Len Vale Onslow – what a legend: not only a motorcycle manufacturer but a test rider and bike shop owner, too.
Born into a motorcycling family, Len rode a small, handmade motorcycle from a young age and carried on riding motorcycles up until he was 102. He died in April 2004 aged 103.
Not all of us will be blessed with such longevity, or ability to carry on riding past our century! And let’s face it, there’s no doubt that our demographic is an ageing one; the signs have been there for more than a decade now. The largest slice of the classic scene is very firmly within the 55-plus bracket. Although there are younger riders out there (some who are interested in classics) it’s fair to say The Powers That Be aren’t making it simple, straightforward or cheap for them to get on to two wheels and obtain a full licence.
If you needed further proof that the biking community is an ageing one, just think about how the major players have been targeting their products over the last few years. Kawasaki had a tentative go in the 1990s with its Zephyr range that alluded back to the days of the mighty Z1, and then recently went for it full throttle with the Z900RS. Yamaha has got techno-retro with the MT series twins and triples via the classic 70s speed block colour schemes and then went a step further via a cosmetic rework of the MT-07 to deliver the XSR700 which shamelessly, if covertly, implies some relationship to the old XS650 twins. Honda has aped its seminal CB750/4 with a modern water-cooled 1100, and Suzuki is well into supplying folk of a certain age with parts for its 70s and 80s tackle via its Vintage Parts Scheme and even a 150bhp ‘Katana’! Simply put, The Big Four are actively targeting the ‘grey pound’!
If you look at the likes of the VMCC and its cohorts a lot of those old boys are still out there riding and, on occasion, making some rather surprising concessions. More than a few are now on smaller, electric start Hondas and my sources within this
