Andsoitproved.Ride-up Daywas wetand
windy in theWest Countr y. Apparently itwas
scheduledto improveasthe dayprogresse d.
It wasalso quitecool –for June.Checked the
tyres, sprayed lube onto the exposed chain
runs,loaded the single bag andfitted its
allegedlywaterproof cover,donnedwetgear
and set out.The Triumph isagreat localrider;
would it be anyuse onadecen trun? Arun of
around 300 miles,giveortake?
ThePlan. Everyone should have ariding
plan.Mine wastodomybest to avoid as
much of the long march out of theWest
Countr yaspossible,bystickingto minor
roads apartfromthe fabled BristolTraverse,
wherethe M5really is the only option. I
had all day. Iwas in no hurry.Itw as raining
alot.And ofcourse ThePlan fell at thefirst
whenIdiscovered thatthe road to Exmoor
wasclosed,soi nstead of heading northfor
alittle melancholy moorland magic (less
thrilling thanamistymountain hop,sot hey
say) Ifoundmyself heading south, until the
inevitable decantonto the A30.Which is
very very boring.Especiallyat 65mph, which
is the speedIdecidedI’dhold forthe longboring bits.The Scramblerputs outaclaimed
54bp,which is notahuge lot,and Iprefermy
overtakesto be rapid,ratherthanastedious
as the HGV GrandPrix,where twotrucks hold
stationformileafter mile at 56.2mph. My
intended speedwould allowplentyofmargin
forthe briskdismissal of such heavies.
Whatyou’re nowexpecting–because
Iwould bewereIreading this–ismy
reve lation thatIgave in to the hedonistic
delightofr idingat TopSpeed in the pouring
rain and hogged the thirdlane at asteady 90.
But Ididn’t.LargelyIfelt so dispirited thatI
just satint he sl ow lane andsogged along.I
reachedTauntonDean services,neededtofill
up,contemplatedthe hideouswalls ofwater
and decidedto invent apuncture, maybe
ameteoritestrike ,and headhometo ahot
toddy andarelaxing bath. But...
Theriding gearwasdoing its job,and Iwas
warm and dryinplaces ,and in fact riding
alongat 65 wasreallyratherrelaxing.Sooff
Iwentagain.Therewas ofcourse aflyint he
ointment. More of apain in the arse,ifI ’m
honest.From an unexpecteddirection.The
Scrambler’s seatwas akilling joke.Itw asfine
for100 miles.After that...less so.Maybe
this isaTriumph tradition, lovingly passed
down fromMeri dentoHinckley.Int he long-
agowayback,Iwas photographedby an
unkind soul standing up on therests ofmy
T160Tridentwhile trolling north up the M5Andthen therewere more.And more.
Andmore.WedecidedtogiveSpecial
Secret Awardsto bikes whichcaught
oureyeat thispoint.Noreal reason...
Andalthough trulyelderlymachinerywas scarce
–unlikeelderlyriders–thisNortonwas the BikeTo
StealAway Quietly. Atreasure
The RC awardforBest Dresda goesto this truly
amazingTriton.Andwhatastoryithadto go with it,
too. Maybewecan borrowitand writeitup...112 IAUGUST 2019 More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk