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Sunday 27 January 2019

A gentleman's motorcycle

5 comments:

Sam Vega said...

I don't know anything about motorcycles, and have never owned one. (An older brother warned me off: "Wait the extra year and save up for a car!") But that looks like a beautiful old machine. Much better than the rocket-like machines that infest the Sussex Weald where we live. There must be thousands of leather-clad greybeards all risking their lives on the A272, which is a great favourite with them.

Scrobs. said...

Back in the early sixties, I took over my sister's Lambretta, and started buying every motorcycle magazine available. The first one - now sadly gone - showed a Vincent 1000cc motorbike on the cover, and although I never owned a proper bike, my scooter was a great machine!

I didn't know that Wilkinson had made these mechines, and it is indeed a fabulous example of British engineering!

Sam, we're not far from you, and the noise and danger every May 1st when they all congregate in Hastings, is almost too much to bear! Those long straights on the A272 must be just as bad as the A21!

That's a great post Mr H - thank you!

Anonymous said...

Very nice indeed, Mr Hart, and something of a revelation to me. I never knew Wilkinson made motorcycles and this one id particularly lovely.

Thank you for posting this for us to see!

Demetrius said...

I had a 1939 BSA Silver Star for a while, but it was stolen so being the late 50's I went in for a Vespa, more comfortable for female passengers. The great thing about two wheels was that if the rozzers were following if you knew the back alleys etc. you could escape.

A K Haart said...

Sam - your brother was right, motorcycles are dangerous. Our equivalent of the A272 is the A6 road to Matlock where huge numbers of those leather-clad greybeards park their shiny bikes on fine weekends.

Scrobs - I had a Lambretta followed by a Norton then a BSA. Enjoyed them all but in the end it had to be a car.

Anon - I didn't know either until Google recommended the video to me. Spooky stuff.

Demetrius - my BSA was a sixties machine but visually not much changed from your 1939 bike.