2. Derek's BRS Norton
This was one I wasn't expecting. In fact, I was rather dreading it, mainly as stories of riding the famous BRS (Brooklands Racing Special) Nortons are chock-full of incident, including Phil Read apparently getting a speeding ticket on the most famous of all the examples, Old Miracle, resident in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, when riding it in the London to Brighton Pioneer Run.
To recap what a BRSis - basically, one takes a 490cc,
79 x 100mm single cylinder side-valve Norton engine. This is then installed in a glorified bicycle frame, with the drive coming straight off the end of the crankshaft, direct to the back wheel. There's no clutch, no gearbox, precious little suspension. Added to this are a fuel tank, light mudguards, a couple of laughably ineffective brakes, and away you go. Well, away you go, once you've run like hell alongside - with the valve lifter pulled in and thus reducing the compression engine so it can be run with. Then you leap on, and hey presto, you're away.
Luckily, for me ride, we had use of a deserted runway - and even more luckily, I had a couple of 'pushers' on hand, including owner Derek Fox.
This meant I was able to sit on the saddle, while Derek and his pal Mike pushed me off. The Norton struck up easily, and off I set. The first thing was the smoothness - that's belt drive for you - and the second thing was the amazing rate at which the thing picked up speed; it was incredible, its engine note thud, thud, thudding, like a rapidly increasing heartbeat - in fact, it was probably in unison with mine.
I'd asked Derek about slowing down and turning round: "Well, if you stall it at the far end, you're on your own" he'd said, or something like that. I had a sort of rightish roundabout to negotiate, and as I thundered up the runway, I started to think about how this was going to work. Derek had suggested using the valve lifter to almost stall then restart the engine, with the ignition fully retarded and the throttle almost shut, then make my way around the roundabout. But as I barrelled in, I was going at quite a pace, and the brakes weren't doing a right lot. "Well, will just have to go for it;' I plumped for, and we made it round, actually screaming as I did so. Then it was back down the runway to turn around at the other end, with way more room.
Then back up, and round, then again, and again. I absolutely loved it, and as I approached photographer Joe - who was lying in the middle of the runway - I could see his shoulders going up and down, he was laughing so much at this improbably quick silver-andblack machine, and the actually laughing rider. It was amazing, truly one of my most memorable ever motorcycling experiences.