DAVE WEST

I OWN ONE

There is something about them that’s just a bit special. I can remember going to watch the bike racing as a kid and seeing the likes of Barry Sheene and Mick Grant flying round on two-strokes, behind a cloud of blue smoke; the sound and the smell is something that I’ll never forget. That’s where my love for this kind of bike started. I’ve got eight RGVs now, and I love every last one of them. I have been collecting them over the years and I know you can only ride one at a time but I’ve been watching them go up in value so as well as a hobby, I see it as a bit of a pension fund.

They have all been bought as projects, so I have spent as much time building them as I have riding them, but once set up properly they have been easier to take care of than most people would think. They’re not the most comfortable bike to ride, in town they can be a bit of a pain and motorways at 70mph is a nightmare, the things just want to keep speeding up and slowing down, but on track and on decent roads they are so much fun. They are light and nimble and dying to be revved. And whenever it’s parked up anywhere there’s always plenty of two-stroke enthusiasts who want to come and have a look.