Colin Rider tells the story of two identical Ariel Golden Arrows that were bought simultaneously by brothers Derek and Randal Jessop after trading in the BSA Shooting Star that they had shared
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, so the saying goes, and never was this more apparent than between my lifelong friend Derek Jessop and myself.
When I was about seven-years-old, Derek worked as a paint sprayer at a body shop in Royton, near Oldham, right next door to my dad’s works, and over the years he sprayed my pedal bike and dad’s cars. As time went on, and I became a mechanic, I would repair Derek’s cars and motorcycles.
In 1960 Derek and his brother Randal decided to trade in the BSA Shooting Star they’d shared, for a pair of Ariel Golden Arrows, the BSA contributing a substantial deposit on the two new bikes, which cost £187 11s 5d each.
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Derek’s Arrow, registered YBU 295, and his brother’s (YBU 131) were bought from Warburton’s in Hollinwood, Manchester, but while Randal’s gave no trouble, Derek’s seized up on the Preston by-pass.
Read more in the July 2018 issue of OBM – on sale now!
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