Bike history

1927 Triumph Model P and sidecar

(owned around 1935)

Dad owned this a long before I was even a glint in his eye and it was probably a wonder it did not put him off bikes for life. Mum said they seldom rode it home the same day as they left. They often had to catch a bus in full riding gear. It finished up breaking an oil sight - glass and seizing in Glen Farg, lifting the top of the piston

1948 BSA Bantam D1

(bought new)

Back to bikes after a sojourn abroad on some military business. Just bought it to go to the golf course but the bike bug bit!
In about 1955 Dad rented another D1 from Duncan's of Brechin to use as transport from our summer home in Fife to Dundee and gave me my first experience on the pillion. I remember "helping" Dad to fettle this bike - sweet memories!

1949 BSA C11

The Bantam could not keep up with the taxi taking the rest of the family on holiday so it had to go. This was the 3 speed, rigid version of BSA's ubiquitous 250 and Dad's first experience of coil ignition
The picture shows a similar model restored by a French enthusiast.

1951 Ariel VB & Watsonian Maxstoke sidecar

Family transport was needed. The Watsonian was a child/adult job and a side valve was supposed to be best to tow a chair. Overtaking required "2 week's notice in writing". So it was back to Duncan's of Brechin with the instruction "order me a Flash"
The picture is of a slightly earlier VB hitched to a Busmar

1952 BSA A10 Black Flash & Watsonian Maxstoke sidecar

Ordered in black to match the chair, this plunger-framed machine remained one of Dad's favourites. It had solo fork rake, sidecar springs and gearing and was used solo during the week and with the chair at week-ends. A terrible wet summer eventually forced the practicality of a car and a farewell to bikes for a while!
In the picture taken by the river Tay in Perth Gran checks I don't leave any finger marks.

1957 BSA C12

(bought in 1959)

The bug was still there and it was back to another BSA 250, a C12. Dad and I toured Scotland on this one. Dad also let me carry out a top end overhaul which taught me a lot.

1959 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin

(bought in1961)

The BSA suffered from the old problem - too slow. We bought a nicely turned out Speed Twin. It was one of the small-wheeled "Bathtub" equipped models. The handling was a bit wayward and the brakes lacked bite but it had a willing, docile engine and Dad could reach the ground on it. I learned to drive on this bike (off road).

1966 BSA Bantam D7

(bought just a few months old)

Dad sold the Trumpet to buy me my first bike. I polished the paint off it and rode the wheels off the poor thing.

1960 Royal Enfield Bullet (350)

Bought in 1968)

This was a good bike on paper, less so on the road. It under steered and would neither rev or slog and had a gearbox full of false neutrals. We got it looking rather smart with an Avon fairing, recovered seat and a rather classy paint job on the tank courtesy of Dad. However, Dad reckoned it suffered from another fault - it was too slow - so funded a return to a Triumph

1963 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin

(Bought in 1969)

This was a beautiful, low mileage, ex-police bike and carried me the length and breadth of the UK and over to the Island.

1955 LE Velocette Mk 2

NGK plugs, otherwise we often had to warm them on the gas ring.
Somehow I got bitten with LE bug and tried to rebuild 3, one a 150. Eventually I decided it was not worth it and sold them incomplete.

1972 MZ ES250

(My first new bike)

I wanted a Velo: they went out of business.
I wanted a Norton Mercury: they stopped making them.
I wanted a BSA Thunderbolt: they made an abortion of them.
I decided to keep the Speed Twin and add this East German 2 stroke. This is the bike BSA could have developed from the Bantam. It was well made, reliable, comfortable and only let down by appalling rubber components including "instant slip" tyres.
The blue one is a restored example. Mine was similar but black

1975 Morini 3 1/2 Strada

Having moved to Glasgow to work I needed a bike to cover distances fast and reliably. I swapped the MZ for a new Morini. It handled, stopped, went like stink and never chucked oil. Oh, it did rust though.

1946 Velocette MAC

I never actually owned this bike. I was given it in boxes on a "you build - you ride it" basis. I used it for a number of seasons before the owner took it back. I really wanted to buy it but it's going spurred me to build up my AJS 16M

Suzuki B120

Dad decided the LE was - too slow - and, impressed by Dave Minton's road test, bought the little Suzuki. It carted him and Mum around Perthshire from their retirement home.
The picture is of a B120 spotted at Stafford 2004

Honda CB200

Guess what? The Suzuki was too slow and Dad bought a 200 Honda. Not the prettiest bike Honda ever made, it certainly could go and Dad enjoyed it, especially riding down to the town to pick up his pension Picture is of a similar machine but Dad's was in the alternative red finish

1978 Honda C90

My wife had a Puch Maxi when we met. After we married she needed something bigger to take her to work out of town and we bought a Honda C90 on which she passed her test. It was an excellent little bike but the handling was wayward at top speed and I succeeded in seizing it due to lack of oil while thrashing it up a motorway. Reboring it made it better than ever.
When our family came along and we bought a car, the C90 was passed on to Dad who was finding the CB200 a bit much to manage. His health was deteriorating due to a cardiac complaint dating back to WWII (He did not bad!)
Picture is of a later C90 - but they changed very little.

