9. Mydad'sK8

This 1928AJSK8 of my dad's has been owned by him 10 years longer than I've been alive, having bought it in around 1968 for 'a fiver' - which actually isn't the whole story, as in fact he swapped it with a flat-tank Model 18Norton (which his mate Albert still has) that had cost £5 a couple of months earlier.

The reason? Well, at that point the AJSwas in 'racing trim' and dad wanted to go vintage racing, which he duly did. But he wanted to go vintage racing, hand-change and all, and soon realised he was wasting his time unless he swapped to footchange; he acquired all the bits, but then decided he was basically going away from the original point, so called it a day - and sold the TT carb the bike had come with for £50.

After that it was in the shed for some years. It picked up an age related number in 1978, and eventually returned to the road. It was run and bump start initially, on 19in wheels, still pretty much in race trim (on

Castro! R) but with an Amal 276 fitted. Gradually it was made to look a bit more period, though it makes no claims to be anything other than what it is - a bitsa (the frame was originally from a sidevalve, the gearbox too) but one that has served us well.

I genuinely can't remember when I first rode it, but I have done many miles on it over the years. It's lovely to ride; it weighs next to nothing, it's got plenty of plonk to get up hills, the brakes are passable and it benefits from a completely new set of close( er) ratio gears, fitted a few years back.

As well as me riding it, it's been ridden by lots of people - last year, our friend Kim Young flew from America to ride it in the Irish National; the year before my cousin Pete came from Australia to borrow it for the same event - while it has been lent to numerous people over the years, often for their

'first time' on a hand-change bike; it's so easy to ride, most are smitten and immediately start looking for similar.

There's a few things that stick in my mind. A couple of years ago, I was privileged to be entrusted with the custodianship of a big and shiny V-twin from Nottingham, which I confess, I never came to love. At a weekend event, I swapped to the AJS for the Sunday, tired of wrestling the big and heavy BS. My friend, who followed me both days, said after: "I could tell from your body language you were just happier. .. :'

I've ridden the AJS at Montlhery, Banbury, the 1000 Bikes, plus many, many more. It's just really, really nice. It is still my dad's favourite bike to ride, it goes as well as it ever did, and it'll be the last thing we ever sell.