Real Classic May 2022

Do you ever suffer from An Appalling Understanding? A moment of sheer frustration with yourself that you’ve done something daft? It used to happen to me a lot, then it sort-of faded away, and now it’s back in full shout. Just in time for Summer. Hurrah, of course. About what am I rambling? About the foolish sale of machines that I really, really liked. We’ve all done this, so do not bother to deny it. And if you genuinely have never stumbled in this way on the path to the perfected motorcycle, award yourself a putty medal and make a donation to your favourite charity. Such perfection is rare indeed. Putty medal? My old grammar school Maths teacher awarded them to swots like... ah... other pupils who had done well in…

Do you ever suffer from An Appalling Understanding? A moment of sheer frustration with yourself that you’ve done something daft? It used to happen to me a lot, then it sort-of faded away, and now it’s back in full shout. Just in time for Summer. Hurrah, of course. About what am I rambling? About the foolish sale of machines that I really, really liked. We’ve all done this, so do not bother to deny it. And if you genuinely have never stumbled in this way on the path to the perfected motorcycle, award yourself a putty medal and make a donation to your favourite charity. Such perfection is rare indeed. Putty medal? My old grammar school Maths teacher awarded them to swots like... ah... other pupils who had done well…

How come – I asked myself while I was out aboard a really rather fine Trident the other week – how come I don’t have one of these? The reason I don’t have a T150 Trident is simple: any bike I’d like to ride a decent distance needs to have an electric hoof, and not entirely because I have become idle in my old age, although I’m sure that’s part of it. As I sailed back to base on that particular T150 – seen in these grimy pages a couple of issues back – I asked myself once again: why don’t I have an electric start Trident? And I have no answer for this – apart from one. They do sell for a lot of money – except when I’m…

How come – I asked myself while I was out aboard a really rather fine Trident the other week – how come I don’t have one of these? The reason I don’t have a T150 Trident is simple: any bike I’d like to ride a decent distance needs to have an electric hoof, and not entirely because I have become idle in my old age, although I’m sure that’s part of it. As I sailed back to base on that particular T150 – seen in these grimy pages a couple of issues back – I asked myself once again: why don’t I have an electric start Trident? And I have no answer for this – apart from one. They do sell for a lot of money – except when I’m…

Summat to say? Send your comments, hints, tips, tales of woe and derring-don’t to: RCHQ@RealClassic.net GROUP THINK? I read Rowena’s Members’ Enc with interest last month, especially the bit about how to manage a group of disparate riders or machines. I’ve had a lot of experience of group rides, both leading and participating. The distillate of this experience is that, unless you are on a mega-ride, complete with Police outriders and all the junctions being kept open for the cavalcade of bikes, the drop-off system works best. What’s this? It is actually easier to do than to explain. You need a leader and a tail, and then the riders in between. As you rumble along making serene progress, at each significant deviation from the road ahead the leader will point to the side…

Summat to say? Send your comments, hints, tips, tales of woe and derring-don’t to: RCHQ@RealClassic.net GROUP THINK? I read Rowena’s Members’ Enc with interest last month, especially the bit about how to manage a group of disparate riders or machines. I’ve had a lot of experience of group rides, both leading and participating. The distillate of this experience is that, unless you are on a mega-ride, complete with Police outriders and all the junctions being kept open for the cavalcade of bikes, the drop-off system works best. What’s this? It is actually easier to do than to explain. You need a leader and a tail, and then the riders in between. As you rumble along making serene progress, at each significant deviation from the road ahead the leader will point…