We classic motorcycle enthusiasts can count ourselves as incredibly lucky that we were able to enjoy at least part of our passion during the rather dark times of the pandemic. Prohibited from riding – during the initial phase at least – we could occupy our time and engage our minds maintaining, repairing and improving our machines.
Many went one step further and embarked on a restoration, taking the opportunity to start/restart/finish something that had been languishing without attention under a cover or in boxes, or investing in a ‘fresh’ machine for the specific purpose.
Whatever their size and ambition – and whether completed or yet to be – those ‘lockdown projects’ served as more than just a practical use of time, they gave welcome respite from the challenging and often frightening situation unfolding beyond the confines of our workshops, sheds and garages.
Halfway there
Regular readers will know I’m often in Gordon Hallett’s garage, poking my nose into a recent acquisition or completed restoration. Though a keen and active rider, Gordon’s engineering background means he enjoys the challenge of resurrecting a machine as much as riding the finished article; sometimes more so, but more on that later.
It was no surprise then, that when faced with those initial restrictions (and once his existing machines had been tended to) his net would be cast around for something else to occupy his time. That something would come from someone close to his family, as he explained: “I lost my brother Maurice to Covid in 2020. The Excelsior belonged to his childhood best friend, who’s
