemsee staged a series of ten races, each over ten laps of the Grand Prix circuit...Bill Ivy (649 Monard) second place, 1000 cc second race". Accessed and added 30 June 2014
  10. ^ Motor Cycle Special Equipment Review, June 1967 Owen Greenwood Racing Developments, 29 Colby Drive, Thurmaston, Leicester. "Famous Mini three-wheeler racer Owen Greenwood offers an oil-pump conversion for the separate-engine Triumphs, installing twin AJS 7R gear pumps". Accessed 3 April 2014
  11. ^ a b c Motorcycle Mechanics, January 1966. p.49/51 Mighty Monard Track test. Accessed 31 March 2014
  12. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, June 1964. p.9 Full Chat by Bruce Cox. (image caption) "The Monard 500, built by Geoff Monty, using a Triumph Tiger 100 motor in a special light frame." Accessed 9 April 2014
  13. ^ Motor Cycle, 29 April 1965, p.560 DW Special – Norton Triumph 500cc racer feature. Accessed 4 April 2014
  14. ^ Motor Cycle 13 January 1966, p.43 David Dixon's Year. "My actual racing was restricted to three meetings. For two of them I tied up with Allen Dudley-Ward, giving his 498 cc Triumph-powered DW Special its baptism at Thruxton at Easter". Accessed 4 April 2014
  15. ^ Motor Cycle 13 January 1966, p.43 David Dixon's Year. "Undoubtedly my most enjoyable day out on racing-irons was right at the tail end of the season on a trio of Tom Kirby's Matchlesses. Although I had never ridden a G50 before I was able to lap Brands within 1.2 of Bill Ivy's time after he had shown me round for a dozen laps". Accessed 4 April 2014
  16. ^ Ray Pickrell obituary at the Telegraph May 2006 Retrieved 3 April 2014
  17. ^ Motor Cycle 1 April 1965, p.411 Racing Line by David Dixon. "Last year, Geoff Monty had hopes of making a batch of his Triumph-powered Monard specials using five-hundred or six-fifty units. Without specials to replace Nortons and others written off in pile-ups, the big machine classes will be sure to shrink". Accessed 18 April 2014
  18. ^ Motor Cycle 3 March 1966, p.272 "Race News. "The new Rickman frame, with engine oil carried in the tubes, has come through test beautifully at Brands Hatch.". Accessed 13 April 2014
  19. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, October 1966, p.194. Full Chat by John Day. "Monty's Metisse." Accessed 8 April 2014
  20. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, December 1966. Monty's Metisse. Accessed 4 April 2014
  21. ^ Motorcycle Mechanics, May 1969, advert p.24. Monty and Ward at the Brighton Show, Stand No.70, exhibits including: Our Metisse, 500 cc short-stroke motor, Gear type oil pumps fitted to Triumph engines, Quaife 5-speed gear clusters for 500 cc and 650 cc Triumphs. Accessed 10 April 2014
  22. ^ Motor Cycle 3 March 1966, p.18 advert Geoff Monty Bearing Supplies. "Every type of ball, roller and needle roller bearings suppiled. 24-hour C.O.D. service". Accessed 14 April 2014
  23. ^ The Gazette, Official Public Record, Deceased Estates Retrieved 31 March 2014
  24. ^ Geoff Monty Tribute by Tommy Robb Retrieved 31 March 2014
  25. ^ England and Wales marriages Retrieved 31 March 2014
  26. ^ England and Wales deaths Retrieved 31 March 2014