Greetings, oh friendly admirers of old bikes
Hope you’ve had a pleasant month. The weather hasn’t been too bad, so hope you’ve been enticed into a quick whizz around the block, or a polishing session in the shed, at least. Here at Classic Bike Guide HQ, apart from wonderful winter walks (balancing on an old toilet to get through a ford while staying dry) and watching those breathtaking Norfolk sunsets, we’ve been promising ourselves to sell certain bikes, planning new projects before old projects have been finished, buying shiny things and planning the year by selecting shows and events we all long to enjoy.
Well, we failed on at least one of those. We found ourselves heading out of the county (sorry, only just) to get a new bike. A Tribsa, which had been owned by a dear friend, then previously owned by another dear friend. And this one is Maria’s. It’s an older build, a Thunderbird engine with a BSA A10 frame and gearbox. Most of it was right, parts of it could be improved and some adjustments were required to suit Madam’s stature, but she’s fallen for it straight away.
Back home and after an initial poke, prod, tut and smile, we changed the oil, pumped up the tyres and spent some time getting the seat to fit lower. Even after sitting for some time, the old pre-unit Triumph motor starts easily, and after a ride out with Butch, Maria’s smile on return could be seen from space!
“It gets up to 70 quite nicely” was not what I wanted to hear on their maiden soiree together…
The handlebars weren’t to taste so are being replaced by a lovely present from Neville – some great-looking Webco-style bars from Alex at Matchless engineering. But they won’t fit the BSA handlebar clamps, so I’ve had to raid my Honda stores for some. And it’s not even mine! I have been allowed a ride though, and I must say, though I try to tell myself that thumping singles and BMW boxers are my thing, very, very little beats a Triumph twin.
A close second is enjoying watch someone else discover the experience of old bikes. Maria has ridden bikes old and new for years, but this is her first old bike; complete with kickstart and rubbish brakes. Old bikes cost money, you need somewhere to keep it, will it be your cup of tea, do you possess the ability to see in the dark, the constant titivating, checking and modifying; it’s not for everyone, but it seems it is for Maria. After a ride on Saturday, we spent Sunday trying different styles of pipes to see which suited.
Elsewhere, Uncle John has been out on his Royal Enfield with a new screen to keep the winter chill out, Neville has sworn us to secrecy of his new project – but shhh – it’s a V-twin – and the BMW is coming on, which is good as I thrashed the ‘Pig’ to a meeting last week and now that offside pot is rattling even louder…
Hope your month has been as much fun but cheaper than ours, and here’s to a mild March to ease us in gently. Happy spannering, tinkering and polishing.