Photo: screenshot from video
Most people know Richard Hammond for his passion for cars and other TV series mostly dedicated to silly science. However, he is also a motorcycle advocate, and you might have noticed that in some old Top Gear challenges where he stuck with the two-wheels trying to beat Jeremy and James.
Fans might even remember The Great Train Race challenge, specially created by Top Gear to see what was the fastest way to the North of England in the Forties. Jeremy had to go by steam train, James had a classic Jaguar on his hands, while Richard here had to ride on a Vincent Black Shadow. If he could start it up...
The hand-built classic Vincent Black Shadow was fitted with a 998 cc 50-degree OHV V-twin engine, and, since we’re talking about the ‘40s, there was no electric starter fitted to it.
Which means Hammond had to kick-start the engine, a job that was kinda tricky considering his height and weight. The owner of the motorcycle offered to help and soon enough the race started.
However, a recent clip published by Richard Hammond on DriveTribe shows him also struggling with modern day bikes as he had the chance to test out the new Honda Africa Twin.
“And yes, it's a height thing,” Richard explains. “Honda lent us a new Africa Twin. I think this one is better suited to James, and not because it's slow...”
If you’re new to the motorcycle world, the Africa Twin is quite a tall off-road adventure machine. The seat height on the new model is located at 860 mm (33.8 inches), which means that you’ll need some long legs to properly flat-foot it when stopping.
Hammond on the other hand, had problems even when trying to ride away. Check the video below to see how he had to stop it after a few parking lot laps.
The hand-built classic Vincent Black Shadow was fitted with a 998 cc 50-degree OHV V-twin engine, and, since we’re talking about the ‘40s, there was no electric starter fitted to it.
Which means Hammond had to kick-start the engine, a job that was kinda tricky considering his height and weight. The owner of the motorcycle offered to help and soon enough the race started.
However, a recent clip published by Richard Hammond on DriveTribe shows him also struggling with modern day bikes as he had the chance to test out the new Honda Africa Twin.
“And yes, it's a height thing,” Richard explains. “Honda lent us a new Africa Twin. I think this one is better suited to James, and not because it's slow...”
If you’re new to the motorcycle world, the Africa Twin is quite a tall off-road adventure machine. The seat height on the new model is located at 860 mm (33.8 inches), which means that you’ll need some long legs to properly flat-foot it when stopping.
Hammond on the other hand, had problems even when trying to ride away. Check the video below to see how he had to stop it after a few parking lot laps.
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