Riding back in time
Relphy goes for a last-minute dash before lockdown two
I don’t need to be asked twice by a mate to go out for a ride, especially if it involves riding the Z H2. We were between the two lockdowns and my mate Andy and I were having chat in the pub about bikes as investments, Andy had decided money in the bank was doing nothing, whereas motorcycles that had already hit rock bottom were only going to go back up again. Over the past few weeks Andy had sent me links to websites with bikes for sale, after a lot of no, no, no, we finally got to a yes! It was a 1957 Triumph Tiger 110. Up for about the right money and looked nicely standard, and the best bit, the man selling it was an old friend of mine, Ian Hatton, who runs Verralls Motorcycles down at Handcross in West Sussex.
The plan was set: We were going down to view the bike, riding from Lincolnshire, a 300-mile round trip. It was all sounding great until the day before when the forecast changed, the temperature dipped, rain was almost guaranteed. This could suck some of the fun out of the ride. Now my addition of the heated grips made sense after all the hot weather we had enjoyed. The time had come to set off and the Kawasaki dash was indicating it was only 7 degrees, while the sky was indicating it was going to piss it down.
With warm hands and tucked in behind the screen, well, as much as I could be, bearing in mind it’s literally a fly screen and I’m no flyweight – and the Z H2 was proving a good mile muncher.
Part of the route took in the M25, not my favourite road, but needs must. With so many speed restrictions and 200 horses on tap from the supercharged engine, it is very easy to find the speed creeping up, so I deployed the cruise control to help keep my licence intact. The Kawasaki system holds your set speed until you cancel it, brake or twist the throttle. It’s a helpful addition on such a powerful bike.
After 130 miles it was onto the more enjoyable B-roads, and a search for a petrol station as my fuel light had come on. I had forgotten how stressful it can become trying to find fuel on a bike that is on the thirsty side (retuning less than the average 37.1mpg today due to overexuberance), while having only a 19-litre tank. I managed to find one and fill up with only a litre to spare. Arriving at Verralls (www. verralls.com), we were ready for a well-earned cup of tea while having a look around this Aladdin’s cave of veteran, vintage, post-vintage and post-war motorcycles. As we looked round the show room containing 40 or more bikes dating back to as early as 1907, it was easy to see how motorcycles evolved over the years. The Tiger 110 that we had come all this way to see was an absolute peach, so it wasn’t long before Andy was parting with his cash. With the day being eaten up looking at bikes and discussing their finer points, it was time for the return journey, and this time I had already planned a fuel stop at Duxford, just off the M11, to take the anxiety out and allow myself to enjoy the ride back.