CUMBRIAN INVADERS

CMM reader Phil Graham offered our Pip the chance to ride his two classic Suzuki two-strokes – here’s what happened (it was a bit damp…)

- PIP HIGHAM

It's not very often that anybody asks me if I want to have a go on their bikes; come on, I'm not quite the safe pair of hands I used to be. No, hang on, I've never been a safe pair of hands, ever.

So when I got the offer of a blast on CMM reader Philip Graham’s Invader I was well up for it. Back in't day we sold Invaders, Super Sixes, Bloops and the occasional water-cooled (GT750s of various designations) out of our little kennel in sunny Salford. We also used T200 engines in racing karts for a little while, unbreakable and pretty quick.

And so to Cumbria, to visit Phil for a gander at the little gem. Pulling up at his place we heard those most welcome words: “Fancy a brew?”

As we supped our tea and had a look at Phil's bikes, it was clear that this trip would be about much more than an amble around on a near 50-year-old bike, this would be about a very exceptional bloke. Let me explain.

Phil had a pretty bad experience 40-odd years ago, ironically on a similar T200. I won't go into too much detail but he was given up for dead by the first responder. That was until he asked in a loud voice why he was being covered up with an old blanket. The aftermath of the accident left Phil battered, and it was almost 20 years before his passion for riding fired up again. He jumped through a few hoops to get his entitlement to ride, then bought himself a T500 which he rode the wheels off, and he hasn't stopped since. His rides put me to shame.

He's ridden to the North Cape, and to Eastern Europe and – well – he's done lots.