A sad and disturbing column in the Nov 2016 issue of Cycle World. Egan writes about suffering a mild stroke while attempting to kick start his restored Norton Commando. The event is told with Egan’s humor: “The Commando probably sensed from my tone that I meant business. Big mistake. I was soon to learn that you should never threaten a Norton.” After recovering, Egan takes the Norton on a ride, stalls, and has a difficult time restarting the motorcycle. The Norton is sold. Egan orders a new electric-start Triumph T-120 the next day.
Bet we can all relate to Egan’s challenge. My Yamaha SR/XT’s and two old Triumphs didn’t give me much trouble, but a Honda XL-250 reduced me to a quivering mass of jelly on several occasions.