I am the (proud) owner of a 1966 Triumph Tiger Cub. In mitigation, I acquired this as part if a deal including a Scott. Some years ago I took the Cub for an MOT and although it passed I received an advisory that the walls of front tyre were cracked and would need replacement.
The following year having not replaced the tyre (and having avoided the temptation to apply shoe polish to fill the cracks as advocated by friends) I presented the bike for MOT again and was surprised to receive a pass without further comment.
Yet another year passed and I was now acutely conscious of the cracked front tyre. I therefore decided to book the Cub in with the garage undertaking the test for a service and change of the offending front tyre. A few days prior to the test I was a little troubled when I received a telephone call from the garage explaining that they were having difficulty sourcing a new tyre. I suggested a few suppliers and thought nothing more.
On the day of the test I rode to the garage assuming that a new tyre would be waiting and there would be no further problem. However, I was told that there was still no tyre available and consequently I settled back to await the inevitable failure of the MOT. Imagine my surprise when I was handed a clear pass certificate by the tester with the words, ” There’s a bit more life in that front tyre yet !”
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