1980 Morini 500 Maestro

Being so pleased with the 3 1/2 I changed to the 500, partly as I did so much work 2 up and also because the STEP organisation I did bike training with required the advanced instructors to ride bigger bikes than 350. Sadly the 500 was never the bike the 350 was. The electrics were unreliable, coils, pick-ups and generator all failing. The cam belt stripped and the oil pressure switch failed. I did not get on really with the sports riding position and a handlebar fairing seemed to affect top speed handling. As my mileage dropped due to health and family I sold the Morini while it still had some value.

1952 British Salmson Cyclaid

We all have dark secrets - something we hide even from our nearest and dearest, don't we? Well mine is this little clip-on cycle motor.
Seriously, it is one of these mechanical marvels produced to propel an austere, post-war Britain. This one was given to me by a friend of my father, both, sadly, now passed on. Having located a rare piston for it and getting it to run, I fitted it to a spare cycle frame and took a bit of a ribbing at my MoT test station!
One complication was the drive belt rim was drilled for a 40 spoke wheel. This is not a modern standard and my cycle wheel builder (Wheelcraft of Clachan of Campsie) laced one up for me on an old large-flange hub using tandem gauge spokes.
I decided it was time to try and clear some garage space and the Cyclaid has now been sold and is off to a good home.

1973 Suzuki A100

My father had the decency to wait until he turned 60 before succumbing to a Japanese bike but I bought my first "rice burner" 10 years earlier.
A neighbour had a very tidy A100 and I bought it to use as a commuter. Although the finish was a bit tarnished, the only thing that was weakened by rust was the rear mudguard. The bike was very much "captain sensible" with full chain guard, shrouded suspension etc. My brother-in-law had a of nostalgia as an A100 was his first bike.
A week of hard work and it was ready for the MoT. Spares have been much more readily available than I expected, mostly coming from Spares Direct . As it was first registered in early 1973, I had to get a dating certificate from the VJMC to qualify for the free "Historic Vehicle " road tax.  The handling is much more taught than I had expected and feels very neutral. I suppose it would be difficult for something this small not to handle but my wife's Honda C90 used to bounce and wander all over the road at much over 45.
Wherever possible I replaced Philips screws with stainless cap screws from Dave Middleton .  I fitted a set of much lower bars from a Honda CG125, wider mirrors from an X7 and a Heine Gericke fly screen.
I switched to modern rubber. 2.50 x 18 tyres are difficult to source and I bought 2.75 x 18 Metzelers, appreciating the assurance given by improved grip and feel.  My MoT station suggested the dampers were a bit tired although I don't think they had much damping to start with.  One of the big suppliers told me to send a pattern down. Then they said they could not match it because of a funny offset. They charged me £8 to return it. Not impressed. I remembered speaking to Bike Revival at the Stafford show and got in touch. The proprietor, Pete, could not have been more helpful. He knew the length I needed, we discussed the offset and reckoned straight units could be fitted. He sourced a pair of rather tasty Sebacs for a very reasonable price and the postage for the pair was only £7. Guess where I will be going first for my dampers in the future! Juggling about with the spacers at the top of the units had them fitted. The rear end is indeed a lot firmer (and we all know the benefits of a firm rear end!).  With my acquisition of the Burgerman and my change of job the Suzuki was not getting much use and I sold it on.

1998 Suzuki Burgman AN250

If my daughter can buy something off beatso can I! This super scooter belonged to gentleman who unfortunately suffered a stroke and was not be able to ride again. I purchased it non running and his wife was rather glad to get it out of her road. It needed nothing more than a good clean, some touching up and a new battery. The owner, a long time rider, had taken good care of it from new. It served as my commuter.
Other jobs included the wheels going to my friends at ESP for re - laquering, fresh EBC brake pads, Pirelli tyres  and the Givi screen needed trimmed. A set of Oxford heated grips, handlebar muffs and a Tucano Urbano apron went on to prepare for the winter and, blow me, I landed a job at the far side of the country and had to go back to commuting by car.
The "Burgervan" then moved up to my northern territories as my week-day commuter. It is good to arrive in work with a grin on your face. Traffic is much less in Dundee than Glasgow and the back roads I can use are almost traffic free. The bike then scores as I can actually park it close to my office and am spared the long walk from the overcrowded and indeed often full car parks of our centralised hospital.
The original exhaust finally disintegrated. After a bit of a search (250 exhaust is different from the more common 400)I found a nice approved replacement made by and supplied by Predator . (Thanks to Burgmanparts for pointing me in the right direction). This fitted straight on despite the cluttered design of the bike in this area making it a bit of nadgery job. Less than a year on the Arrow exhaust sheared at the top flange. My progress home that night was not unobtrusive! I guess it was flex in the engine mounts but a bit disappointed. It was looking a bit ratty too but then I have been riding in all weathers. Thankfully a colleague is pretty handy with the welding gear (ex-North Sea) and in couple of days we were back on the road.
The Burgervan having served its dues has now been replaced with an Aprilia Atlantic