Temptation

There's a bloke in work selling a 1982 1100 Katana and I've *always*
wanted one of them.

I'm away to throw my wallet down a deep, dark hole.

 

I really don't like the whole Katana styling thing but I'd be very
tempted by one of those. The sound of rattling slides is almost as
nice as that of fully floating discs on fucked bobbins.

 

ISTR something on Radio 4 back in the day about the Katana
being the first ergonomically designed bike.
Which was bollocks but it was free publicity for Suzuki.

 

So you recommend a set of these for the CBX, then?

http://www.phildentonengineering.com/product.asp?pid=828

 

Too fucking right.

You might find the bike a bit different to ride if you fit flat slides
but only in a good way....

 

That's surprisingly affordable for SIX carbs

 

If it economy you're after, buy summat else.

If it only does 1000 miles a year, the economy is irrelevant.

Much like the cost of that carb set-up.

It's not going to happen, not this side of a phone-call from lottery
HQ.

Though the 6 into 1 titanium pipe set looks nice. As it should.

 

s/carb set-up/engine rebuild/ and I hear ya.

Anyone'd think Champ was a working class lad from west London who ran a
single bike to get him to his minimum-wage job and back each day.

 

I can see that:

1. Recover motorcycle.

2. Remove telegraph pole from motorcycle.

3. Fit race kit to telegraph pole and build into road motorcycle.

4. Wonder why - recall bang on head.

... and lasted a long time.

 

Um.... What's it like and how much?

 

I thoroughly enjoyed those events. Did the commentary for a lot of
them, too. One of my abiding memories is of the pair of Kawasaki H2
owners racing each others. Loud enough to make your ears bleed.

And the amazing Yamaha XS650 in a home-made frame.And Bill Hunter's
Spondon Turbo. And some guy with a stock-looking Guzzi Le Mans Mark
Two which went like split shit - low 12s, IIRC. Great days.

 

Thanks. I'm normally Mr Grumpy first thing in the morning, but that'll
have me giggling for the rest of the day.

 

Ain't dat da troof. I finished sorting all the tools in the new garage
last night, & started to think about which bike/car job to do first.
The options are along the lines of:

Do a few bits on the pick-up for the MoT.
Start the next stage of the Corvette restoration.
Get the tank off the MV for painting.
Fettle the Fantic & MOT it so I can sell it.
Fettle RatTig & MOT it so I can sell it.
Service Pinkie (& get it ready to sell if I buy the other thing
tonight).
Service the other thing if I buy it.
Do the FZR.
Sort the squealing brakes on the Jeep.
Ignore all of the above & crack on with the house instead.

Much as I love having lots of toys, it becomes a liability when you're
living in a building site, so I suspect the 'sell stuff' options will
win out.

 

Oh yeah. Half a dozen or so. I do remember, on the Saturday morning,
after a heavy night in the pub where we were all staying, climbing
carefully into the control tower, tapping the mike, and welcoming all
to Santa Pod. And the woman in the tower, responsible for recording
the times, swivelled round and said: "This is Long Marston, you
fucking idiot..."


 You must have known Tony

Yeah. Lost touch with TM. He's still working for Haymarket, I believe.
One of the funniest guys I ever knew. JC was a good writer but an
absolutely hopeless editor, which was why Link House fired him. He
decided to have a tidy-up and threw out all their archives. And I do
mean all. They went ballistic.

Oh, and the year the Sammy Miller jet car did a demo run. That was
fun. The year the smellies ran riot and pulled down the beer tent:
that wasn't so much fun.

 

<wistfully remembers>

Talmag trial, sometime in the '70s. Far more media than usual as Sammy
was going for his 100th win. He was knocked into 2nd by my dad on his
Comet. Sammy wasn't a happy bunny!

 

<Attempts nonchalant whistle>

I might be interested in that ...

</fails nw due to drooling>

The wife reckons I need a Trials bike again ... I dunno ... but I love
Fantics, trials or Enduro ...

 

I'm determined to rebuild[1] the road Morini this winter ready for full
on old gimmer duties including possibly going to the Manx on it again,
though I hear the VMCC parades aren't as much fun as the used to be.

I've just returned from the tip after taking a load that included
several 5 litre containers of used engine oil and every clapped out
chain removed during the last few years. I reckon now I have moved a lot
of bulky but difficult to convince myself to part with stuff[1] in to
the shed I threw up a couple of years ago, I should be able to work
comfortably on it in the best lit part of the garage without having to
do any bike shuffling.

[1] Though not a TOG type concours standard job. Functionality will be
more important than appearance, and seeing as it has the wrong motor in
it originality isn't really an issue.

[2] Including a set of MX wheels for both YZs (250 and 85).
--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Don't know, I refuse to go and view it. To quote the ad - "new shock
absorbers, new tank and battery, in an excellent and original state of
repair" 47,000 km

2700 EUR negotiable. I don't know how realistic that is but bear in
mind you won't get any sort of roadworthy bike here for much less than
2K.

He also has a 650 Katana from 1984 at 1300EUR.

I would forward the ads but they're on the internal network, with no
straightforward means of transfer.

 

All sensible offers considered. Bear in mind it's an ex works bike, &
one of only 15 built with the Hiro engine though (& quite probably the
only one still living), so your idea of sensible may not match mine!

Also bear in mind that it's very scary to ride. Very, very scary
indeed. I still get apprehensive about opening the throttle in the
first three gears, even after 25-odd years of owning it. The last time
I rode it, last summer, it damn near had me off the back in third, even
going down a fairly steep hill.

 

Heh, we once had a Maico 440, amongst many others, that wouldn't keep
the front end down in fifth if you weren't careful. I had the first (I
thought one of the first few, but was told differently) XR250 Honda in
UK .. Honda UK replaced the frame after two weeks 'cos I broke it ..
headstock came off on the bottom tubes/top engine mount ...

But I think you might be right about what I'd pay/can afford and what
you'd want ..