Tearaway memories

When I was 17 in 1965 I owned a BSA M21 600cc sidevalve, ex-AA, with over 88,000 on the clock. I ‘customised’ (spoiled!) it by fitting alloy guards, Norton straight handlebars and dual seat with leopard skin seat cover, much in vogue then. I slid off on wet cobbles and dented the tank, so the easy option was make a teardrop dent to match on the other side…

My late elder brother bought the same. Later, we bought a complete outfit (non-runner) so I tried it with and without sidecar, and with bare chassis equipped with two planks – it was quite hairy on left-handers! They were

£55 and £50 approximately, ours from Dawson’s Motors, Nottingham.

Great sloggers, with up to 65mph available. I once over-revved on the solo and touched 70mph. It promptly seized, cooled down, carried on… The exhaust pipe used to glow cherry red.

I make no apologies – though today machines are to be preserved and cherished, we used our machines to the limit and over.

I only have these small photos of my early rocker days, as we were more interested in riding than posing on bikes. I had lightweights including a 1961 Triumph Sports Cub, a D1 Bantam, Cotton Continental, Ariel Arrow sports, and a BSA Sunbeam 250cc twin scooter that would do 70mph and was great in the wet.

Heavyweights included a Norton Model 18 500cc 1948 (same year as me) a 1950s BSA M33, a 1959 T110 Triumph 650cc (should have been called T99, as that’s all I could get out of it, laying on the tank) and my best bike, a 1961 Velocette Venom with the black and chrome tank. It cost £8, in 1968, then sold nearly two years later for £10; I thought I’d done well. Through the gears it showed 55, 72, 93, then 100plus… I once had 110 two-up downhill with a tailwind. Up to 90 it could stay neck and neck with a 1965 Bonnie. Happy days!

Kelvin Atkins, Oldbury.