A Triumph of a test ride

I live close to the M6 in Coventry, and back in the early 1970s – I cannot remember the exact year – I and my great friend, Peter, were working in my lean-to garage, working on our grasstrack bikes, when this guy dressed in motorcycle gear popped his head round the door and asked: “Have you any petrol, as I am on the hard shoulder of the M6?”

He’d run out of fuel, climbed up the embankment, came to my house, and because there was a motorbike belonging to Peter parked in the drive, he knew he would get a pleasant reception.

“Yes, we have got a can of petrol you can have!” Off he went, back down the embankment, can in hand. He filled his bike then returned the empty can and thanked us very much. We didn’t accept any payment as a fellow motorcyclist wanted help.

Then he said these magic works “I’m a works test rider for Triumph and I’m on their new three cylinder model... do you two want a ride on it?” We both looked at one another, and swiftly said: “Yes please!” True to his word, half an hour later he came back. I was the first to have a ride, just up the lane and back, that’s two miles each way. Peter then had a ride, we both commented that’s the fastest we’ve ever been on a road bike, but for two young men, Peter was only 20, that was great. Oh yes, we opened the throttle and went faster than we should!