LJK Setright down

From the Torygraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/09/09/mnuws10.xml

"LJK Setright, the inspirational motoring journalist and author, died last
Wednesday at the age of 74. The world is a poorer and less entertaining
place without him, and our sincere condolences go out to his family
and friends"

Not much of an obituary.

Channel4 are more generous:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/09/09/mnuws10.xml

I especially like the last paragraph:
"Generations of rookie motoring writers were warned never to get in a
car with him at the wheel: he had a strong religious faith, believing
that his death was pre-determined and thus if it was his time to go,
however fast or recklessly he drove was of no consequence...."

His articles in Car magazine were the only bits of it I really enjoyed.
Apparently he wrote for Bike but I don't recall that.

 

You must be too young. I vaguely remember him doing a dissertation on
the Honda CX500/650 turbo and on the GPZ900.

From memory he was riding the GPZ in a spirited fashion down back roads
at night and was stopped by a policemen who, upon LJK doffing his
helmet, was reported to say: "I see old motorcyclists and I see bold
motorcyclists, but I rarely see old bold motorcyclists".

Dunno why that stuck in my head.

 

Chris H fumbled, fiddled and fingered:

Did'nt he also write, in Bike, on the virtues of feet first bikes like
that Quaser thing too?


--
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort

(not forgetting the SK90PY)

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

Chris H emerged from their own little world to say

Not too young. I'm nearly as old as Champ.

However, I was a late adopter as far as bikes are concerned. Just a mere 13
years ago.

 

I can remember his articles both in Car and Bike and used to wait for the
magazines in the local newsagent so that I could read his articles
What an erudite educational funny writer. Clarkson has got a long way to go
to match the quality of his writing

LJKS books are also an education and an entertainment

 

In the early years; some good stuff, afair. Also, his book on tyre
technology was a very informative one for me, some 30+ years ago.

 

He had a regular column through much of the 1970s. Very techie, always
readable.

RIP.

 

That's the Telegraph link again, YTC.

 

The Older Gentleman emerged from their own little world to say

oops

http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=12963

 

LJKS was a pain in the arse sometimes, and an opinionated old goat, but
his technical knowledge was immense and worthy of respect. Clarkson is a
mere dilettante, a dabbler in ephemera, a footstool in comparison.

 

Hang on, that's TOG innit?

Indeed

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

When I work out whether that's a compliment or an insult I shall either
buy you a beer or pour one over your head.

 

Heh, bit of both I reckon.

Must mean you have to buy the beer and then pour it over me.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Dan L says...

He can give it to me in return for the one you owe me.

That'll be a pint of Black Russian then, ta TOG.

 

But it's more like something LJK would have liked to hear than something
he actually did hear from Mr. Plod.

 

IIRC his column was call "Lore". Royce Creasey's was called "Tech", and
banged on about FF stuff.

Indeed. Bugger.

 

Cog-swapping. I have a copy of Bike from 1975 at hand.

 

His column in Car was called 'Handlebars', iirc. Or 'Handelbras' as my
keyboard first had it.

 

The sometimes glorious pomposity - richly redolant of a bygone age,
interleaved with sound technical knowledge, is what made his writing for
me. He was writing up until recently, I've just discovered, having found
a column of his in the Independent Online - on tacky flashy chromium.

 

Beav weaved to an intellectual halt with the words:

I don't remember that one. I'm not that old.