VINTAGE VIRGIN

So there I was, careering down a steep and muddy cart track which masqueraded as an unclassified road, on a ninety year-old motorcycle with no brakes. Welcome to the world of vintage riding. But to begin with, let’s go back a couple of months…

I’ve been fortunate enough to own or ride a great variety of machines over the years and, like you, am always seeking out that new experience. I still remember the weird thrill of riding my first ‘old’ British bike, a 1970s Norton Commando. It had terrible brakes compared to my modern Japanese ride and the gear change was on the wrong side! A lot has changed for me since that first time and my horizons have steadily expanded to that point of no return – the vintage motorcycle.

The VMCC recognise ‘vintage’ machines as having been built pre-1931. I already have a couple of 1930s bikes in the shed, ‘postvintage’