Some of the other Bikes I have owned 1

I then bought a Raleigh Supermatic moped from a friend for £2. It had been
used as a field bike in a large Nursery. A spare engine was included. This
was basically a re-badged Mobylette with variable belt drive. I tuned the
engine, altered the porting , increased the compression etc. I rode 6,000
miles in a year. In spite of constant ignition problems I only holed one piston.
I could keep up with new mopeds like Puch Maxi's and Yamaha FS1E's. Not
bad for £2. Sample photo, I did not have a camera in those days.

Ariel Arrow 250. Dad bought the Ariel for £35 and we did it up as my first road
bike. I remember going out on it on my 17th birthday, the sheer exhilaration of
being able to cruise a 60 mph and seeing 80 on the speedo with the aid of a
hill. I could buy pistons from Pride and Shark for 65p in those days.
The Ariel handled really well but it smoked so badly the plugs always furred up
until I switched to Filtrate pre-mix oil. Those were the days! I was knocked off
the bike which wrote it off.

BSA Bantam D7 175. This was my first bike, I paid £15 when I was aged 15.
Mine had an orange racing tank, racing seat, black expansion chamber and
ace bars. I seem to remember stripping it down and upgrading the gears
from 3 speed to 4 speed. I also converted the head from 18mm spark plug to
14 mm. Before my 16th birthday the law changed and I could not ride anything
bigger than a 50cc moped until I was 17. I sold the Bantam to a friend. It ran
well but it was very noisy. I still remember the legendary Bantam overrun
pop,pop,pop, bang, bang, ting ting, ting, ting, bang, pop pop pop.............
Sample photo (Nothing like mine) I did not have a camera in those days.

After the Ariel was written off I bought a Honda C95 150 twin completely
stripped for £5. Until I rebuilt the bike I did not even know what it looked like, or
how to build a 4 stroke engine. I also had my first go at paint spraying. The
Honda was engineered so much better than my Bantam or Ariel. I kept the
C95 for 2 years and I rode it to the TT in 1972. It ran like a dream. I remember
it being 10 mph faster in a cool evening compared to a hot afternoon.
Everyone else at school had tuned Scooters and my Honda was so much
quicker. The Japanese tyres were completely hopeless in the wet and to this
day I still don't trust them. I bought all my spares from Frettons of
Kingston-on-Thames who were a superb Honda main dealer.

Yamaha YR5 350 The YR5 was supposed to be a really quick bike, it was the
first of the reed valve 2 strokes before the RD series replaced it. My YR5
never ran consistently well. Occasionally it would really fly but mostly it
misfired over 5,000 revs. I stripped the engine completely and replaced
absolutely everything mechanical and electrical except the centre crankshaft
seal.
The YR5 convinced me that Yamaha's are poorly built, inferior quality and I've
never had reason to change my mind. So very disappointing.

Dresda 500 Triton. After passing my motorcycle test I bought a 500 cc
Dresda Triton. (500 cc twin carb pre-unit Triumph engine in a Norton
featherbed frame). My first big bike and I loved it. This Triton was genuinely
quick for a 500 and it looked great. The wide frame and long racing tank
made the bars a stretch and I was on tip toe when I came to a halt.
I remember reading loads of articles about re-balancing the crank to reduce
vibration in an a Norton frame. I stripped the engine, took the crank into
Dresda. They took one look at it and said it could not be done as I had a bolt
up crank. I was so annoyed having wasted all that time stripping the engine.

650 Triton I bought the Triton from a friend of dads for £165. It had a wideline frame, pre-unit engine with
magneto ignition, centre plug head, 32mm concentric carbs, E3134 cams. The original condition was poor. I
bought a new polished alloy tank, centre oil tank, new exhausts, upholstered the seat. I stripped and painted the
frame, had the crank balanced, blue printed the engine, I re-wound the alternator to convert it to 12v. I must have
spent weeks polishing everything and the finished bike was truly beautiful, it drew a crowd everywhere I parked it.
Looking back ownership was not so clever. On long rides the vibration ensured something always worked loose
or fell off. Once riding back from a Transatlantic Trophy race meeting even the bottom of the battery fell out
ruining my jeans. The brakes were truly hopeless. My best mate bought a new RD 350 and the poor old Triton
could never keep up with it. Like many British bikes it was gorgeous to look at, and sounded great but it was
poorly engineered and totally unreliable. It would probably be worth more than a new Triumph Tiger now!

