First a few disclaimers.   This is about old bikes so my apologies are due to Thomas.   I know you don’t think old bikes are worth more than their weight in scrap steel.   Hard luck; this is one of the few things we disagree on. Sorry too to general readers.   This whole series of stories relates to a motorcycle that is approaching 60 years old.   If you have no knowledge of the bits and pieces that make infernal combustion engines work, you may need to use Google on some of this stuff.   In my mis-spent younger years, my brother in law told me of an old Triumph motorcycle which was for sale.   He reckoned that the number plate on it could be sold for more than the cost of the bike, which we could then sell as well, thus making a decent profit on the two transactions.   Never one to ignore the chance to pocket a few quid, I agreed to go and see the bike with him.   That was over 30 years ago now. It turned out to be a 196...

This article was originally published in the paper version of Real Classic Magazine in November 2017(There is a link to their web page on the links sidebar).  The magazine version of this article is much better laid out than I can manage here, but the info is the same.  If you are considering long term ownership of an airhead, then hopefully a) you won't have a 1974 bike, and b) there might be something in here that you find useful.  Since I recently wrote about a starter motor problem I had had with this bike, I thought you all might enjoy the bikes back story.  It's a bit of a love/ hate thing.  Enjoy. _________________________________ There has been a lot written about BMW airheads in the last few years.   So, in the spirit of if you can’t beat them, join them, here are a few thoughts from my own perspective. Firstly, a bit about my own bike; a picture or two of which might even decorate/ desecrate these pages.   I boug...

I've been waiting for a decent bit of cold weather to set the mood for this story.  At the end of the story, the bike I was then using gets a mention.  It was a 650cc BMW Funduro (a stupid name, I know).  Don't take its glowing recommendation too seriously because I changed my mind on it fairly quickly as you will see in the next bike related post.  It was downright dangerous! I have always enjoyed working on motorcycles, so usually buy something fairly cheap, and then fix it up to my requirements.  Since anything on two wheels is inherently unstable, I don't believe that owning a bike that you cannot afford to fall off is a practical proposition.  This story was originally published at:  http://www.realclassic.co.uk/opinionfiles/sparking-honda-ht-leads.html .  You will find the first 3 of my Paddock stories further down this page. Enjoy. ______ There weren’t many in the Paddock who had even a remote interest in Br...