Hi,
I have been looking through hundreds of photos in the massive archive at the Beaulieu Motor Museum (available on line), and was truly astounded to see that as early as 1923, repeat 1923, four out of five Scotts competing in the Isle-of-Man Senior TT, were fitted with clear windscreens, presumably made out of Celluloid.
The bikes ridden by S.A.Dale, J.A.Watson-Bourne, Stanley Woods, and Howard Riddell, had screens, but the one ridden by H. Mylchreest was not fitted with one.
This was very avant-garde, and years before George Brough started fitting them on his SS 100’s, whilst other makers seem to have fitted wire-mesh ‘fly screens’, even well into the postwar years, on their racing machines.
The last Scott TT machine that I can find fitted with a clear windscreen is Oliver Langton’s 1929 Senior TT mount, (race number 6 ).
Perspex wasn’t invented until 1928, and not marketed until 1932/33, so I am ruling that material out and plumping for celluloid.
Is anyone out there aware of racing motorcycles fitted with windscreens before 1923 ? Is this another Scott ‘first’ ? Why haven’t we seen this mentioned in Scott histories before?—or have I just missed seeing it ?
Brian Marshall