Feet Up Fun Yes, it’s my childhood bike

Write Stuff A Maico Alpha 1 and restored mini’s

A few days ago, Allan Phillipson achieved something that many of us desire but few achieve. He managed to find and acquire the same actual motorbike he rode as a youth.

Allan wrote “I was scrolling through the internet and Gary Boniface had it for sale. On first look I knew it was my bike. However, I had an owner’s manual from Dad’s stuff. He always wrote the frame numbers inside the front cover. So I confirmed with Gary it was indeed my childhood bike.”

The reason why the bike was so easy to recognize as his old Yamaha TY80 was its distinctive appearance. Allan’s Dad Col was an expert motorbike restorer who could produce both museum standard original appearance restorations as well as top quality restorations where he had put his own stamp on the visual outcome. This particular TY80 was one of his restorations with creative interpretation to the graphics and also had a couple of distinctive practical modifications.

The colour scheme is reminiscent of both the late model slotted-tank stripe TY80s and the yellow Yamaha Majestys of around 1979. Practical modifications included wider handlebars and later on, an ergonomically-shaped kickstart lever.

Col had restored the TY80 in the early 1990s when the bike would have been about 15-20 years old, in anticipation of Allan and his sister learning to ride on it. After learning to ride, Allan rode trials competitions on this TY80, starting in 1994 until he became too big, which was 1997/98, when he changed to riding a TY175 for a year. Following that, he started riding his current twinshock trials bike, a Bultaco Sherpa T model 198A.

Allan rides Twinshock trials on his blue Bultaco at a high level and with a very distinctive riding style that is energetic, fluid and great to watch. I suspect that his riding style has been influenced by both having ridden bicycle trials and riding a Bultaco Sherpa T for so long. Bultacos work best in trials when ridden in a fluid manner.

Allan wrote - “I figured this thing needs a good birthday. I’m hoping to get my niece and nephew riding it. Will be cool since it was the bike that my sister used to ride as well. So it’s gonna be amazing”

The photos show Allan riding his TY80 in the early 1990s and the bike as it is now, prior to restoration.

Words by David Lahey