Motorbikes

Sport

I have always loved motorcycles, their design and maintenance. I have ridden the same rusty old monster since 1978, an Italian Moto Guzzi 850 T3 (born on the edge of beautiful Lake Como at Mandello del Lario). It has a V-twin engine, bored out to 1000cc and weighs a very hefty 550lb. Anyone interested in Moto Guzzis should check out the websites of Moto Guzzi Club GB or the US Moto Guzzi Club for pictures and parts etc.

In order to recapture my youth, I have, in recent years, bought two further old classics! First is a Trumph Bonneville T140V, born in 1977 at the Meriden factory in Coventry. I have always loved British bikes but have unfortunately never owned one before - thanks to the lure of ebay that is now resolved! The 'bonnie' is perhaps the best known and most loved British bike ever made, and my new purchase is an absolute dream to ride (not as fast as the Guzzi but so much more nippy up until around 50mph). The Triumph Owners' Motor Cycle Club is one of the oldest and biggest motorcycle clubs in the world.

My second impetuous purchase on ebay is a true italian classic, a Moto Morini 3½ Sport. It is surely one of the most beautiful motorbikes ever made! This v-twin 350cc sport bike was manufactured between 1974 and 1983 and had many innovative features for its time (such as Heron cylinder heads). Mine was registered 1982 and is still in fine fettle. Moto Morini went out of business for a number of years, but reappeared in a new guise, as Morini Franco Motori spa, and released the Corsaro 1200 in 2004, followed by the 9½, the latter named in homage to its smaller predecessor. There is still a very active community of Morini riders in the UK and around the world. Check out the Morini Riders Club for details.

Unfortunately, my current positions allow me very little time to do anything other than research, teaching and administration these days! My only sports are running (slowly), walking and cycling. But, I do love watching all sports, especially athletics and cycling.

As to my sporting history, I have always run but started doing full marathons after I had turned 40. In all I have completed about 18 full marathons. I have also undertaken three longish distance walks/treks - Everest base camp (2009), Coat to Coast [St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay] (2010), and trekking in the French Pyrenees (2015).