When people think of English thumpers, many of them imagine an M600: beautiful, mad and hugely involving
Here’s how some of it looked a few years earlier
1960 Panther M100
This bike is a special, though all the bits are still Panther. The owner, Joe, took eight years to build it up from autojumble parts, eBay buys and Owners’ Club spares. He brought it to me finished (apart from having no loom) and spotlessly clean, which makes him the ideal customer.
For now it runs the stock dynamo and magneto setup, to power lights, ignition and horn. But the loom is also ready for future conversion to alternator operation, plus indicators, 60/55W headlight, sat nav, heated grips and coil ignition. I’ve done a wiring diagram to suit.
People have run car alternators on Panthers but Joe wants something classier. I found a Kubota three-phase permanent magnet alternator at Moto-Electrical. It produces good charge at 250rpm – the tickover speed of a Panther camshaft! When funds allow, we’ll mount it, hook up a belt drive and hit the big time.
Joe’s motorcycle is a complete stranger to the 21st century
Which is why it’s so nice to ride on country lanes, in early summer
