'Original' according to van Dale

ORIGINAL: ori gi neel (adjective, adverb)

1: original, unadulterated
2: from someone. self arising, not from im. copied differently
3: with original ideas etc.: an original guy
2: ori gi neel (the O; plural: originals)
1 : the original version

So original. Factory original. Time original.

Or just cleverly conceived because you have to do something. That 'what should' is a thing of the past. Because: For lack of better. If you are about to drown it shows character not to accept the orange life preserver because orange is not your color. But do you really get along with that principled cavalry?

Until Honda in the XNUMXs reinvented motorcycling as a pleasant activity instead of transport for the marginalized and petty criminals. Back then there were no originality freaks. You rode a motorcycle because you had no money for a car. And that motorcycle had to do it. Because motorcycles were much simpler back then and because many craftsmen were so good at improvising, the motorcycles kept running.

In the sixties, Lilac made fantastic motorcycles that were unfortunately very bad

A few brothers from North Holland took the saw and the burner and fitted their Lilac with a VW Beetle engine. At that time, the RDW was not really like the Inquisition and an insurer also had no exclusion clauses if a motorcycle remained so traffic-compatible.

British motorcycles, types and brands were bravely mixed with blocks, gearboxes, front forks, frames and so on. That led at best to the now legendary Tritons, Norvins, Tribsa and other highly sporty bastards and the silliest pastries.

In the meantime, we are going for factory originality and patina in the Netherlands

Germans opt for as much chrome as possible. And the French want classic motorcycles that gleam like a fried egg in the moonlight.

But there are also old school thinkers who actually tackle structural problems very energetically. Those kind of people are now mainly in the corner of lovers of classic Russian tricycles. They're not nearly as bad as their old reputation. But there is room for improvement. The easy way is to build in an older BMW block. That's roughly plug-and-play, with enthusiasts who install more than an R75 block coming home from a rough patch because the transmission train of such an ex-Soviet thing has limited resilience.

Better than original

In terms of power – about 50 hp – a Moto Guzzi V65 block is perfectly in line with the capabilities of the transmission. Especially because the 50 Italian horses are not extra muscular. And what if such an idea is also implemented by a purebred technician with all the facilities? Then the definition of 'original' is different, but perfectly covered. With all due respect to the builder, Peter Knol.