After my soul destroying saga with the Bantam at the Busy Bee I had vowed to return on something larger, of course back then you could ride anything as a learner but to go over the 250cc limit you had to have a combo, (a sidecar attached). So there I am with my new acquisition, a four port Ariel Square Four with the biggest sidecar in the world – honestly you could have fitted Les Dawson and all the Roly Polys in it and still had room for his piano.
Sheer days of fun, to load that monster up with the “boys,” yelling and shouting our way to the Bee on those warm summer evenings must have been an eye opener as we sped along from Uxbridge, seven up and flat out at 73 mph towards Denham. The times that I couldn`t stop that thing and bumped up amongst the flowers on the Denham roundabout was a regular event, or to approach left handers to find you’re not in a “pulling gear” to get you round the bend and end up in some poor sods garden after chickening out was also a regular occurrence much enjoyed by my death wish passengers.
The poor old gal eventually seized, was I up for a rebuild? no, I just dumped it in a field north of Watford. I was then seen buzzing around on another Bantam but this one was a racing Bantam, close box, high comp head, rear sets and clip-ons.

Saturdays usually meant the afternoons were spent at Pride & Clarkes to drool over bikes that I’d never own, and one that I did purchase from them that I wish I hadn’t owned. I got it “on the book” for £109 a Royal Enfield Super Meteor, I remember the day vividly from getting off the train at the Oval through to riding it home, well halfway anyway, it was such a heavy bike. I knew in the back of my mind as I pushed that heap of junk around the local counties that I will never ever buy anything other than a BSA in the future….
Then I bought an S7 Sunbeam, super to ride, so smooth with it`s fat tyre’s and unique hydraulic seat, but as for speed it was about as flat as a witches tit, eventually one of the conrods decided to exit the crankcase during a hammer home from The Manor at Camberly. I remember a chap called Mick calling at my house for the Sunbeam to whom I had offered it for free. As he pushed it up the path and out of my life I called out and said” how about half a dollar for a packet of fags, least you could do Mick”. He flicked me the half crown, I felt pleased that I actually got some money for it, mind you it was a bargain,,,13 pence!!!!
Anyway let me set this scene, the deal for (yet another) A10 combo has been struck, the money handed over, the previous owner telling me to check the oil, chains and tyre’s regular, I agree excitedly, we shake hands and I’m off again. I remember this bike quite well, (later square barrel plunger), removing the sidecar body and with slats of wood and u bolts, transforming into a somewhat uncomfortable magic carpet for my many eager friends that wished to try their hands at sidecar racing around the north circular. Goodness me, what would the old William say if they saw a sight like that today, me hanging into the chassis and my passenger leaning and clinging on to a somewhat rusty mudguard as we tackled yet another left hander,,Chris Vincent lives!!!! A trick of one particular passenger was to exit the chassis before it came to a stop, by stepping off as if it was a bus service, mind you by the time I parked up he’d be seated in the cafe with the coffees already purchased. His name was Roger, his folks said I led him astray at times, he was in a right bad smash back then on his Matchless, I must tell you about it….