Tommo's

I got into bikes when I was around 15yrs old. A friend of a brother had a trial bike (make and model not known) and I used to sit pillion on it as he raced the local woods and boggy lands of Clyne common near Swansea. It was out of the way and as we never bothered anybody, nobody bothered us. The first memory of coming off was when he went into a rut and I grounded my feet, the bike went down and I was left standing. The momentum sent me forward head first into the muddy water of the rut. Painless but what a state I looked, some people would say I’ve not changed!
Loads of kids took bikes there and whilst wandering around friends and I found a beat up old Yamaha FS1E. It bumped easily and for weeks we rode around the course others had made. We hid it in the woods away from where we found it. Our parents would do there nuts if they knew.

Well it was years later in fact I was 22 years old passed my driving test but couldn’t afford a car when I saw an ad for a FS1E. Cheap and reliable I bought it and rode it a full car licence as it was a moped. I then got the bug again and went on to pass on a Suzuki GS125 a neat little four stroke, it even told you what gear you were in! Novel.
I had just been accepted into the police and was riding through the Devon Country Lanes when I hit some gravel going round a bend and hey presto I was lying on the road and my bike stuck up in them damn high hedges they have down there. I was shaken and a bit bruised and with the help of a local passing farmer we got the front of the bike out and I continued gingerly to meet my wife at the in-laws. We had also started a family and while the bike was fun it wasn't practical and I couldn't afford to keep that and a car so the bike went. When I started in the police service I was flush with cash but couldn't afford much so a Yamaha T80 Townmate commuter twist n go it was. A nice little shaft drive, economical I could count the times I refuelled it on one hand but as for street cred?

Whilst working from Uppingham Rd nick I purchased a BMW R45 boxer from Mick Bell at Evington for those who remember him. I loved the idea of the shaft drive, especially after a couple of years of playing around with the chain on the Suzuki. And I liked the twin. It was a comfy bike but lacked guts.
However it was affordable, and I toured round Scotland on it for a week when I caught shingles and was signed off by the doctor for a week. Could you believe the Sgt gave me a bollocking for sending the shift a post card from John O’Groats! … It wasn’t like I enjoyed it as it rained almost every day and I had to wear the one piece suit. Good way of stopping me from scratching them Shingle spots tho’.

As with a lot of bikers who start families, living out in the stix meant we needed two cars to ferry the kids around as we worked funny hours and a bike was impracticable and an unaffordable luxury. Eventually our eldest moved up to the senior school and was able to get the school bus. Yamaha were doing a good deal on a XV535 Virago so hey presto I was back on two wheels. Again I was on the open road. I used the bike as my main means of transport and rode about with the local VSOC chapter. I was piling on the miles and at thirty thou in two and bit years it was starting to look shabby.

Also the salt was not good for the chrome and when I took the bike in for some work to be done on the clutch I was offered first refusal on the XJS900 Diversion. It seemed the best thing to do, the lads had kept it for me for a week and even had to turn down offers from others as they knew it was what I needed. It was part chopped that very day. They even sold my bike whilst I was out arranging the finance on the balance, so every one was happy. The Divvie is a workhorse and it was getting caught twice in snow storms that I have had either the front end or the back end put me back on my ass. Luckily I was travelling slowly so I wasn’t even bruised, broken indicators and clutch lever was the worst. One thing I didn’t like about the bike was the expense of replacing the collector box on the exhaust. Thanks to Remus, a stainless 4 in to 1 was the remedy and it’s paid for itself over the years now. I had the Divvie from 8 mths old with just over a thousand miles on her. She’s now got over 60,000 and looking very shabby. The rack is twisted as I had tied some rope around the rack to pull out a shrub stump out of my mothers garden. Every thing else is fine it’s just cosmetic.

I’ve got a mate who owns a HD V-Rod VRSA and fell in love with the looks. Have you seen how much them things cost tho’ and then there’s all the extras. I really fancy the new Night Rod version in Denim Black. However being that new I could never afford it and justify the expense. So I decided that after the Triumph factory tour with the Blue Knights that I should look at British. Either a Speedmaster or an American. They’d been around for a while and so I got a copy of MCN and checked the classifieds that when I saw it. All blacked out. Brand new for this year was the midnight version. 1700 cc of pure muscle hot rod breed. It looked like a dog and smells like a dog and even barks like a dog. I was in love. After the test ride I wanted one. I even test rode the Night rod as well the same day… It had to be the Yamaha Midnight Warrior, £6000 cheaper and labour, parts and accessories are again cheaper. This was it I made a few enquiries but was told I’d have to wait six to eight weeks for delivery. Another stockist said they had the last one in the country, and I could take delivery of it in a week’s time. My wife Jan even thinks it’s sexy and loves the rocking vibes when pillion. I have stuck a tailgunner exhaust it looks and sounds the business and I have christianed the Bike THOR "God of Thunder"