Why I bought a Cerbera.

[Redmist336]

I'm beginning to think that approaching 40 I'm a very very old codger. I remember the days of the carbed super sport bikes that not only tried to kill you but had enough character to be axe wielding as well. When I pulled up to lights in my Ninja's (okay hatchet wielding) they would kick, fart, backfire, grumble, and sometimes stall. It didn't like the cold or the wet and used to complain more than I did at the "English weather". Then the injected bikes took over, and all that disappeared. The bike became more of a killer but didn't tell you it was going to do so. Started first flick, ran cleanly at lights, didn't mind getting wet or cold, ran... perfectly. But I don't want perfection in something I ride for the journey and not the destination. There is no character, excitement, story, in having perfection.
While researching the Cerbera (I'm now battling to get mine on NZ roads) one of my favourite youtube videos was of a Cerby starting in a parking lot. It was cold as hell, started on 3 or 4 was held running on the starter then backfired, deafening anyone within a 10 block radius and stalled! I almost orgasmed! After a few seconds of letting the fuel drain from the plugs, or piss with the starting sequence he tried again. 3 led to 4 or 5 then she kicked up on almost all 8 and settled down to a byatchy rumble still probably rocking on 7. I was in love.
But I think I'll be the last generation that doesn't mind being pissed around a bit by my car/bike if it leads to a pub story worthy of regaling. I want a vehicle to tell me it's going to kill me if I don't pay attention. One that draws attention at the lights not only by the way it looks but by the way it plays up. With computer controlled everything there is no personality to the mechanics of the vehicle anymore. It runs, almost never ceasing, without noise, without emissions, fully PC. Beautiful when I want to get from A to B, but useless for pub stories or getting out of a vehicle like the journey was part of the travelling experience.

I think I've made the right choice. Given a couple of months I'll hopefully have a few Cerby based pub stories to tell. And when the chassis returns to the ground and the plastic bodywork is shined up and placed as a tapestry on one of my walls. I’d hope that the sleek thing I purchase as her replacement has a button on the dash marked “playfull”

Edited by Redmist336 on Friday 9th April 08:31

[softtop]

Redmist336 said:

And when the chassis returns to the ground ...

Great story by the way, and the chassis, well if you get an early one this could be sooner than you think

[JensenA]

Great write up Redmist.

[AlexH22]

Agreed, all too often I find myself nearly travelling too fast for a modern cars' capability, given that you dont get a feeling for speed or noise in a modern car.

[Olly]

FAN-BLLOMING-TASTIC !!!!

I wish you all the luck getting "her" on the road in NZ.

[BLUETHUNDER]

softtop said:

Redmist336 said:

And when the chassis returns to the ground ...

Great story by the way, and the chassis, well if you get an early one this could be sooner than you think

I think you will find later white coated chassis were the worst!

[Redmist336]

BLUETHUNDER said:

softtop said:

Redmist336 said:

And when the chassis returns to the ground ...

Great story by the way, and the chassis, well if you get an early one this could be sooner than you think

I think you will find later white coated chassis were the worst!

She's a 2003 LW (x W8OO HOO) with one of the best original chassis that Rob Ingleby had inspected. Unfortunately this also failed NZ inspection as it had some very light surface rust on chassis and front arms. A TVR friendly insector allowed me to get it coated without having a repair cert (a nightmare). He also thankfully permitted the sensor to fall from the exhaust pipe when testing emmisions. The machine is calibrated to reject any cars reading above 80, my Cerb blew a chart topping 1200.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

[skidoo]

BLUETHUNDER said:

softtop said:

Redmist336 said:

And when the chassis returns to the ground ...

Great story by the way, and the chassis, well if you get an early one this could be sooner than you think

I think you will find later white coated chassis were the worst!

[Erich Stahler]

softtop said:

Great story by the way, and the chassis, well if you get an early one this could be sooner than you think

I beg to differ, the earlier cars tend to have better chassis, the quality of steel was superior to the later ones.