The kick start.

When my son was around twelve he took a weekend paper round. With all the concern of mum and nonchalant dad there was a debate about his safety - in the end I was commanded “Well you had better go with him”. So a four year journey started.

We delivered through sunshine, rain and snow. We walked, rode our bicycles and sometimes cheated in the car (the bikes were the quickest way). We grew the round from one to four pocketing £20 a week plus Christmas tips. My weekend job was an unpaid paperboys apprentice. 

Now dear reader, lets warp speed ten years the boy, Tom, is a man. He has a job, a car and a partner but still living at home with me, his mum and his younger sister. But there’s an itch that needs scratching “I want a motorbike!” - of course his mum tries to talk him out of pointing out the risks but fails to realise at 22 you are bound to live for ever. I witness these proceedings with mild amusement and eventually his mum relents.

The ten year old echo now reverberated “Well you had better go with him!”.

I protested, I had no interest in motorcycles what so ever. The closest I came was the Honda C50 when I was his age. But fortune of circumstance meant money was tight so getting a bike out of the question.

Circumstances change and indeed they did but not the direction I expected. I blagged a temporary job delivering diggers to construction sites the dinky stuff using a pick up and big trailer. For the first time in a long time I was learning something physical and practical. A spark emerged within me. I was inspired.

The next change in circumstance was getting a job that I could actually live off. The first thing I did was take my CBT - I was the old man amongst youngsters. I bought a 125 from a lovely guy over Bedfordshire it had 400 miles on the clock and never been out in the rain. We road our 125’s on L plates through the winter as often as we could.

I practised like mad and took my theory test, once again being the old man amongst youngsters. 

Eventually spring arrived and after a massing 1,000 miles on ‘Lenny’ my 9.4hp friend. I took a 4 day course on a 70hp motorcycle which prepared me for the two practical tests - I found them both very challenging but scraped a pass. I know passing first time isn’t everything but for me it meant a lot - I really was getting myself wound up internally in advance. 

Tom was right after me on the second practical, on road, test and he passed too. Brilliant - I was so happy for him. After all, it was a grotty Monday in April not much above freezing and raining. 

We were ready to start the journey proper but inspiration comes in many forms and not always directly in your line of sight, almost periphery inspiration. This inspiration gave me the style and type of riding I wanted to do:

Inspiration 1: The youngsters. There is a natural attitude of giving things a go that is abundance when you are young. I think this erodes over time to the point where people fear it. So for me it was not so much as a revelation but a rediscovery and it was a pleasure to chat to them and see how much quicker than me they were to learn.

Inspiration 2: The old hands. There are many experienced riders that I discovered through YouTube. Several I have met in person, all are passionate about motorcycling and all encouraging and willing to share their knowledge. I have a coffee friend who lives life with a mischievous twinkle and has ridden for years - one day I will pluck up the courage to ride with him.

Inspiration 3: The old photo. My grandad was a distant character as a kid but when he died my dad found a box of photographs one of which was him on his AJS S5. I am interested in the ‘between-the-wars’ era and his carefree pose speaks to the freedom his motorcycle has unleashed.

Inspiration 4: The bicycle. I took up cycling in my early forties, initially out of necessity but this became a joy to explore my own back yard. It ignited a spirit of wanderlust but one that was largely tethered to home.

As I reflect on this, I thought below is a way of summarising what I experienced over a 10 month period.

Life is a journey that is littered with necessity, inspiration and opportunity. Necessity is the gap between what you need and what you want, understanding what you need is crucial. Inspiration comes with an enquiring and open mind. Opportunity is making the best of every circumstance you find yourself in. Perfection is the enemy.