IT’S MY BIKE: Paul Tinkler

“I’d been off bikes from 1981 until 2015 when I bought this RD400. It had been found by the previous owner in pieces in an old church. Originally it had been registered in the Isle of Man and when the guy who’d found tried to register in the UK the DVLA told him he’d have to pay import duty on it! He didn’t and it still wears the UK reg the DVLA issued after much hassle. It had good paint and okay chrome and only needed some TLC. In 2016 it holed a piston because the inspection screw used to align the carb slides went AWOL so the bike ran mega lean. We rebuilt the top-end and cleaned the carbs to get it back on the road but shortly after began a full, in depth, detailed restoration. It now runs brilliantly and gets regularly used. Last year I put 3500 miles on it with either my wife or son riding pillion. There are still a few bits I’m not 100% happy with but on the whole I’m really pleased with it and proud of how it’s turned out.”