Discussion
LOL Alun. Yes that's my "I need to keep my hands busy den". Drives the wife mad that I always need to be working on something, even if it's making work benches to be able to work on other things. Comes from a frustration of working all day long on computer systems. Such a relief to actually make things, same as why I need to drive and ride, it gives you that chance to shut off from everything else and concentrate just on the road ahead.
BTW had repainted the original bodywork of my first Hayabusa to reflect my origins. Used to get me a little of the wrong attention though
BTW had repainted the original bodywork of my first Hayabusa to reflect my origins. Used to get me a little of the wrong attention though
That's a brilliant paint job, whats wrong with em, you obviously pulled over cos they'd never catch you on that monster.
Mate I left a high paid management job in my 30's because I wanted to do something with my hands, plonker!
You've got the right idea there with that garage. I'd live in there, lol
Have to get up really early Daz. Speak soon.
Mate I left a high paid management job in my 30's because I wanted to do something with my hands, plonker!
You've got the right idea there with that garage. I'd live in there, lol
Have to get up really early Daz. Speak soon.
so here's a post crash EXUP [mine] 
OK, tracked down some old photos...
I bought what I thought was a decent condition Norton Commando Fastback as a young lad in 1975. It was originally red, and I thought some previous owner had just swapped tanks and put on a Norton Atlas style tank. Anyway, it holed a piston, ate a gearbox, destroyed a clutch and so began my first ever significant rebuild...and so began my life-sentence of fixing, rebuilding and building cars and bikes. This would be just after I rebuilt it and resprayed in (from aerosol cans!). I chose white because it doesn't show up blemishes, and I liked blue
Having saved up enough cash for a proper Leather Jacket (I'd been wearing a 2nd hand flying jacket up until then) I went up to the local bike shop and they had a blue and white jacket...with stars! Cool or what. All thoughts of being the dude in black went - I was to be Evel Knievel's UK cousin
...and I had hair then. Still have the jacket, but it seems to have shrunk one hell of a lot as I can't get it on any more.
I sold the Commando after just a year, as I'd fallen off a mate's bike and the 'long hot summer of 76' was spent in hospital. The medics' advice was that I couldn't kick-start anything until everything had healed-up in a number of months, so not being deterred from bikes I needed something with an electric start.
Now student grants were fairly generous in these days and I calculated if I lived on the breadline and begged and borrowed I could afford one of the newly launched Kawasaki Z900s I think mine was the second in Scotland, and made a hot-shot 19 year-old feel the king of the road as at that time it really was the fastest thing pennies could buy.
...and by that time I'd painted my helmet to match the jacket too
After the Z900 came a Z1R (I liked big Kawasakis), and even though there's been TVRs in the garage for maybe 20 years now there's also an old GPz1100 that I rebuilt a few years ago.
And as to the old Commando, I only recently I discovered that is wasn't the 'wrong tank', but was actually an extremely rare factory variant as a Fastback LR. Worth a bob or two now it would seem. Ah well.
But it did give me a lasting affection for big twins (a 750 twin was 'big' in the 70s), so looking forward to the soon-to-be delivered now Indian Chief Vintage 1800cc of v-twin goodness. Can't wait.
I bought what I thought was a decent condition Norton Commando Fastback as a young lad in 1975. It was originally red, and I thought some previous owner had just swapped tanks and put on a Norton Atlas style tank. Anyway, it holed a piston, ate a gearbox, destroyed a clutch and so began my first ever significant rebuild...and so began my life-sentence of fixing, rebuilding and building cars and bikes. This would be just after I rebuilt it and resprayed in (from aerosol cans!). I chose white because it doesn't show up blemishes, and I liked blue
Having saved up enough cash for a proper Leather Jacket (I'd been wearing a 2nd hand flying jacket up until then) I went up to the local bike shop and they had a blue and white jacket...with stars! Cool or what. All thoughts of being the dude in black went - I was to be Evel Knievel's UK cousin
...and I had hair then. Still have the jacket, but it seems to have shrunk one hell of a lot as I can't get it on any more.
I sold the Commando after just a year, as I'd fallen off a mate's bike and the 'long hot summer of 76' was spent in hospital. The medics' advice was that I couldn't kick-start anything until everything had healed-up in a number of months, so not being deterred from bikes I needed something with an electric start.
