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Ifound this old photo of my granddad and thought it might be of interest. The photo on the right is of my grandfather, James Watt. Taken, we think, in about the 1920s when he was 20-ish outside the back of his home in the Stranmillis area of Belfast. The photo on the left is of me, Martin Watt. Taken last Thursday when I am in my 60s outside the back of my house in Greenisland, north of Belfast (we don't move far, us Watts!) .
CENTRE STAND HACK
One of my motorbikes is an older 1998 Triumph Sprint. Had it a long time and have had many adventure ride-outs in years gone by. Every year that goes by the bike seems heavier, and at 72, putting it on the main stand becomes more of an effort.
So, here's a tip for others finding this difficult: Obtain a garden kneeling mat. It needs to be thick enough so you can just about slide it out from under the back wheel when it's on the main stand so you can clean the wheel and lubricate the drive chain.
First of all, roll the rear wheel of the bike over the mat. So now
Family folklore suggests the bike is a Norton, one of the first in Ireland, and it is claimed he raced it on Benone strand with a bloke called Dunlop (not the fast blokes from Dunloy,the other one who later came up with the crazy idea of inflating a rubber tyre with compressed air... whoda thunk!)
My bike is a Ducati Scrambler, which I use for cleaning and posing. the back of the bike is higher. Then push the main stand down as normal and guess what, you can push down nearer the fulcrum so it's less effort to pull back on the stand.
Roll on a few more years on the Triumph!
Fantastic magazine; Kevin Cameron, what doesn't he know.
A real guru. JohnWhittard
Thanks for the tip, John! That should be helpful with many bikes. I remember the GSI had last summer was a real pain to get on the main stand. I wish I'd had your tip sooner! Mikko Nieminen
Maybe someone might know if it is a Norton and what sort of era (the one on the right)? Martin Watt
Hi Martin,I'm no good with old bikes so I asked James who edits our sister title The Classic Motorcycle. Here's what he said:
"James Watt's motorcycle is no Norton, that 's for sure, but is in fact a Triumph. It's a single-speed belt driver, probably from around 1911-14, though I edge towards the earlier of those dates . Triumphs of that period were superb machines (a visit to the Pioneer Run will see that outnumber pretty much every other machine put together two to one at the annual London-to-Brighton pre-1915 run) and at least one commentator has argued that if Triumph hadn't introduced the model, motorcycling may never have survived, that was how crucial (and reliable) it was - probably where 'Trusty Triumph' first came about. Indeed, the first BSASwas basically (not basically, actually a complete ...) copy of the Triumph, as was the first Veloce/Velocette.'' James Robinson
The ClassicMotorcycle Editor
SPEED LIMITS
In his letter Peter Wilson asked if there was a secret agenda in the proliferation of speed limits and double white lines. I do not think it is that secret.
Without any evidence I would suggest that the majority of motorcyclists enjoy and take pride in their riding. Whereas the majority of car drivers look upon driving as an irritating interruption to the things they would rather or should be doing. Texting, phoning, getting to work quickly or to their next appointment on time. A car is not owned with pride for pleasure as it was 50 years ago, it is a consumer durable along with the washing machine and possession of one is now a right.
In any collision the risk, and severity, of injury increases rapidly with speed. In a head-on collision while overtaking, the speed is immediately roughly doubled. If overtaking can be reduced by double white lines, the injury rates will fall. You have removed the decision as to whether it is safe to overtake from many people not competent to make it.
Apparently, meaningless speed limits will reduce the speed of the majority of road users and those who do not can, given the resources, be prosecuted for exceeding that limit. The reduction of the speed of traffic on that stretch of road will reduce casualties if a collision occurs.
Ah ha you say,the majority of collisions are caused by human error or downright dangerous actions. Quite true, and you say that drivers and riders should be prosecuted for dangerous or careless driving instead of merely speed where no danger is involved. In an ideal world that is right, but you might like to try and get that case past CPS and a magistrate without the physical evidence of bent metal and injured people to back it up. Nick Crook
Goodpoint, Nickl My only reservation is that increasing double white lines and lowering speed limits will make people even more impatient and more likely to break the rules. I say this as on my commute there is a stretch of road that went from a 60 limit to 40 a few months ago, and I rarely see anyone sticking to the limit. Going faster than you should seems to be easier to justify if the limit appears overly draconian. MikkoNieminen
BUDGET KIT
I've just read the piece about Oxford products, and the comment re people's views on these products being budget.
They've a nice new building, design staff, warehousing, but what's lacking? Manufacturing!
This country has become warehouse UK, with businesses rushing to fob us off with poor-quality, overpriced goods, to make a few wealthy.
Biking'sbecoming the preserve of 'old' people, with very few youngsters coming into it. Is it any wonder when the jobs they can find are so low paid they can't afford to buy a bike (is that one of the reasons bike theft is so high?).
Do you check your labels on your bike kit? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy a quality piece of kit made here, supporting British jobs and promoting manufacturing.
Of course, business leaders will say they can't afford to manufacture here. Yesthey could, but without an obscene profit, but a fair one. M Norris
This is way beyond my expertise, but one thing's for sure: producing goods overseas is the reality we're in. Wemay not like it, but barring any colossal change to our social and economic structures, this is how business operates.
And motorcycle prices. Yes, they're pretty salty these days, especially for the young, but so are monthly payments on mobiles, internet, streaming services, etc. The cost of a bundle of 'social' devices and services is easily comparable to what you might pay for a beginner bike on PCP.The picture is more complicated than cost alone.
Having said all that, I would love to see cheap, locally made bikes and accessories. Maybe that will happen one day. MikkoNieminen