The pub yarn that became reality
ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE YOU’LL SEE A PHOTO OF this splendid Norton’s owner, Mike Peter – also known locally as ‘Mike the Bike’ (for obvious reasons). Also nicknamed ‘Skinny’, he’s an off-road nut and cyclist, and fit enough to tackle the lung-sapping Fife Alps before breakfast. Mike’s had more bikes than I’ve had porridge and currently he has a stable of 10 classics; including two lovely Norton Dominators and a rather salivating yellow Commando. By profession Mike’s an offshore mechanic and when not servicing North Sea oil rigs, he can be found fettling or riding his many classics – bringing us neatly to the immaculate 1955 Norton Dominator 99 that features in this month’s magazine. But by way of confession Mike wasn’t always a fan of British bikes...
“I cut my teenage teeth on popular Japanese middleweights and British bikes were an anathema to me – only fit for the scrapheap! For years I’d given up listening to tall tales by my pint-pulling friend Allan about his dad’s old British bike that was buried somewhere in the family shed.
“None of our bike gang had ever seen the bike; far less witnessed his dad riding it. We dismissed his stories as ‘pub yarn’ and heard no more of it once
