dpc7

I'd recommend the Stylmartin Impact boots RRP £199 http://www.stylmartin.it/prodotti/offroad/

I'm a total newcomer to Pre-65, in fact I haven't even ridden in one yet but I've just bought a Cub which I'm getting ready. I'm in my early 50's and as a teenager owned a Greeves Anglian, that's what sparked my interest again now, the fatal browsing on eBay for a bike from my youth. I don't know if it's a declining scene with falling entries or not. I visited a Yorkshire Classic club trial and everyone seemed very friendly and there looked to be a good entry. Nobody seemed very keen on the Greeves Anglian but there were plenty of guys there who knew a lot about Cubs. I love the aesthetics of the Cub and spotted one which floated my boat on eBay and purchased it. It's not a tricked up Armac or Evo Cub just a very nice old bike. The owner was a VMCC member and he told me that the previous owner had built it to a high standard to Scottish regs many years ago. I think it looks great and like it the way it is. My expectations of my own riding ability are very low and for me this was one of the key attractions of Pre-65, they offer easier routes at the events and whilst there are some excellent riders there it isn't an overly competitive scene if you don't want it to be. I felt it was something I could have a go at without seriously injuring myself or making a total dick of myself (remains to be seen!). It appears be a friendly, unintimidating and fun. I am not in the least bit worried that somebody is riding a fantastic Armac or Evo Cub, they look superb, yes they have the geometry of a modern bike and the only Pre-65 bit left may be the crankcases, but if that's what you want and there's a class for it, what's wrong with it? I didn't see these non-standard bikes as a barrier. To me the more bikes the merrier, let's just have different classes and sections with differing levels of difficulty. Put a good rider on my comparatively standard looking Cub and I'm sure he'd do well, put me on a tricked up Cub and I'd still be cr@p. I'm looking for enjoyment and fun. I suppose there may be a danger of dwindling entries as the average age of the riders increases. It isn't just Pre-65 where the average age is increasing this is common to all of motorcycling with very few young people getting on two wheels these days (have you seen how complicated it is to pass a bike test these days?). If entries are falling I am not sure it is the regulations that are putting people off, more likely just the average age of the riders increasing. The classic bike scene (road bikes at least) is very healthy and whilst a lot of people gravitate towards the bikes of their youth there are a lot of people buying classic bikes from an era earlier than their youth. I think the regulations need to be inclusive not exclusive. Keep the events attractive to differing levels of riders, Have different classes according to the level of modifications. Offer easy routes and hard routes. That may be an over-simplistic and naive view, but being new to this I wasn't dissuaded from having a go because somebody may be riding an expensive and highly modified machine. I can appreciate and enjoy seeing a highly modified machine as well as a nicely prepared more standard machine. I'm not out to win any prizes and I suspect most newcomers would be the same.