What type of motorcycle rider are you?
At first glance, this may seem to be a relatively simple question. Maybe you like to run for miles and stop only for fuel, or to pee, or to grab a bite to eat in a hurry. Or maybe you would prefer to wander in the woods and explore new paths, and maybe you would rather get home by dinner time and maybe you might not. It is all good!
Both of the examples above (and of course, there are countless examples we could probably give) involve riding your bike. Note that I haven’t specified any type or brand of bike; this is the only one Yours Bike. Because really, at the end of the day, that’s the part that matters. It’s your bike, and you’re enjoying it however you want.
Anyway, the reason I’m publicly musing on all this is because I don’t know about you, but I really appreciate it when motorcycles, even if they’re very historic or special, actually get obsessed. I don’t need to be the one riding them, and I’m not going to speak publicly to anyone who would want to put them away somewhere so they’ll be safe for future generations.
But it really does bring an extra glimmer of happiness to know that someone is out there. actually ride A very special motorcycle, and it’s helping it do the job it was designed for. This is one reason I really appreciate people like Matt Voxler and the Wheels Through Time Museum; They bill themselves as walking museums, and aren’t afraid to go the extra mile to restore completely historic (and sometimes one-of-a-kind) machines, even if they haven’t been run for decades.
Across the pond, it looks like Britain’s National Motorcycle Museum has sold Alan Millard’s V10 Viper Custom to a longtime supporter who plans to do exactly the same. His name is Tim Whittaker, and his background is in automotive engineering. and in fact, He told the Federation British Historic Vehicle Clubs What exactly inspired him to own this incredible piece of motorcycle history?
“When I saw the V10 Viper for the first time a few years ago, I immediately recognized that I was looking at an incredible feat of engineering. With my background in automotive engineering, I simply couldn’t believe that one person had designed and built something so extraordinary. When I heard it was coming up for auction, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I didn’t want to see such an iconic motorcycle disappear into a private collection. It deserves to be driven and enjoyed, and I look forward to learning how to ride it properly from Alan.
“I am incredibly proud to be its next custodian. Importantly, I am delighted that it will stay in the UK and that I can loan it to the National Motorcycle Museum during the winter months so that visitors can enjoy this remarkable machine.”
Indeed, wouldn’t the next owner of such a magnificent machine be everything you could hope for? I mean, Milliard himself built it for the ride, and he racked up over 10,000 miles taking it everywhere he went before he finally decided it was time to let it go. You might consider the idea of a Viper V10-powered motorcycle to be more than a little crazy, and that’s a fair assessment; But one thing you can’t say for sure about it is that it’s all pretend and there’s no moving forward.
And this is, seriously, the perfect way to end this sales story. Of course, it raised £130,000 (about US$173,000 at the time of writing) for the UK National Motorcycle Museum, which is also good news. Speaking as someone in the US, I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that the museum will unfortunately be healthier than our National Motorcycle Museum.
As someone who has gone through motorcycle training before, I certainly wonder what the learning process would be like to understand the intricacies of riding this machine. Don’t know if its new owner has any plans to document its journey via video, but if he feels compelled to share it on YouTube it would certainly make for some excellent viewing. no pressure; Video editing takes a lot of time and effort, but I think there will definitely be an audience for such a special bike.
