Written by Martin Hodgson.
Tributes can take on many forms, the words offered at a funeral or a photo that lives on the wall. But there are others whose lives demand so much more, having lived the maxim, ‘Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.’ Having walked in his older brother’s influential shadow, often just making the tea that fuelled both stories and bike builds, Alec Birkbeck knew his ultimate eulogy had to be forged in steel. With guidance from above and a desire to live up to his brother’s natural gift, it’s a stunning Yamaha TR1 just for Kevin.

?He just had a natural affinity with motorbikes both in the mechanical sense and in his ability to ride them,? Alec told us of his brother Kev. ?I often remember coming home from school, finding him in the workshop with motorcycle parts strewn across the floor. I would usually just make cups of tea and listen to stories of his grand plans for the bike?. As they grew older Kev established a sizeable metal fabrication business, and Alec became an industrial designer for a large international company. Yet still they’d occasionally come together in the workshop over a brew, Kev still building his bikes and Alec admittedly wishing to do the same.
After a long battle with kidney disease and a heart condition, Kev sadly passed away. ?After his funeral, I felt the need to do something more memorable than just ...