‘The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles’

I’M STANDING OUTSIDE A CLASSIC bike showroom with my helmet and gloves on, eager to go, while a mechanic polishes an immaculate SS80 to even more of a shine. Those are strangely nervous few moments. I’ve wanted to ride a Brough Superior for years and now that the moment has almost arrived, I’m convinced that something is going to prevent the test from happening.

There is really no reason to be so apprehensive. The bike has been fully restored and looks in fantastic condition. I’ve been told it is mine for the afternoon and have my route all worked out in my head. All right, so it’s a rare and lovely bike, it was built way back in the last century, and it’s worth a small fortune. But I’ve tested rarer and even more valuable race bikes and haven’t felt this nervous beforehand. Even the weather is on my side because there’s hardly a cloud in the sky.