Hitchcocks Forum

I met an elderly man today who has owned his beloved Vincent since 1953. What length of time have you been with the same machine ?
Reds

Can't say I will ever beat that, but does it count if you have bikes that you know you will never sell?

Well I have Ridden "Royal Enfields" since 1993 and Have owned a std India 350 for 16 years ..Though i know a man who has a Francis Barnett in his shed but has not ridden anything since the 50's..i started biking in the 70's and road off most of my bikes etc in RTA.

Hi, I've had my BSA m20 for 50yrs and my Indian Enfield twin 45yrs. We grow old together! Vince.

My first bike was a 150cc swingarm Bantam field bike which I bought for £20 in the summer of 1976 when I was 11 years old. I earned 40p per hour helping on a neighbouring farm to save up for it. I made a bad job of making a good 175 engine from the tired 150 and a tired D7 motor and it never ran again. Some other lads at school insisted they could get it going and bought it for £15, but they never did get it going. A few years after leaving school, one of the lads told me I could have it if I collected it, otherwise it was going to the dump. I didn't drive back then, so pushed it nine miles home. I have kept those sad remains of my first bike, until a couple of years ago, I was offered a very rusty Bantam 175 with a seized engine. I now had enough parts to make a good D7 engine and just needed a replacement for the mangled and rather rare D3 swingarm. I was half way through butchering a Tiger Cub one to fit when the real thing appeared on ebay for £20! Long story short, my Son now has the Bantam and sometimes he lets Dad have a go for old time's sakes!
When I needed a replacement for the Bantam at just shy of 13 years old, I bought a 1958 Triumph Tiger Cub in late 1977. It was all original, with tax, mot and matching engine and frame numbers and it set me back £50. I still have this machine and since being mothballed for nearly 35 years, it is on the road again. These two live with a few other bikes which have been in the family for nearly as long and there is a Norton navigator, which kicked it all off by becoming Dad's first bike after myself and my sister were born and old enough for school[Ian was a long way off back then]. Must get round to tidying the Norton up one day. Hmmmm ...

Have been biking for 38 years now but until I bought my bullet in 2007 I have never kept a bike longer than a couple of years. Don't regret that, it is fun to try lots of bikes along the way. Not sure why I stuck with the bullet for nearly 10 years now but I am starting to think it's a keeper.

I have just sold my 2000 Bullet, which I have had for 13 years, bought in 2003.