Silver Lav Jota - Whips Cross Quick Snacks 1978/79
Discussion
Quick Snacks tea stand @ Whipps Cross in east London, was like the Wild West back in the late 1970s and a packed Friday or Saturday night summers eve, was like something out of the first Mad Max film!
The epic midnight drag race, repeated 3 or 4 times, between the bearded nutter, in his blue manual box, V-12 E Type 2+2 and a very quick pal, on his new white RD400E, is something that I will never Ever forget. The sight of the E Type smoking its rear Dunlop SP Sports and slewing sideways down the road, with the RD on its rear wheel alongside, is still in my minds eye.
However, as above, does anyone recall the silver P reg Jota that a really great guy ( who we think was called Roy ) and who was from the east London area, rode with one arm ?
He had previously fitted Tomaselli adjustable bars to his Jota and whilst on a motorway one day, someone pulled out on him. He braked hard and the right bar snapped, causing him to lose control and crash heavily. As a result of which, he lost the use of an arm ( his right arm we think )
He had the bike repaired and somehow converted, so that he could still ride it and the sight of him pulling up @ packed whips cross and then heaving that boat anchor of a bike, onto its centre stand, is a memory that I will never forget.
He pulled in one August 1978 eve and parked next to my silver Suzuki GT250A. Back then, a Jota was The Top Dog of fast bikes and I couldn't believe it when he struck up a conversation with me, a spotty 17 year old yoof, all about his bike.
I was knocked off of my 250A in spring 79 and by the time I was riding again ( some months later, on an RD200 electric, whilst I was waiting for the ins co to repair my 250 ) Jota guy was no where to be seen.
I heard a rumour some years later, that he sadly met his maker on the Jota.
Does anyone recall him ?
The epic midnight drag race, repeated 3 or 4 times, between the bearded nutter, in his blue manual box, V-12 E Type 2+2 and a very quick pal, on his new white RD400E, is something that I will never Ever forget. The sight of the E Type smoking its rear Dunlop SP Sports and slewing sideways down the road, with the RD on its rear wheel alongside, is still in my minds eye.
However, as above, does anyone recall the silver P reg Jota that a really great guy ( who we think was called Roy ) and who was from the east London area, rode with one arm ?
He had previously fitted Tomaselli adjustable bars to his Jota and whilst on a motorway one day, someone pulled out on him. He braked hard and the right bar snapped, causing him to lose control and crash heavily. As a result of which, he lost the use of an arm ( his right arm we think )
He had the bike repaired and somehow converted, so that he could still ride it and the sight of him pulling up @ packed whips cross and then heaving that boat anchor of a bike, onto its centre stand, is a memory that I will never forget.
He pulled in one August 1978 eve and parked next to my silver Suzuki GT250A. Back then, a Jota was The Top Dog of fast bikes and I couldn't believe it when he struck up a conversation with me, a spotty 17 year old yoof, all about his bike.
I was knocked off of my 250A in spring 79 and by the time I was riding again ( some months later, on an RD200 electric, whilst I was waiting for the ins co to repair my 250 ) Jota guy was no where to be seen.
I heard a rumour some years later, that he sadly met his maker on the Jota.
Does anyone recall him ?
Edited by neutral 3 on Monday 18th March 02:41
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