Feature : norman magowan
These days , back home in the Western world , motorcycling has largely become a leisurely pastime . We mostly ride for fun , a bit of escapism , companionship on a club ride out . Oh I know there are a few die-hards who ride all year round , using the bike to commute , but the point is we don ’ t really have to as we are so surrounded by infrastructure stuffed with tubes and trains , buses and taxis and we can always take the car if the weather is really that bad . We can even walk via pedestrian-only areas or cycle to many places using dedicated cycle-lanes , all free from the hassle of motor traffic . To ride your motorcycle you must first be trained and licensed , the bike must be road worthy to a government standard ; mechanically sound with working lights , indicators , horn and so forth . Rules of the road are decreed and enforced to ensure your safety and that of other road users . But answer me this ; would you take your two-year-old daughter down to the shops on your bike , plonked on the tank , wedged between your arms ? Maybe get the missus on the back , sidesaddle in a dress with your four-year-old son further wedged between the pair of you ? Oh and don ’ t anyone bother with helmets … Or what about nipping down the hardware store , pick up a fifteenfoot ladder and then ride home thirty miles , through traffic , with it slung over your shoulder ? Chances are if you attempted any of the above you would be arrested and banned from driving for a considerable period of time to protect both yourself , your family and members of the public from the perceived harm likely to result .
Yet on our great ride east we are daily encountering people using small motorcycles , or ‘ wee bikes ’ as we call them in Northern Ireland , as described above and more . The reason is simple ; they have to . They don ’ t have our infrastructure / money / alternative means for getting around or the controls . Instead they ride their ‘ wee bikes ’ out of sheer necessity . Ubiquitous cheap motorcycles , 100 – 150cc for the most part , simple to run and maintain , easy to fix when they go wrong . The latest ‘ Touratank ’ catalogue won ’ t even begin to compete with the modifications and alterations available for these wee Chinese / Japanese / Indian made bikes as they are adapted to local needs . Four on a bike – why not five , six or more ? In fact why not make it pay by adding a passenger-carrying appendage and call it a tuk-tuk ? Now load up with seven , eight , nine and more … And the ladder ? Why not add a trailer or sidecar and carry the rest of your building supplies as well ?