At the time I described my dad pondering Brit cars vs aircraft, he was actually bemused by the problematic electrical system in what was - IIRC - a pampered, low-mileage Triumph that the owner was starting to have bad thoughts about. I told dad that the Triumph, BSA and Norton motorcycle guys - there were still a surprising number of those guys around at that time - joked about the Lucas “Lords of Darkness,” never riding them at night, etc. Dad made some comment about Bomber Command, night bombing, etc and thoughtfully shook his head.
BSA and Norton bikes, at least in the 60s/70s, had exposed magnetos that would foul.
Try kick-starting that!
“... joked about the Lucas “Lords of Darkness,” never riding them at night, etc”
A fun aside:
This is a closed listing on Bring a Trailer (.com) for an illuminated Lucas sign:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1960s-lucas-illuminated-sign/
The comments are worthwhile!