Great Scott
Our story starts in Penarth, in the vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the hot summer of 1968. At the popular bikers’ cafe on the Newport Road, local teenager Andy Rowett has just pulled up on his 350cc Triumph Tiger 90, and, turning off his engine, he is made very much aware of the unusual sounding bike that has just pulled up behind him. For Andy – who is now well recognised by regular readers of the magazine, allowing us to sample various machines from his eclectic collection – it was a memorable day, as the machine which, in his words, ‘made a weird noise and smoked a lot’ would ignite an interest in the marque which has so far lasted for over five decades.
The result is this month’s test bike, a rare 1930 TT Replica Scott which after a 10 year wait eventually joined his diverse motorcycling menagerie in 2007. I was eager to fire the bike into action, but like Andy’s previously tested ex-TT 50cc Itom it’s very much a refugee from the racetrack. There is no kick-start, so firing up involves either a quick ‘paddle’ or a run and bump start – not the thing to stall at the bottom of a steep hill –
