Meet Vi, with sidecar

Riding Vie as its own excitement and rewards. She can be little temperamental and insist that I get a starting order the way she wants it. If I forget, she's quite likely to tell me by firing on the wrong stroke and giving my right foot quite a hard tap to remind me.

I can remember one ride to Matlock bath I parked Betsy with all the other bikes turned her off and went to get the regulation fish and chips. When I returned and it was time to start group of riders walking down the pavement and said oh he's only got a kick start there's no way that's going to start and stood there watching.

Swinging out the kickstart press the decompressor gently press the starter over top dead centre release the compression lever leant down and whispered to Vie, come on girl let's show them let's show them how you can start first time.

With the chalk set I gave a firm but flowing press to the to the kickstart, the bikers laughed because at first they didn't think she'd started but Ivy knew different. With a slow thud, thud, thud gradually getting faster I fell out engine burst into life.

I could swear the headlight gave little glimmer as she smiled.