My turn.
The facts:
Age 66. (Now I know I am in good company - a group of 60 plus year olds
that think they are teenagers!)
Bought my first and only Tiger in 2003 at age 63.
Also own a '74 Supercharged MGB and 11 motorcycles, including 5 Ducatis,
three Triumphs, 1 Kawasaki A1R road racer, and 1 Honda, all older than
1974.
My latest purchase is a 2005 Honda ST1300 Sport Tourer.
My Tiger Story
Although I didn't buy my Tiger until 2003, I became acquainted with my
Tiger in 1990, when I discovered it under cover in the garage of a good
friend who lives in Massachusetts. (some 800 miles from my Nova Scotia
home)
It had a mysterious background, because my friend only reluctantly
offered up answers to my persistent questions about this beautiful
Tiger. After many trips over the next five years to visit my friend and
many more questions, he offered to let me and my Honey take it for a
spin. Of course the short ride included a burnout or two, a terrifying
100mph blast down a nearby freeway with the wheels a-bouncing, and a
climaxing donut in a deserted parking lot only re-enforced my need to
have my own Tiger.
But it wasn't until the spring of 2003 that I got the call. The Tiger
was for sale! It turned out that this Tiger belonged to another
"friend", who had spent a considerable amount of money in what turned
out to be a fraudulent restoration in 1986-88, at the end of which he
discovered he could not comfortably drive his Tiger due to his large
size. Some convoluted business deal found the Tiger "caged" in our
mutual friend's garage for 14 years, until it finally became
"expendable".
I bought the Tiger, which to all but the most critical and informed
observer, was a truly beautiful car......and drove it home, a journey
that took at least a couple of years off my life. The car had a
non-standard rear end ratio, and a malfunctioning tach, which had me
progressing down the long road home with the tach at redline and the
speedo reading 55 mph.
Also, it had been fitted with a set of Dayton bolt-on wire wheels and
Goodyear Eagles at least 20 years old. At 56 mph, the front end wanted
to jump off the ground, the wheels shook so bad.
Upon getting the beast home and into my own mechanical laboratory, did
the facts reveal themselves. The car needed a complete mechanical,
cosmetic and structural restoration. I paid $14,000 for the car,
probably $10,000 too much. None-the-less, I bit the bullet, did the
complete resto, and now have the car I thought I bought.
I wish I had found this list BEFORE I bought this Tiger, but now I'm
glad to be here. And...I love my Tiger!
Dave Munroe
382000450
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