Hi,
Us old riders, 65 plus, have pretty much done most things with bikes, 350cc to us was a reasonable tourer, 500cc was a good sporting ride. A 650cc bike was good for doing almost anything, touring, with a passenger and luggage, as a cafe racer, a sporting model to race your mates around the local cafes, dance halls and bars, anything bigger was extraordinary, the Vincent /Nortons etc. offered performance beyond normal, almost too much. In the background was the TT and Manx GP with our heroes doing their stuff. One of the things we dreamed of was emulating these racers, taking corners as fast as possible, flat out down hills. just going for it regardless. Owning these sorts of bikes was not possible, they belonged in another world. I happen to have now owned three of the "dream" bikes of my era, A BSA Gold Star, a Velocette Thruxton and a Manx Norton, ok, my Manx is not a "bona fides" correct in every detail, Norton production racer, but it is a double knocker, Ken Sprayson works framed 500 with PAL mag and Gardner carburettor. I love the Thruxton, it is a usable "classic" that does about 5-6000 miles a year, gets shown as a "used bike" not concourse and a bit rattley. I recently set out to put the Manxman on the road, brand new and unused as it is. I wanted to try to ride it on the road the way I always dreamed of. After a trip to my favourite (now) MOT station (thanks 002) and numerous dealings with DVLA ( who were helpful and positive ) G 5 MNX is now on the road legally, taxed and insured, and this afternoon, sunny and warm, I was able to go for a ride. A Manx on IOM close ratio gearing is not fun in town, a bit like a Gold Star but with clean torquey power, out on the open roads, up into the mountains it is really great, the manx frame is right, the 54bhp engine pulls really well and the whole ensemble is beautifully balanced. I felt so moved by this experience I thought I would share it, we are not all overcome by "classicitus".
Furry
