Sir, – It was the summer of 69. I was living in Meath but had sojourned to my Kerry relations for the season. My late uncle was a petrol head.
A somewhat decrepit Honda 50 was lodged in his shed and we agreed on a price. I travelled the 200 miles home on it, king of the road. My blissful 16-year-old head equated that trip with a transcontinental odyssey.
Colm Keena gets it close to correct when he writes “being young and on a motorbike is one of life’s great pleasures” (“Thrifty 50: Colm Keena on his nifty Honda 50″, An Irish Diary, April 1st).
Now on the high side of 70 and having a wee collection of motorbikes that includes a Honda 50, I can speak with a degree of authority. Being old and on a motorbike is one of life’s great pleasures – whether crossing counties or continents. A car transports the body, but a motorcycle moves the soul. - Yours, etc,
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GERRY CHRISTIE,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.
