The last couple of months have really flown by, in a flurry of events, road-tests, race meetings and running repairs. There’s been some really great riding, some top company and a rich array of motorcycles.
Diversity has always appealed to me, pretty much in every walk of life, and particularly with regards to my motorcycling. I don’t mean to get bored with things (and it’s not really bored) but I do like to try as much as I can.
To that end, I’ll always try and ride something different in an event and if offered a go on any motorcycle I’ll always try to take it up. To that end, I managed to ride three different bikes over three days of a VMCC event (the excellent Breckland Weekend, hosted by the King’s Lynn section of the VMCC over July 23/24 and into the week after) with the trio being a 1930s V-twin, a 1920s ohv single and a 1940s ‘cammy’ Velo, which, as far as I’m concerned, added to the all-round interest of the event.
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Then there was another day on a 1920s ohv machine (this time the oil-cooled Bradshaw-engined Montgomery) and another day on the KSS, as well as a bit of modern riding in between too, on a pair of impressive machines from Triumph’s current range (a T120 Bonneville and a Speed Triple R).
I rode the 1050cc Speed Triple down to dad’s (which is 80 miles), then borrowed his KSS to go out for the day with him, riding about 100 miles. Standing the two next to each other at day’s end set me thinking – the 1050cc triple is basically the 350cc KSS times three… But when the KSS was built, it was considered a ‘big bike’ so how has that changed? There’s a whole load of reasons and developments, though of course suspension and brakes are just as – if not more – important than actual engine performance.
It’s not just been riding at events though – there’s also been a fair (and varied) selection of machinery to ride for the magazine, which is all part of our quest to see us through winter.
I’ve ticked a few more boxes against things I’d really wanted to ride, to discover for myself what they were like, so that’ll hopefully provide some interesting features too. Suffice to say, I really, really want a couple of machines, while I’ve scratched a couple more itches and managed to cross some more off the: “If I win the Lottery I’ll buy…” list.
Talking of Lottery wins, if your numbers come up before September 19, then make a beeline for Bonhams’ Robert White Collection. Mr White had the type of collection many of us would dream of (motorcycles, plus all sorts of other fabulous toys) and, even better, all proceeds are going to charity.
James Robinson, Editor
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