Well I decided to go down in age when I have a birthday, when I turned 40 was when I decided to go back down in age instead of going up that was 25 years ago last birthday I hit 15 again and 2 years before that I was 17 the age I brought my new lol, but the body is not doing the same thing lol, but I am still doing the same things I did in my youth, I haven't changed in mind lol, but wish the body did the same thing as be good to be a skinny young man again, the mid section is old man shape now lol.
At 17 I was 5'8, 9 stone nothing, skinny with chicken legs, didn't take long to learn the knack of kickstarting the Norton, first few months was hard but once I got the KS knack everything became easy, I still have chicken legs and still have the knack to this day, been kicking it for coming on 48 years now.
I been lucky in my motorcycling life 3 injuries to my left knee, run over by a car when I was 17 (1976) on my Honda TL250 trials bike outside my mate's place and in 84 hit the back of a car on my 81 Triumph Thunderbird and about 10+years ago a fracture left arm and broken left thumb when the Norton spat me over the handle bars, so not bad after 50 + years of riding motorcycles, the kickstart leg is still good and everything else.
My mate where I got run over by the car his mother is now in her 90s and she still remembers that day all them years ago, being carted off to hospital in the back of an ambulance, my mate and mum still live at the same place, the 3rd left knee injury was in 85 jumping off a barb wire fence post, not motorcycle related lol.
But the biggest problem these days older men who always wanted a Norton but have left it too long in life to buy one and when the finely buy one they just can't workout the knack of kicking a Norton Commando to life, Norton Commando's are just unique to any other bike for kick starting, got to have the knack, if you don't have the knack, they can bite you on your arse.
Ashley
