30 Oct Two Wheelin’: In-house biker brigade

JP du Plessis introduces a highly qualified new member to the museum’s motorcycle workshop who has already stirred up an in-house biker brigade….

To some in the classic motorcycle fraternity in Cape Town, Casey Wolters needs no introduction. Having raced his Yamaha RD350 two-stroke around Killarney for many years, he still also enjoys tinkering with any vintage, classic or just a plain old “help-my-trap” (moped). Once a week he now joins the FMM workshop team to help take care of the museum’s old motorcycles and impart at least some of his knowledge to the willing and able younger generation of technicians.

Casey hails from the Netherlands, his father having been an engineer in the Research and Development Department at the Motorreijwielfabriek Kaptein, known for the famous moped, the Mobylette. His father then moved the family to Cape Town to lead operations at the local distributor for another moped manufacturer, VéloSoleX.

Along with Wenstley, who has shown much interest in looking after the motorcycle side of the FMM workshop activity, Casey has tackled a few projects in his first five weeks with us. These include a Vespa Ape delivery scooter engine refresh while it awaits fresh coachwork, the yearly service and running of the Serpent Sprint pocket bike, some crucial maintenance items on the Suzuki AS50, and a start-up of the Velocette Valiant 200cc.

While Wenstley has been earmarked for filling the huge void left by former curator Wayne Harley and his work on motorcycles at FMM, others in the team have also shown an interest in motorcycles and listen with a keen ear to the two-wheeled wisdom that is now shared by the Dutch Druid…