Back in the mid-1980s a good friend suggested that I might like to give a home to a motorcycle and sidecar for which she no longer had space. At that time, I had lots of space – a whole range of farm buildings – and since the bicycle on offer was a pre-war Vincent HRD, I decided that my days of single-bike ownership were over, and I would welcome this orphan into the family. The decision was eased by the knowledge that there was nothing to pay. I just assumed that it would return to its owner when she had more room.
The bike itself, a 1938 500cc Comet, had been rescued in bits some years earlier, just as it was due to be sent to the tip. It had been screwed together and persuaded to run, attached to a single seat VP sidecar that was slightly less tatty than the bike itself.
Among other decorations, the bike sported a seat cover that was so dilapidated that it displayed the springs beneath, and a pillion pad that was held together entirely with gaffer tape, which was itself sufficiently worn for its frayingpad which he no longer required, and a new seat cover from an autojumble.
