19-09-12, 01:24 PM
Back in the early 60s in Kent when I was 15 I "borrowed" a friends 2 or 3 speed twist grip gear change moped and tried to teach myself to ride it off road. Remember going into the bushes & brambles a few times before I got used to throttle & clutch. A year later in East Devon was trying to get the money together for a wreck of a Lambretta LD 150 scooter with shaft drive. I was buying from a mate @ school who was moving on to better things. Would "borrow" from him & learnt to ride it in a few attempts-no licence-nor anything else-fortunately i was living in a fairly remote place-there was only one local bike bobby. He used to ride a 3TA Triumph with old-fashioned phone on back or tank-cant remember which. Dont think he ever caught any of us but then again he probably didnt want to! He used to shake his fist at us! The day I bought the scooter & got my licence, L-plates on & insurance sorted, there was no stopping me. I frequently broke down & had to learn to get it going as there werent any garages for miles. If youve ever ridden with 6v lighting in the pitch dark you wouldnt complain about modern bikes! :eek Bikes/scooters I remember riding-not necessarily owning include Lambretta LD, Li 150, TV175, Norman 197cc, various mopeds, BSA C15-250cc, AJS500, Honda SS50, C50, C90,CZ 175, After long gap of cage driving came back to Honda CX500, NTV 650, Yamaha YBR 125 & 250 (commuters) FZ6 and my beloved FZS 1000. Oh yes Ive got a 25cc motor assisted bicycle(Cyclemaster 1951) for the days when I just want to potter round the local roads & give the youngsters a laugh! :lol