Malcolm the Motorcycle was, as the names suggests, a motorcycle. He was very small and found it difficult to keep up with his friends when they went out riding. He always ate his greens (that’s unleaded petrol to you and I) because he wanted to grow up to be a racing bike, but still he didn’t seem to grow. Malcolm’s parents didn’t like the idea of their little boy being a racer. ‘It’s dangerous’, ‘not environmentally friendly’ and ‘would get him in with the wrong crowd’, they said (time and time again). They wanted him to be a police bike, like his father was, and Grandfather Moped and Great Grandfather Pennifarthing before that. ‘But it’s boring!’ Malcolm whined whenever the subject was raised. It was true that Malcolm’s father’s job did consist of riding round the quiet village where they lived finding stray cats, dogs, scooters and any other little things that tend to wander off, and Malcolm wanted a job with excitement and adventure.

One day Malcolm was out riding with his friends. They went a long way from their village and ended up on the cliffs near the sea. They spent the whole afternoon there, and were just getting ready to go home. Suddenly they heard sirens in the cliffs above them and a mini sped round the corner, blowing out noxious leaded petrol from its exhaust. There was a police car closely following it. The mini began to make its way down the cliff-side. It was a very narrow path and the bulky police car could not follow it. Malcolm and his friends went to help. His friends chased the car at great speed and Malcolm tagged along behind them. Unfortunately his friends went so fast that they over-shot the cliff and went handle-bar-first into the sea. But Malcolm was much more sure-wheeled and pursued the perpetrator down the cliff. The Monster Mini finally got stuck behind some rocks and Malcolm was able to catch it. It was taken to the Jail-garage to have its fuel tank converted and Malcolm became a big (well small) hero. His friends were alright, though a bit rusty, because motorbikes can swim (as if you didn’t know that).

Malcolm learnt that day that speed was not everything and that police work in his small village could be exciting and worthwhile.