My first experience on a motorbike was a typically young male retarded moment ;p  At a house party, everyone been drinking, on the back of a mate's 125 with no safety gear down some country roads.  Him, of course, accelerating as hard as you do when you're young.  Looking back I guess I was lucky...

One o' my mates had James Captain,always shearing that key,till me Dad made him one out af guage plate,bloody good fit ,then hardened and tempered,lasted him until he sold bike when he passed test 2 years later. I had a Fanny Barnet 250 Villiers single at the time,that was no trouble.

  OK    moment   The James "Captain" was fitted with either a 197 cc villiers engine with seperate "bolt on" gearbox   Or the AMC 197 cc engine (unit construction)   The James Cadet was a 150 cc engine also available in both types    Both were two stroke singles   The AMC engines were a "later" fitment  (around 58/9) when the factory* decided that they "needed" their own engine ? (possibly as Villiers were winding down their production of the "E" series engines)   My 1957 150 Cadet had the Villiers engine with the enormous brass flywheel magneto/generator   It was my 1st real road going solo   My elder brother bought it to run about on while he rebuilt his Gold Flash   Then "sold" it on to me for the same price as he paid for it (£8) [ that was two weeks wages ! ]   I rode as it was, all stripped down and tuned up with "ace" bars and rearsets, for a couple of months   But the timing kept slipping as the BIG flywheel would move on the crankshaft being on just a taper     NO wudruff  key, yes that's the way they were made by the factory,    The points cam was in the centre of the inside of the flywheel, and a "loose" sleeve nut was what held it all onto the crank   It was a real pain without the correct "hammertite" spanner ( special factory tool *)     Arkid got fed up of coming out to fix it when that happened   So he made me take the bike apart, every last nut and bolt   I was gutted   But it was the biggest favour he ever did me   I rebuilt that little bike and learned so much about basic bike mechanics   Bit I'm still "learning"     *AMC owned AJS, Matchless, James, Francis Barnet and the Ambassador marques  Possibly a few more that I've forgotten the names of  too ?   *which was a large "full hexagon" single ended ring spanner with a block of metal on the end to "hit with a hammer" !                                                                                                                                                                             

I was about 10. Was living in Sri Lanka at the time and my dad borrowed a trials bike off his mate. I went pillion and giggled the whole mile until we got a puncture! Ended up loading it into the back of a Tuk Tuk who took us to a little shack at the side of the rode who fixed it for us. Then we rode home. It was a long day!   Second experience, 14yrs, me and 2 mates (older lad with the bike) decided to have a razz around the local rec. Was great until we took a bend too sharp, there was all 3 of us on it at the time, and came off. I slid about 20ft and ruined my new trousers.   Neither experience ever put me off tho!                                                                                                                                                                             

Emzed--- Was the Francis Barnet Plover fitted with same engine as James Cadet?                                                                                                                                                                             

mine was a   c 70  over the  fields . thats  where  i  learned you  never use the  front  brake  on  grass   lol                                                                                                                                                                               

My first bike experience was in my head when I was 7 on my Grifter pretending I was in C.H.I.P.s (who remembers that tv programme I wonder) but shortly after think I was about 9 back of my parents mates Black Kawasaki up n down the road hooked ever since.... Then passed my CBT without ever riding a bike at 19 on a Puch 50 with gears cracking bike ...                                                                                                                                                                              

My first expairence was when I was 17 and brought a Yam DT125 was white and red and was brill. When I was 24 and had to pass my test for the secound time this time with CBT and writen tests still passed without reading any practice :P  (and no I was not drink driving I had a stroke and lost all use of my right side )   Anyway I brought anouther one cus it was such a cool bike black and silver was great used to go all over the contry on it only sold it a couple of years ago it was great around town even better then my big bikes and so cheap so so cheap I got 22k and only rebuilt the engine twice not bad for a little 2 stroke I used to run at the red line all the time.                                                                                                                                                                              

  @ Loner    Yes mate the Plover was the 150     I think the 197 was the Fulmar     Really straining the "grey cells" now mate                                                                                                                                                                                 

That's what Anno Domini does! I Know my dad did make and fit a woodruff key as described,to a british stroker,but 44 years plays havoc with memories,ain't quite reached the age where you get "total recall" of 60 year old events and can't remember what you did 5 mins ago  Oooer missus,what was I doin ??