In 1971 I was a 16 year old lad, whose main hobby was riding push bikes. Me and a few of my mates had worked out a series of rides that would allow us to ‘map’ out our county of Kent.
Each weekend we would ride about 70-80 miles, and try to cover as much of a certain part of Kent as we could. In some small way it was a bit like the RBR of today, only we were riding push bikes and we weren’t looking for landmarks as such.
Then one day, something happened that was to change my life.
The chain on my bike snapped!
But it wasn’t just a simple job of putting a new chain on, because on it’s way off the sprockets, it had destroyed most of my gear set. This was to render the bike unrepairable, and was to push me into a depression, because I knew it was the end of my push biking days.
I rather reluctantly decided that the only logical step at this point in my life was to buy a motorcycle. I was not best pleased, I can tell you.
I asked a few of my work mates, if anyone knew of a bike that would suit me. I had absolutely no idea of anything to do with motorcycles.
One of the guys I worked with, a guy named ‘Ginger’ said that he had a bike at home that I could have for £20. He went on to say that it needed a ‘swinging arm’ (what ever that was) but after that was fitted it should be good as new. Well £20 was serious money in ’71 I can tell you. It represented a month’s money to me. But I decided to have a look.
A couple of days later I was to be found in ‘Ginger’s shed looking at a rather sorry looking Ariel Arrow.
"If you can give me a small deposit now, I’ll save it till you have the rest of the money" said a very clever ‘Ginger’ knowing that there was no way I had £20, and also no way I could resist his offer too!!
Some weeks later I had my first ever real motorcycle.
"Why did you have to get something so powerful" said my mum.
"250 cc is the most you can have as a learner, you would have been better off getting a little 50cc like your mate Alan up the road."
I learnt a lot about bikes doing that Arrow up to get it on the road.
I got it through it’s MOT (must have been easier then!!)
Four days later, I stuffed it into the side of a Ford Anglia, that pulled out from a side road.. I was lucky to survive that. The bike didn’t.
I was paid out £30 on the insurance. (big money) on a policy that I had only had out for a few weeks!!(welcome to the real world)
When I think back to how helpless I was on a bike at that age, it makes me wonder how anyone can survive today’s traffic, at the age of 17.(It's called CBT and all learners should do it whether car, bus, hgv, psv or any other licence is needed) given the performance of modern machines too!!
A few years later I was given quite a lot of money that had been held in trust for me. The first thing I decided to buy was a brand new Triumph TR7RV. They cost something like £597 on the road, and my local dealer had just got one in.
The year was 1973, and I waited until the 1st of August to get the new plate. NKK 25M. I know this bike is still in existence. But it hasn’t been on the road since 1979. It is in someone’s shed somewhere, waiting for me to re-discover it.(well it's not in mine. GF)
Now many years on, and I have lost count of the number of bikes I’ve owned and ridden, I would love to know where my little Ariel Arrow is today. I would love to ride it, OOOOOh sucker for punishment ... the big problem with Arrows & Leaders was a virtually non-existent front brake) just to see what all ‘that power’ feels like in today’s money. It’s true what they say, "you never forget your first love/bike."
So if anyone knows or sees 205 XKO I would love to know. It is probable that she has long been broken up, and is now just a memory. The number plate may still be around. But it’s probably on some posey 4X4 somewhere.
Copyright © Martin Fletcher 2007 Round
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