SOME MACHINES TRULY DO STAND OUT IN MY memory. It’s a little strange how my memory works, too, in case you wondered. If I remember where I rode the bike, then I tend to remember riding it better. I often borrow machinery from a few friends in the Trade and then ride them on the same route. This has several advantages, not least that it’s easy to compare different machines. The big downside is that when I look back some years later, I remember the ride but not the bike. You may be able to imagine how many Triumph 650 and 750 twins I’ve ridden since starting out in 1988 or so. It’s a lot.
However, all that said, I have only ridden two Norton Nomads in my entire life, on the same day in the same place. Remembering them is therefore easy – and they were both utterly outstanding machines too, which certainly helps.
Norton Nomad? Never heard of it? This isn’t entirely surprising, to be fair. When Anthony Curzon invited me to take a spin on his truly glorious Nomads, I needed to repair to the Big Boys’ Books Of British Bikes to find out what on earth a Nomad is. Or was. Or whatever. And Anthony inhabits a southerly outpost of the great London metropolis, whereas I wallow around in North Cornwall, so sorting the logistics was going to be a challenge. Except… Anthony remarked that he would have the bikes on display at a classic bike show in Ardingly, West Sussex, where we actually hosted a magazine stand and so would be available to admire his bikes.
And this, gentle reader, is how I found myself on a gloriously sunny Sussex afternoon sitting astride a bike I knew almost nothing about.
This isn’t entirely true, of course. I am