Honda C90 Cub I worked for British Airways at Heathrow and I had no car. The Triton was not safe to park at
Heathrow so I bought an old Honda C90 and fitted a screen and top box. What a superb bike. Started first time
every time and I usually averaged 115 mpg. I could cruise at 55-60 mph. No wonder this design is the most
popular bike in the world, it is so practical. A real honest, wholesome bike that becomes your best friend.
When I retire I would be perfectly happy buying one of these and tour Europe all summer. The C90 lasted me for
years & years, eventually the bottom of the frame rusted out.

Kawasaki KH250 triple This Kawasaki came with a skull painted on the tank. When I resprayed it I found
lots of filler underneath! The Kawasaki ran well but it always jumped out of first gear. Boy it was quick. It
really flew up to the red line. This bike would easily top 100 mph. Not much torque and not really good as
day today transport. It must have been tuned by a previous owner.
The guy who bought it was not really interested until he went for a test ride. When he returned he agreed
that the engine was very special so he gave me the cash and rode off happy.

Suzuki GT500 Possibly my favourite bike from the old days. I bought the GT500 with 600 miles on the clock for
around £695 so it was my first expensive bike. It was red and gold. I fitted crash bars, rack, painted a matching
top box. I used it for work commuting 60 miles most days for 3 years.
In those days, except for the Honda C90, you had to work on a bike every weekend. I greased the chain, cleaned
the contacts and reset the timing, after 600 miles the plugs refused to go past 4,000 revs unless I removed and
cleaned them. No spark plug worked beyond 1200 miles..
I fitted Boyer Bransden capacitor discharge ignition which improved maintenance and I used resistors to run all
the rear bulbs at 11v to help them last at least a month. I rode 28,000 miles on the GT500 and the bike was still
immaculate when I sold it. In the 70's and 80's Suzuki's were, in my opinion, much better finished than Honda
or Yamaha.

Honda CB360 Due to a lack of cash and a baby I turned to buying and selling bikes to make money. I bought
this CB360 as my first bike to sell. A very pretty bike, typical Honda, well engineered, superficially attractive but
look close and everywhere you will find flaking paint and rust coming through from the inside. The engine
cases all had salt damage. Supposed to do 102 mph, I found it flat out at 90. Very reliable and as exciting as a
Datson Cherry (Now renamed Nissan).
I fitted aftermarket exhausts as the originals were rusted through. Until the late 1990's bikes never ran properly
with replacement systems exhaust until ECU's and Electronic Fuel injection came along.
I sold the bike having used it for weeks. When the guy came to collect it. The Honda started and the throttle
cable snapped. Dooh!!

Suzuki GT380 What a lovely bike. The 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine was so smooth. A six speed box, decent
handling, good brakes, good electrics. Light, quick and smooth this was a very nice bike to own. My first ever
front disk brake! The paint and overall finish were typical high quality Suzuki.
These GT380's were very special in their day. My dad bought a GT550 at the same time which was heavier
but seemed to have twice the power and made twice as much smoke, which is a lot of smoke!

Honda 750KZ. Now were talking. Th 750KZ was a finance company repossession, better than new with a
few hundred miles on the clock. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Twin disks, comstar wheels, 4 carbs, 4
silencers! Fantastic. A very heavy bike. Quick engine with slow ponderous handling. I felt like king of the
road while riding it. It was so new and so flash. Like all Honda's the finished would only have lasted a few
days on salt roads in the winter.
A great bike and I wish I'd had the money to keep it.

Honda CB250N Back to reality. The Honda CB250N Superdream. Nick named the Wetdream in the UK.
Typical Honda, started first time, reliable, always ticked over. The CB250 struggled to 85 mph and came
with a rusting, flaky paint finish. A good ride to work bike but very forgettable. At at least I made a profit out
of it.

Suzuki GT250A In the 1980's every new 250 was hailed as a genuine 100 mph bike unlike it's predecessors
which the year before had been hailed as a genuine 100 mph bike etc etc. With a tail wind I think 85 to 90
was possible. This little Suzuki was quite tidy, it started and ran OK but was so forgettable.

