I wonder how many people have bought a Norton Commando because it looked good, started in the seller's driveway on the second or third kick and sounded like rolling thunder on a summer evening. I wonder how many of those people got their purchase home only to find out that they made a huge mistake and after a short time, decided to get rid. I wonder also how many of those people joined the Norton Owners Club, because they thought that the club would be able to answer any problems that might crop up in the future only to discover that the biggest problem became the lack of readies to fund what became 'the project'.
I intend to use this blog to lift the murky veil from the eyes of those who might think that buying a classic bike that looks and sounds a million euros is going to be a pathway to everlasting satisfaction.
There is every chance that it will empty your wallet and cause you to tear your hair out. You may curse the person you bought it off and dream of throwing bricks in his general direction.
It is however a fact that if you buy it for the right reasons and have the right intentions and allow your brain to rule your heart at the purchase point, your face will be wreathed in smiles for years to come.
I know these things cause I've been there. My Commando does serious miles and its not the only one. People who do serious miles on classic bikes tend to know each other and when we meet bikers who stare at us as if we are from another planet, because they don't believe we have come so far on something they wouldn't take to the bottom of the garden path; that's when our smiles are at their widest.
So please watch this space and who knows, you might just find a smidge of comfort here after you've kicked the shed door closed and cursed the day your heart ever heard that rolling thunder on a summer evening.
