By Joe Berk
I guess a good way to start a blog is to grab the reader’s attention, and I can do that here: How many people do you know who ride a Panther?
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about Nick Adams, an interesting man, fellow motojournalist, and author. Nick is about the same age as me and he enjoys exploring the world on his different motorcycles. In other words, he is our kind of guy.
In my prior blog about Mr. Adams, I mentioned that I planned to purchase one of his books. I did, and a few days after ordering Adventures on Borrowed Time, it arrived.
Adventures on Borrowed Time is well written and well organized. It’s 191 pages long and it has lots of pictures. Nick’s writing style is conversational and easy to follow (it feels more like listening to a good friend’s stories than reading). The first chapter is about Nick’s ’72 Guzzi Eldorado (the one you see in the photos above). The following chapters take you through Canada, mostly on gravel roads, in good weather and bad. There are instances in which Nick’s Guzzi didn’t feel like starting, and Nick takes us through the steps he took to coax the old V-twin back to life. There are parts where Nick switches to his ’86 Suzuki Cavalcade (Suzuki’s attempt to cash in the Gold Wing craze), that monster of a bike’s surprisingly good handling, and the repairs Nick made to it. Parts of Adventures on Borrowed Time describe exploring Canada on Nick’s 650cc Suzuki Burgman scooter. And then, returning to my attention grabber at the start of this blog, Adventures on Borrowed Time describes Nick riding Canada on his 62-year-old Panther.
Never heard of the Panther? Don’t feel bad. The Panther is a 600cc single English bike made from 1900 to 1968, and most folks have never heard of it. They are fairly primitive, I think. I say “I think” because I’ve never even seen a Panther. And here’s Nick, describing what it’s like to take major trips through Canada on one. A long-distance moto adventure ride through the Canadian wilderness on a 62-year-old British motorcycle…what could go wrong?
The writing is superb, the photos are great, and the character development all make Adventures on Borrowed Time a book you need to read (the characters being Nick, his wife, the people he meets, and the bikes). You can purchase your copy of Adventures on Borrowed Time here. Trust me on this: You’ll enjoy it. You can thank me later.
Panthers I assume were more available in commonwealth nations such as Canada than in the US.
Late model Panthers were sidecar luggers. Slopes engine was cool. I wanted one but the feeling went away.
My brother Dave headed a m/c club that operated out of Bob Schultz imported motorcycles dealership!
The club was known as Dirty Dave and the Dozen.
A professor from St Louis University who had traveled the world traded in a non running Panther for Honda 305 dream.
The Panther was ok after its starting drill was figured out.
All English big singles had a starting drill that was like the combination of a safe…. It had to be exactly right!!!
I remember the panther because it changed hands often and was soooo worn that you could hear the piston wobbling around in the cylinder.
As it changed hands the price kept declining and the engine noise kept increasing….. but the darn thing kept running (sort of).
This bike had no charms, other than it got passed around and never completely died!