This is the man responsible for inflicting me on the world. My father. The photo here was taken on the Isle of Man in 1957 when he and a group of friends rode up from London for the TT races. This was his 1955 Norton Dominator 500, bought secondhand in 1956 for £175 which he funded by selling his engraving machine. |
Previous to this he owned an Ariel Square Four, the early version with the cast iron
head. Before that he had an Ariel Red Hunter which he used as a dispatch bike around London, at first working for a photographic company delivering film canisters, then in Fleet Street delivering printing blocks for the early morning press. At one stage as a dispatch rider he even used a bike/sidecar combination which must have been fun in London rush hour traffic! |
The Gang of Four outside the chipshop in Douglas, Isle of Man in 1957. This photo was taken after they had fixed the chain on Archie`s Triumph T100 ( second from left). |
Below is Rob`s BSA B31 and a half! Third from the left in the above photo. The original cafe racer. |
Below is my father`s first bike. An OK Supreme 250cc sidevalve with his ex ( he remarried) mother-in-law. The original mother-in-law! |
