An old motor cycle with missing tyres and a broken seat might seem to most people nothing more than a heap of old junk. But in the eyes of Andros Nicolaou, it is an opportunity to return a classic motor cycle to its former glory.
Nicolaou comes from a family of motor cycle enthusiasts.
“This is the first bike I repaired. It is an AJS from 1947 and it is my father’s bike,” he told the Financial Mirror.
Nicolaou spends his spare time painstakingly bringing classic motor cycles back to life. Rust is taken off, dents are carefully smoothed and engines restored.
Nicolaou collects spare parts from all over the globe, and notes that spare parts from Britain cost the earth.
Despite this, with no external financial assistance, Nicolaou has transformed his hobby into one of Nicosia’s few tourist attractions and Cyprus’ only motor cycle museum.
The Cyprus Classic Motorcycle Museum, on Granikou Street in the old part of Nicosia, houses among others the two Triumph motor cycles from the Presidential Guard of Archbishop Makarios, registrations AE903 and AE904.
The museum also houses the bike of the Cypriot independence EOKA fighter, Stylianos Lenas, and that of the first Cyprus champion in 1970-73, Zeki Isa.
Perhaps the most stunning spectacle for those who don’t know their engine from their fuel tank is the 1939 Ariel Red Hunter, with a scarlet petrol tank and red inside wheels.
“This one I restored as a present to my wife to let me continue my work,” he says of the Ariel, noting that he has another140-odd motor cycles in their house basement at home.
As well as restoring the bikes themselves, Nicolaou has restored the building in which they are housed, so that the museum includes a small coffee shop and a room for the projection of films that show the story of the motor cycle in Cyprus.
Many of the 150 motor cycles come from the “glory days” of British manufacturing, such as BSAs and Triumphs from the 1940s.
The oldest motor cycle is a New Hudson from 1915.
But there are also very rare motor cycles from all over the world.
For example, the rapid march of Japanese manufacturing from 1948 is reflected in some of the early Hondas dated 1969.
The CB750 four Honda in the museum is the same model that beat the British in 1969.
In total, the Museum has motor cycles stretching from 1914 to 1983, and includes models such as AJS, MV Aqusta, Matchless, Norton, BSA, Triumph, Ariel, BMW, James, Moto Guzzi, Royal Enfield and many more.
“If people want to help the Museum they can bring their bikes for restoration and I can give them a quotation,” said Nicolaou.
Fiona Mullen
