History from Geoff Lumley

"Dick" Ray Barton and I used to work in Blaskeys Wallpaper shop in Belvoir St. He had a BSA A7 I think. He talked about starting a club as a number of us used to go for rides out at the weekends. A group of us met at a pub on the A46 including Rob Burgess, Dick and myself and I think Mick Sharpe. Dick became the President or Chairman, Rob the secretary and I took on treasurer.

Army Game

The club was named The Leicester Phoenix Touring Motorcycle Club. We wanted to attract families as well hence the touring bit. I designed a badge which was circular with a white phoenix on a pale blue background with the name of the club in a border around the edge. Dick had this made up in plastic.

We used to meet in an upstairs room of a pub across the road from the Magazine. We used to have quiz nights, film shows of motorcycling events, noggin and natter and dutch auctions. The pub always laid on a small buffet which we chipped in for.

L.E. Velocette is 1970 and one of the last batch of 25 made for the Met Police before Velocette went into voluntary liquidation.

We used to go on runs all over the place and regularly had wives kids and girlfriends along. One family always came on a Sunbeam outfit.

1962 Velocette Viper

Rob Burgess and I went to school together. He was head boy of Charnwood School and I was deputy. We were great pals but I have not seen or heard fom him for many years. I was told that he had moved to New Zealand.

Start of quotation I give it full marks for memory but would also add that the name phoenix was chosen because the club was formed from the ashes of a previous club.

The Fosse Riders was a breakaway from the Triumph Owners because a lot of members were not now riding Triumphs. The committee members of the Fosse Riders (of which I was one) were trying to turn the Fosse Riders into more of a sporting club, not a touring club as was intended. A few of us were sitting in the Gate Hangs Well pub bemoaning this when we came up with the idea of starting a touring club and the rest is history ... End of quotation

- Ray Barton