OWNING UP
Most of us will be aware of the ‘neo retro’ genre which has crept up on us over the last few years. It’s a neat marketing term that just describes a new bike which looks like an old bike – simple. Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson have been successfully doing it… since forever. These machines mostly favour the looks of British twins from 1950s and 60s, with tubular frames, telescopic front and swinging arm rear suspension, spoked 18/19-inch wheels, dualseats and all with a similar wheelbase.
To my old eyes (and I assume most of yours: the average age of readership is 62 years) this format looks just right, being the aspirational object of our formative years. At that time I could have easily slipped into a life of crime for a black and ivory ’58 Triumph T110, but I thought again and bought a used Triumph T21 on HP instead.
The first retro bike to hit all the right styling cues for me was and still is the Kawasaki W650 from 1999, quickly followed in 2001 by the Hinckley Bonneville range. Royal Enfield were spot-on with the later Continental
