My first motorcycle was a 250 Greeves 'Scottish' way back in '63 (or was it '64?) which cost £60 - a lot of money back then. At the time I'd just started at Folkestone Art School and occasionally used the bike to travel the seventeen miles from Greatstone, usually when I'd got up late and missed the bus or maybe just to enjoy a sunny ride up the coast. The art school had a Painting and Decorating dept. where lads were taught the necessary basic skills in order to get employed in that profession (I don't recall any lassies on the course); it served as a sort of apprenticeship. Anyways..., I noticed one of the lads closely scrutinising my battered Greeves during a morning tea break and we struck up a conversation - the P&D lot and us arty-farty types rarely interacted, if at all; our two tribes always keeping a respectful distance. But, interestingly, this lad and I had a mutual interest: trials riding. Unlike me, this lad seemed quite knowledgeable about the local trials scene. Turned out he was Dave Weller who rode a JAH Cub with semi-works support by Jock Hitchcock Motorcycles of Folkestone. Needless to say we became pals.
Dave Weller and his mate Robin Meades (was that his name?) were the two promising youngsters that Jock supported on trials Cubs after supporting the young Gordon Farley who, by this time ('64-'65?), had moved up to London to join the Comerford's workshop team. As a Triumph works rider, Farley rode a trials Cub which he started modifying to save weight and become more competitive. Thus was born the Comerford's Cub, instantly recognisable by the special silencer, petrol tank, oil tank and plastic petrol cap 'borrowed' from the Triumph Tina scooter.
I achieved a long-held ambition to buy a Comerford's Cub a few years back, unfortunately after I'd retired from mud-plugging so I never rode it competitively. Sold it in order to buy a 410 Matchless which, again, I didn't ride competitively. Bit later, I noticed 'my' Cub up for sale again looking a bit tattier and at a higher price. I then began noticing that Cubs generally were rocketing in price and many were being modified by trials specialists. Kept a few photos for my files which I find interesting. And today I noticed a Comerford's Cub up for sale on eBay. Seems genuine, but has lights and a sidestand so may have been used as a road bike rather than a trials iron. Priced at just under £6k which may seem expensive but I've seen one advertised at £8.5k (with modified 220cc engine).
Top photo - £8.5k Comerford's Cub (June 2018). Middle photo - £5795 (June 2021). Bottom photo - Farley's 'works' Cub £6450 (June 2018).
