The guy only wanted sixty quid for it and it was still running. It was a ’59 model, with the large mudguards, big headlamp and dumpy styled tank. The money changed hands and I burbled off into the distance, or urban Southampton if you insist on being realistic. It went up to about 50mph without any trouble, then all hell broke loose, the handlebars and footrests shook, the petrol tank thrummed and the front wheel started skating around.
This was going to be fun, I thought. Reasoning that it'd smooth out if I accelerated through the vibration patch. No such luck, it just got worse and worse. Back down to just under 50mph and it smoothed out. It felt like a CBX1000 in comparison at lower revs.
I pulled back the front brake lever, beginning to panic as pressure increased and it made no effect on retardation. Down through the gearbox, stamp on the rear brake and it sort of skidded to a halt. Half width SLS drums were not the things good braking were made of, although the engine braking could be quite effective you just had to plan ahead.
A hundred yards from home, the silencer fell off. The Cub sounded like a grass tracker strung out on full power. The silencer was rusted through and beyond repair. No problem, though, I had a couple of old megaphones in the garage. The next morning it refused to start. One look at the wiring solved that problem talk about bodging, a mess of Sellotape and bits of strange wire. I tore it all out and spent a pleasant Saturday rewiring the bike properly - the other half wasn’t very amused as she’d assumed we were going shopping.
There was plenty of compression and a nasty tendency to kick back. A quick check of the contact breakers revealed points that were loose and worn. But the bike still started so I was able to run down to the local British bike shop with my new steed. With the ignition sorted the bike ran rather well up to 60mph, then power disappeared and the vibes came in. The brakes were frightening and I dug out some forks and wheel off a Triumph 5TA. These took a week to fit but it was worth the effort as the weaves had all but disappeared and the front brake actually had an effect. Fuel was very good 80 to 110mpg depending on riding conditions. The old Avons still stuck to the road and didn’t appear to wear.
I did 8000 miles in a year, mostly weekend and evening stuff with the occasional run to work to impress my colleagues. I never had to take the head off or touch the engine. I did do regular maintenance and changed the oil every 1000 miles. I’ve stripped down most of the old fashioned bits on the Cub, replacing them with later items that look much more sporting. It now looks A1.
So far I’ve spent a total of £125 on the bike and it looks worth a lot, lot more. Some guy offered me £400 for it the other day but I wasn’t willing to sell it. I have been thinking of buying another Cub for bits as they are becoming rare and expensive, but have not yet come across any more at £60, so this may have to suffice.
Alex Worth