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Then & Now Ian Hunter Editor: This article was first published in T.U.G. in 2016. It is being reprinted in memory of Ian, who unfortunately died recently. My association with motorcycles since 1956 has been an intermittent affair (“on & off” wouldn’t be the right phrase to use here). I learned to ride along the banks of the River Roding at Wanstead on a pal’s 125cc Bantam. During my last year at school I was the only one to attend by powered vehicle. It was a 25.7cc Cyclemaster motorised wheel that replaced the rear wheel of my pedal cycle. It had a throttle lever on the right handlebar, a sort of disengagement (clutch) on the left. I did a lot of miles on that. Cycle brakes in those days weren’t very clever either!
I later bought my friend’s Bantam and took my test on it at Leytonstone in 1955– a few times round the block and an emergency stop when I saw the examiner step into the road holding up his clipboard! That BSA did me proud as I rode it very regularly from Romford to Huntingdon during my two years’ National Service in the R.A.F. Changing spark plug & magneto points was a regular fix for problems. On moving to Colchester in 1961, after some time with a NSU Quickly moped I became a full time ‘cager’ with an Austin Somerset, followed by a Ford Zephyr 4. About 1965 I bought a 1959 700cc Royal Enfield Constellation or Meteor with a double adult chair attached. A great outfit, my three young daughters in the sidecar and their mother on the pillion. This was our sole means of transport for some time. (See old photo) After that it was a 1949 Austin 16 – wow- leather seats (cracked & split!) huge headlamps,
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