French exchange
Dave Skinner – or ‘Dave the Watch’ as he is known by his motorcycle friends in Bath – is, on the face of it, a stereotypical example of a classic motorcycle owner and enthusiast. Despite the fact his odometer of life will click over 90 years on this planet in July 2023, he still comfortably kicks over his smart, trusty BSA B31 and takes part in local vintage/classic rides.
Like many others of his age group, Dave also has several mopeds in his small, eclectic collection of machines, and enjoys their lightweight simplicity. Where perhaps he differs is that these come from the French Motobecane factory, as opposed to having come from a British firm, such as, say, Raleigh. Ironically, the Raleigh RM series were actually Motobecane items made under licence at the Nottingham-based British factory, while the Motobecane was also sold in the USA under the Riverside brand name.
While I am sure Dave is not unique in having these French manufactured forms of basic transport in his garage, the man originally from Sheffield has a very good reason for choosing these mounts… Because he was responsible for the testing and development of them, having worked at the Motobecane factory for a number
