WANDERING THROUGH THE CIDER APPLE orchard which is home for the summer of my favourite bike night is always a pleasurable experience. There will be a Tribsa or two, probably a flat tanker andpossibly a few thumpy old 1950s British singles, which are the best thing to ride if you want to make it through the gravel car park and up into the trees without effort. A few Yamaha RD400s and, for a few brave souls willing to risk their fairings, the odd 916 Ducati or NC30 might have tackled the off-road experience rather than join the other sports bikes and classics below. With so much to see, it takes something special to make you really stop and stare.
One summer evening, as the sun set over the levels, there was a motorcycle that managed to be both discrete and very special indeed. There are always a healthy number of Triumph twins at the cider farm, but this one touched something deep inside. It wasn’t flash, but it was poised. It was a beautifully presented 500cc Triumph twin with high level pipes, and there was something about it that set the
