Page 44 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)
P. 44
BRAD PETHERS
As an impoverished uni student
in Toowoomba in 1970, I took
up a mate’s offer to resurrect his
old barn-stored Excelsior for the
princely sum of $2 including
delivery back to my place.
A questionably sympathetic strip-
down and rebuild
using all the old F N
parts with some
basic repairs and My first bike, bought in partnership a mate
a lovely brush when I was not quite 17, was a very grotty
paint job resulted 1939 B23 BSA 350cc side-valve that had
in a functional been left standing out in the weather. Lots of
bike. The 197cc bits were either missing or non-operational
Villiers two- – front brake, generator, headlight, carby
stroke propelled tickler and much else – but it always started
it up most hills first kick. A bloke watching me break off a
(the Toowoomba
range road was grass stem to tickle the carby one day said
a challenge) and it was very it wouldn’t go first kick: he still owes me the
reliable as a consequence of it only 1000 casket tickets – I might be able to claim
having about three moving parts. against his estate!
It was stored away after I got I don’t have a photo of it, but I bought
a cadetship and I scored a new a nicely restored B23 in later years just
Honda CB350, but the Excelsior was because it was identical to my first bike. It
dragged back into service in 1972 reminded me of how bad the first bike was
when the oil crisis forced petrol and was sold without me even registering it.
rationing and I found it would run My first (and only) girlfriend is still around
on kerosene. It needed a downhill having been my wife for the past 61 years.
run to start when cold but kicked Military bikes from WWII were plentiful and
over easily when hot. I can still relatively cheap during my apprenticeship mid-1950s and I managed to track it down
remember the looks on the faces of years, which started less than 10 years after and get it back in 1980. I restored it about
the queued car drivers when I rode the war ended. They were simple and robust, five years ago. ‘Then and Now’ photos show
past up to the home kerosene tank easy to keep going for me with my very myself and first girlfriend/wife.
and got the attendant to fill it up. limited mechanical skills.
After that, I’d throw in some oil John Finnigan,
and away I went in a fog of blue A 741 Indian was my second bike in the owenjohnof36@bigpond.com
smoke that would make a WWII
destroyer smoke screen look
amateurish. If only Extinction Y OUR FIRS T S
Rebellion had been around then!
The old Excelsior never stopped
running and was sold to a new home My first (and only) girlfriend is still around
after I finished university.
Brad Pethers, Artarmon, NSW having been my wife for the past 61 years
44 MOTORCYCLE TRADER
