ELLO ELLO ELLO
Paul Henshaw's article about the Royal Enfield Bullet in RC223 reminds me of one I borrowed back in my Ace Cafe days. It belonged to a friend who had sold it years before then bought it back, but it had suffered in the meantime. Its registration was ROT 187 and that's what it looked like! It had a later gearbox with an external clutch lever and I found it most amusing to put it into gear, wedge the lever in with my foot and then say cheerio to my pals and ride away by easing my foot away while waving my left hand.
The highlight of my time with the Enfield was in Maida Vale where there is a roundabout followed by a left turn. The Bullet had longer rear shocks than normal and a round profile Michelin back tyre, which meant it ear'oled rather well. I did the roundabout into the left turn in one swoop, only to see two PCs on Triumph Saints looking down on me as I went one way and they the other. I just knew I was going to be pulled over. The cop who stopped me said he would warn me about my speed but he wanted to check the bike over. It looked pretty rough but was very roadworthy.
He then asked to ride it and tried to start the Bullet in the same way he kicked up his Triumph. Of course it would not go like that, but he persevered. He got it to exactly the situation where the harder he kicked, the harder it kicked back.
‘Retard the ignition and use the decompressor,’ said I, but I might as well have been talking Dutch. He had no idea what I meant and no idea of how to start a single. His fellow constable on the other bike was beside himself with laughter. I offered to start the bike but no, ‘I will do it.’
He tried harder: it kicked him back with a vengeance. ‘May be you should start it…’
I set the ignition, rolled the piston over compression with the valve lifter, gave a gentle push of the kickstart and it chuffed away. He rode up the road, returned a minute or two later and announced ‘The front brake is better than the back one.’ I replied that ‘it's supposed to be!’ and off they went.
That must have been the best stop the second cop had ever seen.
Peter Greig, member 9133
Great tale! Reminded me of my very first dose encounter of the constabulary kind. 1972ish. Sunday lunchtime. My pal Geoffrey and I were chasing the last pint - pubs usually closed at 2pm then. Geoffrey was pillion behind me on my G12 Matchless. Too late we both spotted a VASCAR at the side
