The last time a British made motorcycle won the SSDT was in 1969, when Greeves works rider Bill Wilkinson lifted the J R Alexander Trophy after a phenomenal week.
CDB was invited along in 2009 to have a look at what proved to be the Grande Finale of the British trials bike and we featured the SSDT winning machine in issue 11.
Speaking to Bill at that time he let on just how close a run thing it was for him even to be at the 1969 SSDT. In those pre-electronic ignition days, getting a little blue spark to appear at the end of the plug at the right time wasn’t always a certainty.
It seems the Greeves had a problem in the nine trials prior to the SSDT which Bill had entered. In one he even left the bike on the pick-up truck, kicked it over, revved it, it died and he simply went home.
Read more in the Summer 2019 issue of Classic Dirt Bike – on sale now!
