FLASHBACK
RealClassic dropped on the doormat this morning, reminding me once again of times past. Back in the early 1970s I was already heavily into motorbikes but still too young to have one. I was an avid reader of Motorcycle Mechanics, which also dropped onto the doormat along with my dad’s newspaper.
Back then I’d get myself comfortable and go through the whole magazine assessing what order each article would be read in. This, now as then, is an interesting exercise, with initial lower-interest material often ending up the best read. Recently there has been correspondence regarding what RealClassic should contain. In my experience, it should be kept an eclectic mix which keeps things interesting and fresh. Just as in the 1970s, I end up reading everything from cover to cover. This might be Scottish thrift, getting my money’s worth but (more likely) everything is worth reading.
They are decent articles, of a length to get your teeth into. I just love it when I’m turning page after page on the same subject. Intelligent writing full of wholesome goodness.
My mum didn’t like the idea of motorbikes, but I was a persistent sod who worked on breaking my parents down. This, coupled with part-time jobs, allowed me to buy a Fizzie Fifty when I got to sixteen. The wee Yamaha started the whole thing going and I settled on a continuous quest for bigger / faster / more powerful bikes. In the early years, dad would lend me money for the next upgrade. He listed the debts on lined A4 paper and missing agreed repayments wasn’t an option.
Many, many motorcycles later, I’m happily back where I started, getting a bit too excited when a well-loved mag hits the door mat. Reading RC does remind me of my slightly muddled state of mind. I only ride and have ever only ridden new or newish motorcycles, but nowadays I never read about them. Instead, I prefer to read about old machinery, some motorcycles that were contemporary to my early biking days, but many which predate my motorcycling life. I like to read about them all. Similarly, I love to see machines that are well used and to show that patina of great use. It all tells a story of its own… but I keep my own machines immaculate, I’m not sure what’s going on there.
Thanks again for a great read each month.
Drew Frater, member
Thanks, Drew; fascinating and unusual approach. I too like to read about all sorts of bikes, really. Long may it continue. Frank W
ISLAND LIFE, PT2
The letter from David Crook in RC222, pointing out the legal position towards L-plates on the Isle of Man, made me think how much things have changed there. In the 1960s, during a visit for the Manx Grand Prix, I was walking with my younger mate from work along the Prom at Douglas early one evening. We saw a Matchless G50, in full race trim, complete with numbers and open megga, parked on the main road by the Villa Marina, with the
