(For anyone around here who still remembers me...or recognizes JBP's awesomeness...)
How many of you realize that JBP hasn't always pedaled to where he's been?
Long ago on RM, when I was dreaming of motorcycles but really into mountain bikes, there was a thread about some motorcycles, and JPB posted a pic of the absolutely mind-blowing, rare, British bike he bought new in 1965.
It meant little to me at the time, knowing nothing. Long story short, I went through a long, transformative experience buying and rebuilding a Royal Enfield in India, and then re-rebuilding it in Africa. JBP observed this through a variety of means, and ultimately decided I'd be a worthy caretaker for his machine, a Matchless G15-CS.
Fitting for a then-future mountain biker, this was a British manufacturer's effort to create a factory-stock desert racer in the 60s...a massive engine evolved for the decidedly non-British American market stuffed into the smallest offroad frame they could, to do things unthinkable on the British Isles. John bought it new, and rode it a ton before ultimately doing a moderate restoration in the late 90s, then letting it sit. It was complete and running when parked, just suffering from the age that eroded a few things like the capacitor in the magneto.
I picked the bike up from JBP while on leave from Africa, then obtained the necessary familial approvals, and began the process of getting it on the road again. Many moves and personal complications stood in the way.
If you want to know the exact ins and outs, this is a good place to look; otherwise, know I had to get the magneto rebuilt and carbs resleeved, then opted to reversing the shift pattern to match my other Brit bike (they shift with right foot, but wanted both to end up as 1-down patterns) and replace the wet clutch with a full, belt-driven dry primary.
(I was a bicycle home mechanic before I got my Royal Enfield...now I'm half-decent with old Brit motorcycles, too!)
So sparing the gory mechanical details and intervening 5 years or so, now we're here:
The chance to own and ride this bike is amazing. It's a piece of history, both personal and automotive. JBP provided a wealth of original documents with it, which are as interesting as the bike to pore over. (And leak less oil, while being less fun to actually ride.)
Just thought I'd share.
I don't MTB like I used to, for many reasons, but will be out on the trail this Sunday and am looking forward to it! Moving to El Salvador in spring, and hoping to suss out good local trails there, too. I know there are big tours and stuff, but I anticipate finding things off the beaten path...
Also uncovered in the wealth of documents today, the best one:
Soon to be mailed home to JBP.
-Mike
How many of you realize that JBP hasn't always pedaled to where he's been?
Long ago on RM, when I was dreaming of motorcycles but really into mountain bikes, there was a thread about some motorcycles, and JPB posted a pic of the absolutely mind-blowing, rare, British bike he bought new in 1965.
It meant little to me at the time, knowing nothing. Long story short, I went through a long, transformative experience buying and rebuilding a Royal Enfield in India, and then re-rebuilding it in Africa. JBP observed this through a variety of means, and ultimately decided I'd be a worthy caretaker for his machine, a Matchless G15-CS.
Fitting for a then-future mountain biker, this was a British manufacturer's effort to create a factory-stock desert racer in the 60s...a massive engine evolved for the decidedly non-British American market stuffed into the smallest offroad frame they could, to do things unthinkable on the British Isles. John bought it new, and rode it a ton before ultimately doing a moderate restoration in the late 90s, then letting it sit. It was complete and running when parked, just suffering from the age that eroded a few things like the capacitor in the magneto.
I picked the bike up from JBP while on leave from Africa, then obtained the necessary familial approvals, and began the process of getting it on the road again. Many moves and personal complications stood in the way.
If you want to know the exact ins and outs, this is a good place to look; otherwise, know I had to get the magneto rebuilt and carbs resleeved, then opted to reversing the shift pattern to match my other Brit bike (they shift with right foot, but wanted both to end up as 1-down patterns) and replace the wet clutch with a full, belt-driven dry primary.
(I was a bicycle home mechanic before I got my Royal Enfield...now I'm half-decent with old Brit motorcycles, too!)
So sparing the gory mechanical details and intervening 5 years or so, now we're here:
The chance to own and ride this bike is amazing. It's a piece of history, both personal and automotive. JBP provided a wealth of original documents with it, which are as interesting as the bike to pore over. (And leak less oil, while being less fun to actually ride.)
Just thought I'd share.
I don't MTB like I used to, for many reasons, but will be out on the trail this Sunday and am looking forward to it! Moving to El Salvador in spring, and hoping to suss out good local trails there, too. I know there are big tours and stuff, but I anticipate finding things off the beaten path...
Also uncovered in the wealth of documents today, the best one:
Soon to be mailed home to JBP.
-Mike
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