Kawasaki Z750 twin Another great bike. I bought it for £175. Replaced the exhaust, fixed a starter problem
and replaced a missing side panel. I made £300 profit in 3 weeks. I used this to buy our first Betamax Video
player! The UK road testers never liked this bike. I thought it was brilliant. It would pull top gear from 30 mph
up to 110 plus. The brakes were good and the handling was fine if a bit slow. The Z750 was a commuter /
tourer not a sports bike. The engine had a balancer shaft and this made it smooth. I thought the Kawasaki
paint and finish was even better than my beloved Suzuki's. A very under rated bike in my opinion. It should
have become a true classic in it's time. The trouble is after Kawasaki made the KH750 2 stroke triple
everything that followed was seen as being too tame. Until the Z1.

Some of the other bikes I have owned - Page 1

Tiger 955i

I've owned over 60 bikes and I have ridden many others. The reason I got into bikes was because of my father. My
dad was always into bikes, home mechanics and home tuning. He was an apprenticed engineer who became a Pilot.
Dad owned everything British from a Rudge Ulster 250 to a Norvin (1000cc Vincent Black shadow, black lightning
cams in a Norton featherbed frame with manx magnesium hubs, double twin leading shoe front brakes etc The
ultimate café racer as used by Ogri in the Bike magazine cartoons). In later life Dad also owned many Japanese
bikes. Every bike he owned was stripped, tuned and fitted with clip-ons, rear-sets and occasionally a fairing. I
guess all my life I have been following his example.

Suzuki 250X7 Yet another new 250 hailed as a genuine 100 mph bike unlike it's predecessors which
the year before had been hailed as a genuine 100 mph bike. Like all the others it was flat out at 85
unless you had a 2 mile runway and your feet on the rear indicators, then maybe 95 but never 100.
Such a shame. This was a light, nibble bike with good really handling but no power. I sometimes
wonder how much the road testers were bribed to over hype 250's, or maybe they only got to ride factory
tuned bikes.
The X7 was quite pretty. My first bike with cast wheels.

Suzuki GS750 I loved Suzuki's and I so desperately wanted to own a GS750. This was a good bike but
I have to admit the Honda F1 felt faster and handled better. One of those bikes you dream of owning,
you've read the road tests a thousand times but the reality of riding it can never match the anticipation.

My bike did not seem to handle as well as it should. It would weave at speed and the whole thing never
felt planted. I think that is a Marshall exhaust in the picture.

Honda CX500 Ah the Plastic Maggot as they were called in the UK. What a great bike. Ugly but
thoroughly charming at the same time (Not unlike the Tiger 955i). The V twin engine would cruise
anywhere from 30 to 100 mph. It had good torque and was such a pleasure to ride and own.
The CX500 had so much character in a world of Honda blandness. In the same way my Triumph Tigers
have so much more character than any 4 cylinder bike. I can easily understand why so many CX500's
were sold in the UK. Well done Honda. Shame about some niggles like the cam chain tensioner and
the oil pump.

Honda CB750F1 I test rode a new F1 when they came out and I always wanted to own a secondhand
example. This came with two known faults, worn through cam followers and a weeping head gasket so I
had to do a top end rebuild.
The F1 was a good bike. It was surprisingly fast and it handled well. The F1 looked good on the exhaust
side but it was a rather ungainly from the left.
I remember being at my parents when my wife phoned to say someone had turned up to view it. I flew the
20 miles home in 15 minutes crusing at up to 120 mph on the way. The bike sat on my drive ticking over
perfectly and the guy's mate (You know, the one who knows all about mechanics!) said it had a bent
layshaft. What a plonker. Anyway the first sensible buyer paid cash and rode off with a great bike.

Yamaha XS750 triple Such a surprisingly good bike. Felt so much like a Triumph to ride. The Triple
engine ran like a smooth twin and had a real earthy quality. I commuted 100 miles a day for a few
weeks on this bike. On the down side the brake calipers kept sticking and it was so heavy.
Once again Yamaha failed to supply a decent finish. The black paint just fell off the frame and every
poorly welded joint had rust showing. The black engine only looked good when wet.

Overall a good bike, mine had none of the usual XS750 niggles.

Honda CB400N The 400 Super Dream was much hyped by the press. It was a very sensible 105
mph twin that in reality struggled to 95. It was supposed to be better and faster than the 400F it
replaced. You must be joking! I assume the road testers had never ridden a 400F. The Super
Dream's handling was good and I suppose it did everything well that my 650 Triton did badly. A
shade too heavy for a 400.

I enjoyed riding the Super Dream but it was no where near as good as the CX500.

