always do stafford classic bike show cos its on my doorstep and i cannot walk past any motorcycle,at last years show there was only one bmw entry apart from a couple of RT police bikes on the bikesafe stand.strange how the parking area was full of modern bikes. all the usual suspects were there Z1 club/ kettle club/ rd club ect and stands selling wrecks and spanners, it was then i thought how much i hate spanners and mending bikes, once a year i will pick up a allen key to change my tax disc i just want to ride the things now.
my other half is the brains of the operation and i think she made a very good observation she knows from my browsing history i will always look for TS,DT and KH 76-79 and LC yams one day she said you could buy that bike but it will never be 1977 again and she was spot on(she hated my tdr250 it high pipes covered her in oil) she knows our GS will laugh of any trip fully loaded and she will arrive at the destination in good shape. so do you live in the past while telling yourself that your GT500 is beter then money in the bank and a great investment or do you get a good modern bike and get out there and ride mile after mile making new memories.
so to all those weird beards and polishers out there thanks for saving those great bikes from my youth, but admit it the classic bike scene, it bollocks you know!!!
Spot on and well observed
10 years ago I bought a 1982 Yam DT175MX again...............(I had one in 1982 too)
It was in A1 condition and spot on, however I rode it and it did 66mph flat out
I thought this couldn't be right, it must have a problem - so I did a bit of research and the next week at an autojumble, I bought a period road test from Bike Mag from 1982
It did a full test report and 66mph was the prone speed and 70mph was the best achieved crouched down, back then
So it was my memory that was playing tricks, not the bike - I was in 2002, not 1982, riding in modern traffic - not against 1982 Mini 850's/Austin 1100's and Mk1 Ford Escort 1300's struggling to push over 70mph too
After about 8 months I sold it, hardly ridden and realised my fond memories should be left in 1982 when I was a carefree yoof at 6th form college and riding a DT175MX in all weathers with oilskin waterproofs and a polycarbonate Centurion lid.................yet to sample the thrill of foreign touring and 'cracking a ton' on a motorbike
Same happened in 2011, when I bought a twinshock Fantic Trials bike - lovely and shiny it looked, but oh so woefully inadequate in terms of chassis/suspension/brakes and power compared to my alloy framed/watercooled 4stroke/ fuel injected/disc braked 250cc Montesa HRC Honda which put out twice the power and weighed 10 kgs less - the Fantic lasted a week
