On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:14:42 +0100, alan@darkroom.+.com (A.Lee) wrote:

>Ace  wrote:
>> On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:30:00 -0700 (PDT), "TOG@Toil"
>>  wrote:
>> >On 12 Aug, 13:19, Ace  wrote:
>
>> >> Indeed. And in 1975 they were actually being manufactured, under the
>> >> Silk brand, at Darley Abbey in Derby. They were basically a Scott
>> >> water-cooled 2-t twin in a modern rolling chassis. Lusted after a
>> >> 700s, I did, although they were only ever really rich-man's toys,
>> >> AFAICR.
>> >>
>> >They were. I lusted after a 700S as well. I think George Silk stopped
>> >making them around 1978.
>> 
>> Perhaps a little later, IIRC. Fairly sure they were still going well
>> into the eighties, although perhaps not producing new bikes as such.
>
>Yes, around 1987, I was working in a foundry that made some of the
>engine castings.
>Then around 93, I worked there again, and they were throwing out the
>patterns as there hadnt been an order for years, and the phone number
>they had was dead. I told the boss to save them, as they may be
>worthwhile for future use, but I dont think he was too bothered.
>That surprised me as they were classic car enthusiasts and had made
>numerous unobtainable parts in their foundry.

George was probably busy designing on-site machining equipment for a
company called Furmanite at that time but his ego meant that he
insisted everything he designed was called a Silk followed by whatever
the model designation was. The real problem appeared when he left to
set up his own company making basically the same machines and
Furmanite stopped him calling them Silk  so everything his new company
makes is branded as Mirage.