Page 3 - Sample pages "Kim: A Biography of M.G. Founder Cecil Kimber" by Jon Pressnell

MOTORCYCLING – AND A GRIM ACCIDENT
After two years working for his father, Cecil had saved the £18 he needed to buy his first motorcycle, a 1906 33⁄8hp single-speed belt-drive Rex. Within three weeks, according to his brother Vernon, Kimber had the bike in bits to see how it worked, and he discovered that he could save money by doing minor repairs himself. Joining the Warrington and District Motor Cycle Club, he went on runs into Wales with fellow members, gaining the confidence to cover longer distances on the bike – for example a run of 70 miles non-stop from Warrington to Colwyn Bay, as part of a day in which he covered 120 miles. He also made his
first foray into journalism when in 1908 he wrote an article for The Motor Cycle on his experiences.
In August 1909 Kimber traded up to a 1907 twin-cylinder Rex. He was soon tinkering with his new acquisition, improving its performance by such standard tricks as opening out the ports. His work proved its worth when he won a dawn race against a Warrington enthusiast’s Triumph. There is no evidence that he ever raced either motorcycle in formal competitions.
It was in 1910, when he was riding his future brother-in-law Billy Sutton’s Rex, that he had a serious accident. Sent on an errand by
Kimber’s membership card for the Warrington and District Motor Cycle Club; the group’s outings were an important part of his social life at the time.
29 Chapter One: Early Life
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