James May's 20th Century ep05 Inventing the Teenag

The fifth programme, Inventing The Teenager, looks at how, in the 20th century,
the teenager emerged as a separate species. But how? Was it the promise of sex?
The power of pop? Or the pull of a 50cc Japanese two-stroke? James is on a
journey to find out.

First up is fashion. The 20th century introduced fantastic new fabrics in
fantastic new colours, thanks to synthetic materials such as nylon. James tries
his hand at making some for himself, with some success.

Close to James's heart, of course, was teenage transport, offering liberation
from parents and the home. When he was a teenager, he always dreamed of owning a
very special motorbike: the Yamaha FS1E ñ the Fizzy.

"The problem was, of course, that my mother would rather I played with something
like a used hypodermic needle," he says. "The FS1E ñ a motorcycle you could ride
at 16 ñ was just a symbol of death. It was like your son's tombstone placed
before you. It was 'Not Allowed'."

Finally, he checks out the origins of the

Category: Dirt Bikes/ATV

Tags: james, May, top