Now student grants were fairly generous in these days and I calculated if I lived on the breadline and begged and borrowed I could afford one of the newly launched Kawasaki Z900s
I think mine was the second in Scotland, and made a hot-shot 19 year-old feel the king of the road as at that time it really was the fastest thing pennies could buy....and by that time I'd painted my helmet to match the jacket too
After the Z900 came a Z1R (I liked big Kawasakis), and even though there's been TVRs in the garage for maybe 20 years now there's also an old GPz1100 that I rebuilt a few years ago.
And as to the old Commando, I only recently I discovered that is wasn't the 'wrong tank', but was actually an extremely rare factory variant as a Fastback LR. Worth a bob or two now it would seem. Ah well.
But it did give me a lasting affection for big twins (a 750 twin was 'big' in the 70s), so looking forward to the soon-to-be delivered now Indian Chief Vintage
1800cc of v-twin goodness. Can't wait.Edited by tvrolet on Friday 28th February 10:54
How good is that Mac, you've put me into some nostalgic place far far away.
I painted helmets and bikes with cans of paint, smashed myself up loads of times but the bug is still there.
That kettle, sexy b
d, Z900, brave boy.
Love the helmet and jacket.
Your a cool dude Mac, Adidas trainers the lot.
I painted helmets and bikes with cans of paint, smashed myself up loads of times but the bug is still there.
That kettle, sexy b
d, Z900, brave boy. Love the helmet and jacket.
Your a cool dude Mac, Adidas trainers the lot.
Couple more, my pre-exup FZR
Z650 Had a kick start aswell as electric??
18 and a CB250 complete with nose fairing and top box
Gotta laugh at yerself!
Trying to regain some 'cred'. Phillip island track day, bit far away [as is Australia]
Affore mentioned R1, God I miss that, those were the days.
Z650 Had a kick start aswell as electric??
18 and a CB250 complete with nose fairing and top box
Gotta laugh at yerself!Trying to regain some 'cred'. Phillip island track day, bit far away [as is Australia]
Affore mentioned R1, God I miss that, those were the days.
Edited by macdeb on Friday 28th February 14:46
Edited by macdeb on Friday 28th February 16:10
Concur.
Bikes owned include, 98cc James, NSU Quickly, Tiger Cub, Honda Dream, Honda MTX 125, Yamaha 600 XT, Honda Revere, Fireblade, Kawasaki ZZR 1100, Honda SP2, BMW 1150GS, Honda CBF 1000.
Given up biking now cos I'm getting on a bit, had too many near misses and wanted a project so bought a 4ltr Chim. Getting stuck in.
Bikes owned include, 98cc James, NSU Quickly, Tiger Cub, Honda Dream, Honda MTX 125, Yamaha 600 XT, Honda Revere, Fireblade, Kawasaki ZZR 1100, Honda SP2, BMW 1150GS, Honda CBF 1000.
Given up biking now cos I'm getting on a bit, had too many near misses and wanted a project so bought a 4ltr Chim. Getting stuck in.
Rigga, that's proper riding there mate. NSU quickly, I had a mobillete,(spelling?) rather than buy oil I used to take my dads old engine oil and add a bit to the petrol, 20/50, I was very young. By the way my dad had been dead about 8 years by then!!!!
These Tvrs are just a substitute for all those glorious bikes mentioned.
See that second pic, lob sided, look at the handlebars, I'd had an off in practice and everything is bent or held on with tape.
We'd straightened the bars but anymore and they'd of snapped,
Straight back out there and full throttle, with those bars like that, jeez, no wonder I'm a cripple.
What great times and nothings ever felt as good as a grassbike ever since.
All that sliding its just so exciting and freaking hard to do, go up a straight with cars at the end of it and at max speed ram it into a slide and hold on to the fecker. Brave ain't the word, stupidity yes.
I've been turning early into corners ever since!
Those bikes developed my roar speed into turns, ( when that actually mattered to me)
As a youth I wanted to do motorcross but now I'm really proud I rode grassbikes.
These Tvrs are just a substitute for all those glorious bikes mentioned.
See that second pic, lob sided, look at the handlebars, I'd had an off in practice and everything is bent or held on with tape.
We'd straightened the bars but anymore and they'd of snapped,
Straight back out there and full throttle, with those bars like that, jeez, no wonder I'm a cripple.
What great times and nothings ever felt as good as a grassbike ever since.
All that sliding its just so exciting and freaking hard to do, go up a straight with cars at the end of it and at max speed ram it into a slide and hold on to the fecker. Brave ain't the word, stupidity yes.
I've been turning early into corners ever since!
Those bikes developed my roar speed into turns, ( when that actually mattered to me)
As a youth I wanted to do motorcross but now I'm really proud I rode grassbikes.
Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff