June 2022 - October 2023
I spent most of 2021 looking at motorcycles on Pinterest, specifically cafe racers as I loved the look of them. The old British heritage of these style bikes were nostalgic and cool; a time long gone but with a spirit still alive today. That is one of the reasons why I chose the AJS Cadwell as my first motorcycle after passing my test. Instead of sharing technical specifications, I will share my experiences of owning this fantastic bike, why I chose it and the impact it still has on my motorcycle journey to this day.
The Cadwell was everything I looked for in a bike at the time - classic cafe racer aesthetics, comfortable riding position , reliable engine (based on Yahama's YBR 125), easy commuter and fun for B-roads. The twisty roads made the Cadwell a thrilling ride, and where it shines the most.
Moving on from the performance, we ask the more important question: "How did the Cadwell make me feel?" I still remember the times I rode the Cadwell around London, B-roads to Oxford and Brighton and the longer routes (given the top speed and lightweight made it less suitable for motorways). Imagine green hills, smooth country roads, accompanied by the humble thump and the supertrapp-style exhaust soundtrack, just you and your bike. A real sense of presence, nothing else mattered in that space of time. I put the Cadwell through the paces as I rode all year round, even during the snowy December we had in 2022. I believe riding in harsh conditions on a bike that isn't really designed with performance in mind can shape your riding experience, causing you to think and be instinctive in circumstances where you need it most. That is why I nicknamed the Cadwell 'Workhorse'.
Photo credit: Trace Films
Over time, I wanted to make the bike more 'me'. Keeping the classic cafe racers of old as inspiration, the Workhorse kept the black paint with golden accents, added a touch of brown with the custom seat and leather handlebar wrapped grips, dropped clip-on bars for a truer cafe racer stance, black headlamp with yellow lens, leather headlight 'x', wrapped exhaust pipe, pressed number plate, adjustable bar-end mirrors, side number panel, and Avon Roadrider Mk2 tyres (which made a huge improvement in dry and wet road conditions compared to the stock Kenda tyres). The Workhorse would be the inspiration for the subsequent bikes I later owned.
Without a doubt, the Workhorse was the experimental, learning and key chapter in my motorcycle journey. The most important was how I used motorcycling as a means to express myself. The final look and everything about the Cadwell up until I sold the bike was exactly how I imagined it would look and feel. I love the Workhorse even three years since selling it.
I will share about the next bike in the next post. But for now, thank you for reading and ride safe.
