Bray was one of the riders who reenacted the 1964 launch of the original Continental GT aboard new Royal Enfield Continental GTs May 10-11. It was a relay run from John O'Groats across Britain to Lands End. That's 900 miles in under 24 hours.
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| Royal Enfield Owners Club |
"The poor little bike was absolutely flat out all the way with me laying flat on the tank, elbows tucked in, my chin on the Sat Nav and the throttle wound as far back as it would go!" he writes.
But not far enough. He began to realize that the wire powering the heated grips had twisted around so much that it was tight, restricting the throttle opening. Bray refused to slow down to fix this.
What he did do, in the face of cold and wet weather, was twist the throttle until the electrical cable broke. Bray averaged 65 mph for his leg, and his was the first of the Continental GTs to arrive at Land's End.
His is typical of the stories you'll find in The Gun. Editor Robin Gillingham provides his own pleasant touches to a magazine that is, ultimately, reassuring to a foreign reader. Through good luck and adversity, you surmise, there will always be people who appreciate Royal Enfields.
Even the charming Chapter Reports repeatedly introduce us to people who "press on regardless" not only on vintage British motorcycles but through vintage British weather. Their reward, usually, is just satisfaction and a pint "of the dark stuff" at day's end.
You can join the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK online. There's a considerable discount if instead of a printed magazine you take it as an emailed pdf. That's how I get it.
Tom Bray on May 11, 2014 in Land's End, England.
"POOR LITTLE BIKE................." What's that about? RE builds a nicely designed, well-built dandy of a motorcycle, but alas with no cojones. Will you people in India wake up? I never want to read another motorcycle review that includes, "poor little bike." You expect people to pay money for this? Wake up and get real!!!
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