ERIC WALKER
I joined the Greenwich Club in 1950, the year I bought my first motorcycle,
a Triumph Speed Twin. Price £210 plus £18 for the sprung hub. Two years later,
two up, I went down through France to the Med. Government restriction on money going
out of the country meant my allowance was £30. Half way through France, the rear
tyre sidewalls were cracking showing the inner canvas (a common fault with Dunlop
at this time). We took the back wheel out, split my spare tube and wrapped it around
the inner tube, put the wheel back and off we went. In the south of France, I managed
to get a new tyre, a Pirelli for an English five pound note.
The Speed Twin was
followed by a Norton 88 Featherbed. Various other bikes owned include a 250 B.S.A.
another Triumph, a CB550 Honda, RD350 Yamaha and my present bike, a GPZ500 Kawasaki.
Oh! and a hybrid that I built in the early eighties, a 350 Triumph/Greeves. (See
Classic Motor Cycle July 2000). In 1953 I had the dubious honour of becoming the
Clubs Cup Steward looking after our Trophies. I am still the Cup Steward. The previous
two both emigrated, that seems to be the only way of losing the job.
I was one
of the group of marshals at Brands Hatch for a number of years before assisting at
machine examining then on to become a Scrutineer.