Honda CB550K Once again I had always wanted a 500 Honda four. The CB550K was a very pretty
bike. It felt light and handled well. The engine was super smooth, willing to rev and felt typically
Honda. I thought the finish much improved on my previous Honda bikes.
The guy who bought it turned up an a Gold Wing. He went for a test ride and was gone ages. It
transpired that he had turned the fuel tap off thinking it needed to go on reserve. When he came
back the next day with the cash his girlfriend was on the back and the CB550 was intended for her
to ride. What a lucky fella. I hope she enjoyed owning the bike.

Honda CB200 When I was 17 my best mate had a CB175 and this was it's successor. After my C90
expired I thought it would be good for my 6 mile trip to work. Somehow Honda added 25cc and
managed to reduce the power at the same time. The cable operated front disk was hopeless.
Honda were usually able to make such good, sensible bikes and it is a shame that R&D occasionally
managed to cock up the face lifted version.

The CB200 was small and light it just needed a bit more mojo.

Honda CX500 I took voluntary severance from British Airways and had to earn money as a
motorcycle courier for a few months. "Delta One Zero" was my call sign. The CX500 seemed like
the perfect tool.
I remember sitting at some traffic lights in North London when the engine started to make noises.
By the time I pulled away the big ends had gone. Oil pump failure was one of many issues with the
CX. Over the years I have been lucky. I have owned so many bikes and this Honda CX500 is the
only one to fail mechanically apart from the holed pistons in my moped and jumped push-rods on
my 650 Triton. Oh and the dropped valves in my Guzzi Monza. Maybe I wasn't so lucky.

Suzuki GS425 I needed wheels to earn money so I quickly sold the broken CX500 and bought
the GS425 to continue as a courier. A very sensible bike. The Suzuki was good to own and ride.
It needed a bit more Ooomph but as a day to day ride round London I liked it.
Some couriers had the new YVPS350 LC Yamaha's. I watched in amazement as they performed
stoppies and wheelies. I had no chance on this low powered heavyweight - middleweight of a
bike.

Yamaha XS750 triple. My second XS750. This one had K&N Airfilters and an aftermarket exhaust
system. The finish on this bike was very poor, probably the worst quality finish of any bike I've ever
owned. When I washed it paint just came off in the sponge. The bike ran OK but it never ran well
as the carburation was wrong. I fitted a Ledar jet kit. I could never get a main jet big enough so I
bought some model engineering drills and experimented by drilling out spare jets. Eventually I
was able to get the engine to perform reasonably well.

Once again this bike had a lovely Triumph like earthy quality.

Suzuki DR400 I was so keen to try an off road 4 stroke. I had spent a few weeks riding an XL185
belonging to a friend. The DR400 was a good bike, really fun to own and ride. It ran well but I never
had a bulb last more than a week because of the vibration. I tried so hard to wheelie the thing but it
felt like someone had fitted a slab of concrete over the front axle.
Many years later I got into Enduro bikes and Moto Cross. Possibly because I enjoyed riding this DR
so much.

Honda ST50 Dax In 1992 I saw this bike lying in a hedge at a breakers yard. I paid £2.76p for it
(All the cash I had on me). 18 years later I still own the Dax. Lovingly hand painted in
hammerite it continues to run like a dream. Both my sons learned to ride it and I have often
lifted it into the back of the car on days out at Racing Circuits. I have changed the oil a couple of
times and maybe replaced the spark plug once. My sons absolutely abused it when they were
teenagers.
I can leave the little Dax all year and start it 3rd kick. It would make old Mr Honda very proud.
Every kid should have one. This picture was taken at Snetterton, my son is now 6'2" age 25.

Suzuki GSX750ESD (My first new bike) I finally landed a good job and treated myself to my first
new bike. It was either this or a Z1000 Eddie Lawson replica. I remember when I went to collect
it rain was pouring down and I sat outside Motorcycle City in Farnborough for 4 hours waiting for
the roads to dry before I could ride home.
The GSX had a new, light, modern, 4 valve, oil cooled DOHC engine, modern Michelin tyres with a
16 in front, anti dive brakes, rising rate monoshock suspension and a nice fairing. This bike was
a quantum leap in design. I could take bends I used to find fast at 60 mph at 80 on the GSX with
plenty in hand.
I absolutely loved my GXS750 but after a couple of years it had to go due to a second baby

To make some money I bought an old Yamaha Scooter. I think it was 125cc 2 stroke. All the
bodywork was purple. It was seized absolutely solid and rusting like only a Yamaha can. I
managed to get it going and make a few pounds.