"Tuck , what was your favorite bike?"
That would be hard to say, I had a lot of bikes over 42 years, including a good number of brand new ones. But the one I seem to remember most was a beat up Triumph Bonneville that I picked up for pocket change back in the 70's (it was a '60 something model). That bike had more character than about anything I ever threw my leg over.
When I got through with it it had become a mild chopper, cobalt blue peanut tank, highway pegs, custom seat and extended forks.
Starting the thing was a trip. First you had to use the "tickler" to prime the carbs, then you cranked it around to the compression stroke, turned on the ignition, hit the compression relief, and jumped up and came down hard on the kickstarter. If you weren't paying attention, maybe had some dew on the bottom of your boots . . . . . and let your foot slide off the kickstarter . . . . the kickstarter would slam back up into your calf and bring tears to the eyes of a mighty big man.
But once it started (which rarely was on the first kick) oooooh that beautiful Bonneville sound! They called it the "thumper", and for good reason. I can still hear that sweet music.
It was fast, had superb handling, and plenty of torque off the line. Of course it had those terrible British Lucas electrics, threw oil on your right pants leg, and was very "cold natured" (fun to start on a cold morning). But I loved that bike, and put many miles behind me on her (always carrying a tool kit). Minimal, no frills, but beauty in motion.
Tuck
