Totally Tiger

What were you doing in 1969? I was learning how to ride a motorcycle – and other stuff, but that’s not important here. Except for the discovery that being able to transport your best girl on something a little quicker than legs or more glamorous than a pushbike was a good thing. Until your friends started getting cars, of course. Cars have roofs.

The school bike shed was divided into two camps; those who rode BSA C15s in various trims and condition, and those who didn’t. I’m ignoring scooters and mopeds here, as a chap should. And we’re talking learners only at this point. There was much more riding variety among those who could happily clutch their little pink slip. Of those who didn’t ride BSA, the biggest group rode Triumph’s Cub. I rode a 197cc 2-stroke Panther, a Model 10/4. I was the envy of none of my friends. Apart from one unfortunate who rode a Triumph Tina. I ignored him, as a chap should.

As you might expect, there was much dicing and daredevilry among us learners. Riding my desperately slow, heavy and bumpstart-only Panther taught me foolish levels of cornering determination. As a smart grammar schoolboy, I did of course understand that my 200cc machine was heavily outclassed by engines sporting the full quarter-litre, but Tiger Cubs? An early lesson in research revealed that my 245lb Panther, with its simply awesome 8.4bhp (at 4000rpm, would you believe?), was battling to gain gravel rash victory with the Triumph’s 10bhp (at 6000rpm) and 220lb weight. Victories were rare indeed, but I learned a lot about the conservation of momentum. Having almost no brakes assists