Goodbye & thank you
Editor 2009-2018
BEST BIKES RIDDEN
It’s hard to choose because there have been so many, but in terms of standard road bikes it’d have to be the Honda NR750 (issue 63). It wasn’t that fast and, like me, was too big and soft to be a really sweet handler. But for the sound, the quality, and experience nothing comes close.
For best special, I can’t pick just one because the level of build quality, ingenuity and sheer wow factor that’s gone into some of the builds we’ve featured has been off the chart. If I had to pick three it’d be James Mansfield’s stage-3 powered 2Moto framed Rothmans NSR500 replica (Issue 58). Outrageously good – best two-stroke I’ve ever ridden. Others that I’d dearly love in my garage are Steve Elliott’s fabulous Yoshimura replica Suzuki GS1200SS (Issue 96) and Michael Peterson’s Rainey replica RC24 Honda (Issue 127), built by Canadian genius Darren Begg. Both outstanding builds.
Best trips
Dublin VJMC Bike Show, 2018
Big G and I went to the Dublin VJMC Bike Show in 2018 while MG, Alan and Damo were off doing the Taffy Dakar-Rally. We got the better deal, drinking our own body weight in Guinness (for Gary, that’s enough to refill the river Liffey. Twice), laughed like drains and met brilliant people who we’d not normally bump into at a UK event.
Watching pissed PS readers greet Gary as the magazine’s owner – and treat him with appropriate reverence, gifting him biscuits and cakes – still makes me chuckle, even to this day.
Manx GP, 2018
Gary’s attempt to send a pic of our impressive guest home to his better half was ruined when he discovered that the image Jacki was about to open on her phone contained the altogether less impressive spectacle of MG flashing his appendage from the upstairs bathroom window…
1st International Classic Superbike Show, Netherlands, 2009
PS wasn’t yet a thing when Gary and I drove across the Channel, with mate Chris Tombleson, to attend this show specially for old superbikes, and specifically AMA replica builds. But it captured the spirit of what would become the mag. We took a van full of air-cooled Suzukis and Kawasakis, then spent two nights pissed to the gills camping in a bike shop car park.
We met an excellent crowd of like-minded Dutch, German, French and Scandinavian loons who shared our passion for air-cooled fours as well as strong Continental lager. After each night on the ale, Big G’s snoring – normally 7 on the Richter scale – was absolutely off the chart. Locals are still traumatized by it to this day.
Scottish Bike Show, 2014 Big G and I attended this show thanks to the help of PS friend and our north of the border correspondent Archie Milligan (whose restored VF500F and brilliant h
