SPECIAL EDITIONS CAN BE THE VERY LIFEBLOOD of small, struggling manufacturers. Maybe that should be lots of manufacturers, in fact, not all of them small or struggling. Hmmm. For oddly similar reasons, I possess a Ritchie Sambora signature Fender Stratocaster – that’s a guitar, in case you thought it was a new breed of Chinese motorcycle. I bought it because it’s stunning to play, and when connected to a Marshall amplifier it has a wild range of earsplitting abilities that can penetrate my increasing deafness and terrorise the family cats. When I bought it, I had no idea who or indeed what Ritchie Sambora was.
When I owned the shiny black Bonneville which is hopefully featured in photos nearby, I had no idea what ‘Royal… strange symbol’ on the side panels signified. I knew lots about the Silver Jubilee Bonnies and even a bit about the Royal Wedding, but a Royal with a strange sign next to it? Feathers. The odd graphic is a clump of white feathers, the logo of our Prince of Wales, who was Prince Charles back then but is now King Charles III. Badges can be curious things – you’ll find US tales of these machines claiming that the strange symbol is a crown. It’s not. It’s a clump of feathers. I have never bought a bike because of the badge on its side
