 |
I would like to think that I have lived through the golden age of motorcycling, my introduction to motor cycles started in the Fifties ,I wrote off to Gilera in Italy for info on their machines, I was very pleased to get a reply which included brochures and a metal badge that I wore with pride on my lapel. When I started work I was on the grand sum of £5 a week, not enough for a Gilera ,I bought a New Hudson Auto- cycle off a friend which he proudly told me was painted in British racing green. It was to all effects a large bicycle type machine with an engine and pedals not exactly Rocker material but it worked most of the time. My next machine was a Honda 50 a small real motorcycle, I had fun on this indeed when on Holiday with my parents in Wales I used to travel home to Warrington daily just for the hell of it, it was however very heavy on big ends one a month was the norm ,luckily a friend of mine used to work in a Honda Dealers so a supply of cheap spares was available. At this time my friends brother was the proud owner of a motorcycle and sidecar it was called a sidecar but in reality it was a board which you lay on you could get away with such things in the sixties. He suggested we go to the Hogie Wagon for a hogie, let me explain, in the days before McDonald's we had Wimpy bars or the Hogie Wagon this was considered at the time to be the ultimate in outdoor cuisine which would probably be shut faster than a ducks bottom these days, anyway the Hogie consisted of a baguette stuffed with lettuce tomato onion assorted meat and cost 2/6p 12 and a half pence these days, anyway I digress, I was on this sidecar! travelling down Battersby Lane toward said Hogie Wagon when Peter the Driver lost control mounted the pavement and I and he went opposite sides of this lamp-post all I remember was road sky road sky, My leg was through the spokes, anyway we came to rest and before anyone could move a lady came out of the houses opposite and went about collecting the wood from the accident took it in her house and left us in the road. We collected our thoughts disentangled our selves from the machine and carried on to the Hogie this time however I was sat behind Peter we were solo. Those were THE days.
On my travels I spotted my next machine it was in Dugdales at Alvenley in Cheshire I part ex'd the Honda but it was leaking oil bad so we put it in Mothers van until near to Duggies then rode it round the corner and picked up my next machine ,a Norman B4 sports 250cc twin Villiers engine really sporty. I rode away on it came to the first road junction touched the back brake and it nearly threw me off, some idiot had renewed the brake shoes and failed to chamfer them so the lightest touch locked the wheel up. I had a real prang on this machine later. We had been to Warrington Motorcycle club at Appleton Thorn near Warrington Colin Rawlings had an Ariel Arrow which he thought was faster than mine so we decided to have a race down the country road which led to Lumb Brook, all went well and I was in front till we reached an S bend I hit a grid went off the road came back on and Colin hit me he left tyres marks on my crash helmet, I ended up having gravel rash taken out of my knee at the local hospital he later tried to sue me, he failed as did our friendship.
My next machine was a Tribsa made up from a Triumph Engine fitted in a BSA frame it looked a world beater alloy tank, alloy wheels, alloy headstock, clip on handlebars, swept back exhausts would it move it would not god it was slow. We used to congregate at a cafe in Warrington The Beachcomber was its name, a lad used to go in there by the name of Mike Callard he wanted to race but I knew the machine was a duck so I declined ,later that month he died on the Moore road ran headfirst into a car killed outright. After the Tribsa it was brand new bike time, went down to Jack Frodsham's and got myself a Triumph Bonneville 650cc the machine of a dream, this machine took us to Switzerland. Alan Moston a friend of mine suggested we go away somewhere, for instance, I enquired, Switzerland said he and this at a weeks notice. So with £20 between us no breakdown insurance just us and a tent we left, on the first day it was getting dark so we pulled over and set the tent up all was well till the morning when we found out we had camped in a French persons front garden, exit stage left. It took us two days to get to Switzerland we spent two days there got wet than spent two days coming home, great times. A1969 Bonneville followed this machine took me all over Europe France Italy over the St Bernard pass into Switzerland, they were good times.
After a short flirtation with four wheels I bought a 750 Honda Four first one in Warrington a 131mph beast. On acceleration it would leave a black line for 40 yards I revisited Europe many times on this machine. Another 750 followed then I got a 750 Suzuki a watercooled machine nicknamed the kettle, I came back from the South of France to Warrington in 20 hours on this machine and that included a ferry crossing. My present machine is a 1978 GT 380 Suzuki triple which I have had for 18 years. ....Update due to poor health I had to sell the Gt 380 I am now on the look out for a lighter machine with electric start..........................................
|
|
Douglas, Isle Of Man 1968 5am Cold & Tired
 |
Vale Crucis Abbey
 |
At Speed Vale Crucis
 |
New Honda Mileage 10 Yards
 |
VVVRRROOOOOOMMMMMM...
 |
(This is not me)