Who Am I?

Who am I? Well, my name is Elwyn Jordan. Although, on the site here I mostly refer to myself just as "The Old Bloke". It's a kind of "persona" I've adopted for this site I suppose.

I am married, with two children and an increasing number of grandchildren: two at the time I started this site - early 2006 - and now seven. (They say there will be no more now!).

You'll already know, from what I wrote on the first page, that I am what many would refer to as "an old bloke" - thus the title of the web-site! I haven't given my age specifically, although the photo on the top-right of the page might give some indication. And, as I mentioned on the front page, age is relevant. Some friends and regular readers of this site reckon I'm a "young bloke," because I'm younger than they are. And if I said my actual age, I'd have to keep on up-dating this page! So I'll just leave it at that.

I said on the front page that I'm not setting myself up as some sort of motorcycling guru. I have friends who have been riding for longer than me and who I would consider are more knowledgeable than I am. So why did I create this web-site? Well, I mightn't be a "motorcycling guru", but as I also said on the front page, as a motorcyclist you don't get to my age without gaining some degree of knowledge and experience! And I reckoned there was a need for the views of a "more mature" rider in the world of motorcycling journalism! So much of what we read in magazines and on-line seems to be written by young athletic riders who spend most of their time blasting around a race-track! Where are the comments from some old bloke with a crook back? Where are the comments from someone who places as much importance on ride and comfort as on lap-times around a racing circuit? Well, now they're here! That's why I set up this site! 

Okay, I should tell you a little more about myself so you'll know where I'm coming from in terms of this "knowledge and experience". My background, as I've mentioned in a couple of the articles, is in trail-bikes. But I have been a keen motoring-nut for almost as long as I can remember! In the early years (age written by one digit) it was cars. Even in teen years, it was still cars; although if it had wheels and a motor I was into it!

I was in my mid 20s when I got into bikes. I bought a friend's old road-bike to use as a "paddock-basher". But so I could ride to and from the paddock, I kept the bike registered, and got my bike license. Ah yes, getting my bike-license. Back then you got your "L"s by reading an eye-chart. The test for your P-plates involved the testing-officer standing on the street-corner outside the office and watching you ride up the road, do a U-turn and come back, turn into the street opposite, do a U-turn and come back. If you could do this in three directions without falling off, you got your license. They tell me it's a bit more involved now!!!

It wasn't too long before my interest in riding outgrew the little Suzuki road-bike, and I bought my first brand-new bike - a Yamaha DT125. My wife got the Suzi to trail-ride; although I did fit knobby tyres, wider bars, a higher mudguard and lower gearing, to make it more suitable. When she outgrew that, I bought her a DT175.

What followed was a series of trail-bikes for me (and a couple of kids for my wife, at which point she stopped riding). A couple of the mates I used to ride with got into trials-riding, so I bought a trials bike and tried to learn the art of going slowly up steep hills and jumping over rocks and logs etc. I even bought our first-born a little Pee-Wee 50 so she could come riding with me. Eventually, however, she lost interest and it was sold to buy a talking teddy-bear - a decision which she claims today to regret!

There was a brief period during which I sold all the bikes and concentrated on four-wheels (and putting money into a business). But once bikes are in your blood, they're in your blood to stay! So it wasn't too long before I came back.

When I came back to bikes, it was to road bikes. A single-cylinder 250 was swapped for a mid-size sports-tourer, and I have continued down that path since.

Along the way I have ridden a wide variety of bikes; of most descriptions, from motocrossers to trail-bikes to road bikes of all sizes and shapes and configurations. So there is a certain amount of experience to draw on. I also got involved in the vintage bike scene, and did a somewhat amateurish restoration of an old Brit single a few years ago.

There is also a bit of mechanical knowledge to draw on. I do my own servicing and maintenance, and have done repairs to cars and bikes; although my ageing body (mainly a crook back!) has stopped me from doing heavy mechanical stuff these days. A few years ago I put some of this technical knowledge to good use and did a lot of research into fuels some time after we changed to unleaded petrol. In particular, how this effected cars and bikes designed to run on the old leaded "Super" petrol. I published my findings on a web-site, called Old Cars And New Fuels. (The subject is a bit out-dated now, but the info is still good. If you're interested, just click on that link to go to the site).

So there you are! I continue to be passionately interested in bikes, and continue to ride. In fact I probably do more riding - in terms of distance covered - now than I ever did! Bikes, you've just got to love 'em, don't you! Well, I do; and that's probably one of the most relevant things I can tell you about myself!

Okay, okay, you really want another picture? Here is one taken when I first got my current ride; an XJR1300. (It's had a couple of minor additions since then).

A mate of mine reckons this is the best way of photographing me - with my helmet on! (I have nice friends!).

There are some more continuing personal details on my Blog pages, which you can access from the front page.

And if you want to see a couple of blurry photos when I wasn't such an "old bloke", take a look on the Some Trail Rides page.

Click here to return to the front page. Click your BACK button to return to previous page.

Oh, and for something totally un-related to motorbikes (well, no, there is a connection actually!), but which is a very important part of my life, click here.