However, on his previous model he ventured as far afield as Holland, in order to take part in the aptly-named Old Timers Rally. Did he have similar plans for this bike?
“No,” he admitted. “I came from our home in Liphook today, about 30 miles away, and that’s far enough!”
Finally, I turned the conversation to maintenance – usually the bane of any classic bike owner’s life.
“There’s always something to do to it, nothing major, just adjustments and check the oils,” George said. “But no big works, it doesn’t need it, they were pretty reliable engines.”
“We have put a belt primary drive on it, because it was chain, which need constant adjustment and leaked oil everywhere, so we’ve done the belt conversion and also converted it to 12 volt – it was 6 volt. That was a winter project, as it doesn’t go far in the winter.”
And any future work planned, I asked, mentioning how popular these bikes are becoming among customisation workshops?
Laughing, the 67-year-old admitted that wasn’t the scene for him. “I’m just going to leave it as it is,” he said. “Make sure it starts, keeps running, and doesn’t break down…”
Photography by James Lynch.