WHAT DO WE THINK OF IT SO FAR …?
A leather-clad blonde in tight jeans and biker boots, with crash helmet in one hand and the other thumbing a lift… but will she get on a scooter?
Next time you complain about your insurance renewal, ring the broker and tell them you’re a motorcycle journalist. Sadly insurers believe that our mission to break things on your behalf extends to all aspects of our riding. Ironically I spend more time carefully riding scooters that are priceless to their owners than thrashing disposable ‘press fleet’ machines. Why do I mention this? Because this particular TG belongs to Graham Kerr and he was expecting to take delivery of it the day after my test ride. That, combined with fresh tyres, a ‘bracing’ sea breeze and greasy roads meant that this was one of the gentler test rides I’ve conducted. Fortunately that doesn’t mean I was unable to get a feel for the improvements, far from it! Having previously entered the world of autos a few years ago with a secondgeneration GTS, I’ve since progressed to a HPE300 and it’s only a couple of months since I took Royal Alloy’s TG and GP300 for a spin. I can truthfully say that none of them hold a candle to PM’s efforts.
All the right notes
The only visible difference to standard is the exhaust, which burbles away surprisingly gently on tickover. Crack open the throttle and it’s a different matter. I’m not a big fan of loud four-stroke pipes, most of them just sound like a gasket’s blown. This pipe, though, is an exception, it’s certainly not quiet… but the tone is good and without too much effort it’s possible to induce a supercar style ‘crack’. From the outset it’s obvious that the motor is breathing more easily, throttle response being both smooth and instant. It certainly upstaged a spotty youth in his lowered Golf who wanted to play games at a set of seafront lights. Having attracted the attention of a parked patrol car it was time to move on to Morecambe’s back streets and see how the TG handled around town. I’m fortunate enough to have ridden plenty of large-capacity engines and while they’re all fantastically long legged, many of them are awful to live with, particularly at low speeds. However the TG was quite happy to potter around town. A peculiarity of fourstroke autos is that there’s no need to ‘wind the motor up’; peak power is made almost instantly. This translates into a very strong engine and although I’d be happy nipping to the shops on this behemoth, this engine deserves an open road.
Wahey!
Heading out of town I cracked open the throttle the moment I found a clear piece of road. In an instant the speedo was reading 73mph. Although Paul had warned me that the TG moved quickly, the pace at which it accelerated was a genuine surprise. It would only take a quick pull on the bars to send the front end skywards. On his dyno the standard TG took 18.1 seconds to reach 78mph, whereas the tuned version took less than half that time… just 7.6 seconds to be precise! The time from 10mph up to 60mph was also impressive, just 4.3 rather than 6.47 seconds. In perspective it’ll take something like the four-litre V8 motor of Aston Martin’s current DBX model to match this TG away from the lights. The dyno has also taken the TG to a theoretical 85mph without any problems. If two-stroke street racers want to avoid embarrassment they’d be wise to memorise this TG’s registration number.
You can say that again
With power comes responsibility and it’s not unreasonable to ask what effect this boost has on the TG’s braking and suspension, in all honesty I’d say very little. But should you wish to stop faster, PM already has an oversize brake kit available. There’s no doubt that the TG is good fun to ride, it’s no slouch in standard form but this conversion has taken it to an entirely different level. It may be the first RA to pass 30bhp but I doubt it will be the last.
n perspective it ll take something like the four-litre V8 motor of Aston Martin’s current DBX model to match this TG away from the lights. The dyno has also taken the TG to a theoretical 85mph without any problems. If twostroke street racers want to avoid embarrassment they’d be wise to memorise this TG’s re i ion numbe
They can’t touch you for it
I understand that there are some scooterists who are opposed to autos on principle and I respect that, but maintaining a logical argument against them just got a whole lot harder. There wasn't much sunshine on the test ride but I can say with conviction that this TG can put a smile on anyone's face.
It was Easter 1965 just a year after the infamous Mods and Rockers invasion of Brighton. Our particular group of scooterists was a mixture of Lambretta owners ranging from 125s… right up to a GT200. Geoff was the only member of the Belmont Boys to wear a crash helmet, as it was a condition of his parents guaranteeing his HP agreement. Nevertheless, his initials (GT) were emblazoned on his helmet, most apt! However, what we as a group did have in common was that we all wore parkas. Come Easter Sunday and a dozen of us met at Belmont Circle, members coming from Harrow and surrounding areas. Various girls would hitch a lift to the coast with us, if they could find a scooter without a girlfriend pillion passenger. Though, often, they would find alternative transport home, their choice! So off we went via the North and South Circular Roads, picking up the A23 at Streatham. After various stops along the way, we approached the outskirts of Brighton… only to find a police blockade taking us into a lay-by. Scooters and licences were checked followed by the verbal statement: “Sorry lads… Brighton is full, best you go home.” We couldn't believe that we'd got so close, only to be turned around. But… that man Geoff came to our rescue with a road atlas in his toolbox; it was a bit torn and crumpled but good enough to get us into Brighton via Shoreham… crafty little Geoff. Predictably, though, who did we meet along the way? Yup, some of the same police officers from the previous road block, just as we parked up on Madeira Drive. A wry smile emerged from one of the bobbies: “Not as thick as you look” was one of the comments followed by “Enjoy yourselves… but no trouble.” The day passed in a happy blur, mostly spent admiring the many scooters along Brighton seafront. Surprisingly, I can't remember seeing any motorbikes, but I can remember we all drove up to Seven Sisters Cliffs and had a group photograph taken. Sadly my copies have all been lost through marriage, mortgages, children and time. We eventually set off home in our group, blasting our air horns as we left the seaside. My girl looking for a free lift home hadn't turned up at the agreed rendezvous point so I was a solo rider again… such is life. What did I say about no motorbikes? Well they found us as we were leaving the Withdean area of Brighton. In a state of panic, I'm sure Quadrophenia was written from our experience; we split up, quickly taking sharp lefts and fast rights until we were completely lost in the back roads. Eventually finding the A23, I was now a lone rider. I saw plenty of scooters but no one from the Belmont Boys, then it began to rain, and the parka was getting heavier by the minute. Approaching Crawley and what did I see but a leather-clad blonde, wearing tight jeans and biker boots, with a crash helmet in one hand and the other thumbing a lift. I slowed my TV175 and stopped a few yards in front of her. “I don't believe it,” was the first thing she said. “Do you think I'm getting on that?” she enquired. I replied: “Well it's raining and if you're desperate I'm game.” A brief moment of hesitation ensued, before her bum was parked neatly on my scooter saddle. She told me she lived in Brixton and had an argument with her boyfriend who dropped her at the side of the road and had ridden off. So there we were… a scooter, a Mod, a Rocker, cruising pleasantly along at 55mph on the A23, Sunday, April 18, 1965. As Brixton neared I was asked to pull over and let her walk the rest of the way. She said “Sorry, but I would never live it down if any of my mates saw me on a scooter.” With that she kissed me on the cheek and said goodbye. My scooter mates wouldn't believe me; if only they had mobile phones back then I would have taken a ‘selfie' to prove it! Happy days.
I slowed my TV175 and stopped a few yards in front of her. “I don’t believe it,” was the first thing she said. “Do you think I’m getting on that?” she enquired.