George Tofield

I am a 69 year old retired schoolteacher, married with two sons, both of whom own Ducatis. 
As well as the two Velocettes shown above, I own a Suzuki VX800 on which Alison and I go touring. 
Sharing the garage with the bikes is a 1932 Alvis TL 12/60 Beetleback which I have owned since 1962. It is, at present - and for the foreseeable future - undergoing an engine rebuild. 

1. 1968 Thruxton.  I was in the UK for a six months holiday in 1977 and advertised for a Venom or MAC to ride while there. The Thruxton turned up instead. The owner had lost his job & needed to sell urgently. It was love at first sight and I paid his price. I rode it for several months of a beautiful English summer then shipped it back. It was supposed to have been fully rebuilt but, ever the sceptic, I took it to bits as soon as I returned to NZ. To my delight the inside was better than the outside so after a largely cosmetic re-build it was back on the road. One month later a nun did a “u” turn into me just after I had left my front gate destroying the front forks & headlight among other things. A second rebuild ensued. My wife & I have ridden it for twenty years with few problems (rebuilt clutch with roller thrust-bearing, leaking head-gasket, chains, tyres, etc). It has been very reliable and, contrary to expectations, required little maintenance. After about 25,000 miles of mostly two-up running it was a little tired and a complete rebuild has just been completed.

2. 1959 Venom.  The previous owner was a school teacher who had used it continuously for every-day transport since 1962. His career took him, and the bike, to England, Wales, South Africa, Australia and finally New Zealand. He ran it on sidecar gearing (16 tooth sprocket) for preference. It was reputed to have been twice round the clock. When I bought it in 1990 it was rather sad looking but very original and came with a massive pile of spares (which he had carted everywhere with him). It has been completely rebuilt & was put back on the road early in 1995. It is much more tractable & pleasant than the Thruxton but, oddly enough, neither my sons nor my wife like it as much to ride. The fibreglass covers are a mixed blessing. Since the photo was taken I have fitted a twin leading shoe front brake, uprated the dynamo, and fitted a halogen headlight to help me cope with modern riding conditions.

e-mail  g.tofield.dn@xtra.co.nz