Riders’ Lives ~ Plonk
1. What was your first motorcycling experience?
Approx 10 years old on a neighbour’s Frances Barnett on the wasteland near my parents’ home. I later bought it off him and used it until I got my first road bike a BSA C15 250 at the age of 15 years.
2. What is your current bike?
Regular daily use bike is a chopped Harley 1340 Evo. Also have a chopped 1948 Harley 45 that I’ve owned for 44 years and a Harley Dyna 1340 also chopped. All self built with help from friends and family, two of them from scratch in the living room.
3. What bike would you most like to ride/own?
Mine
4. What was your hairiest moment on a bike?
After 52 years of riding I’ve had many hairy moments and a few accidents. One that springs to mind was on the Evo going round a sharp left hand bend on a country lane near home. I bounced my front wheel off of the front wheel of an oncoming ranged rover.
5. What was your most memorable ride?
I’ve had thousands of memorable rides over the years. The first that springs to mind was a run back in the late 60’s. Our club had met up with some other clubs, there were about 60-70 bikes and we were riding around the lanes in Berkshire. As it got late and dark I was riding up front with the Pres and looking back, and as far as I could see there was a snake of headlights. In the early hours we pulled into a field where we partied with a nice big bonfire.
6. What would be the ideal soundtrack to the above?
Easy Rider sound track is ideal. If I were to compile one it would probably consist of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Floyd, Rush, Marillion, Bonamassa, Deep Purple, Within Temptation and of course my bruv Trog and his band.
7. What do you think is the best thing about motorcycling?
The whole life style and the way it has evolved. It’s all I’ve ever known and all I’ve ever done. I’m proud of the way lots of patch clubs now get on well together – with some exceptions of course. Its better now than like it was in the 60’s and 70’s where all we did was fight each other.
8. What do you think is the worst thing about motorcycling?
The worst is the way the knob headed bureaucrats follow Brussels etc and will not let us just get on with our lives, making it harder and harder to enjoy riding as free as possible. Also our English climate is not very favourable to an old git like me. I don’t enjoy getting wet and cold much and pulling down my tent in ice has lost its attraction.
9. Name an improvement you’d like to see for the next generation?
Get the system to back off, we’re not such a big problem and more environmentally friendly than most other transport. Help the kids get on the road and stop making it so hard for them.
10. How would you like to be remembered?
I found out last April how I will be remembered when I died and was revived. I’m most proud of my family and friends. Big love to them all with huge thanks. Long live the true biker lifestyle, ride as free as possible and enjoy what I have had for the last 62 years!
