Chris was brought up in a mechanical family where his father was always tinkering with clocks and engines, and Chris inherited his love of all things mechanical from him. Where he gained his love of motorcycles is anyone's guess! Chris's first bikes were a Vespa 125 and a Lambretta SX200 at the tender age of 13, followed by a Raleigh Runabout, and then his first 'real' bike - a Casal moped (a rather cheap version of the Yamaha FS1E, made in Portugal) when he was 16. He bought a BSA Starfire 250 when he turned 17 - the first bike he ever rebuilt that went again afterwards! After a short dalliance with a Suzuki Rebel 350 he bought the love of his life - a 1954 Matchless 350 GLS Heavyweight single that he stripped down and turned into a bobber/chopper and this remained his sole means of transport for many years. Sadly, that bike was stolen, and after rebuilding a Triumph T100 for a friend he purchased a Triumph Bonneville T140, which was duly rebuilt and pressed into service. Later, he bought two Triumph Tridents, a 1973 T150V and a 1975 T160 which he completely restored from the ground up, and formed the basis of his book 'Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket III Restoration Manual,' which was very well received. Since then he has gained a wealth of experience working on and riding Triumph Tridents and BSA Rocket IIIs.
