A letter by Alan Freke has reminded me of an event with my first motorcycle, a 1954 BSA C10L. It was 1962, I was 16 years old and purchasing my first motor vehicle, a used motorcycle.
My mother had suggesteda bike, her parents had travelled around England for many years on a bike and sidecar. It seemed a good idea to me at the timeas I needed transport to getmy first job as a car hop at a drive-in restaurant and there were no late night buses.
After looking at a James, my dad thought it best to get the BSA as he was more familiar with four-stroke motors and BSA were a popular brand when he was young.
My first ride around the block was uneventful and exciting. However, the second ride was not to be – the battery was dead so after an overnight charge a further attempt was made. This time the ride was somewhat longer but the battery died again.
Read more in the April 2019 issue of CBG – on sale now!
