Tips for yanks

Now we had one of these in Caithness for playing on forest tracks. The
HE suspension was blown up to give about 12" of ground clearance under
the diff and it had chunky tyres on the rear rims. Fun it was!!

'Hog

 

That's because it was hydragas, not hydropneumatic.

 

It's Greased Lightning!

--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SE-V/CBR1100XX-X/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..75939.../...19198.../..30836.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 PM#5 WG*
'^' RBR Clues: 24 Pts: 400 Miles: 1589

 

BXs rock
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 75 TS 156 TS S2
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

First car was an Escort Estate (£125). The sills were so rusted it was a
deathtrap. I painted black hammerite splodges over the rust spots and, in a
fit of artistic triumph, joined them together with red primer paint. A
policeman who stopped me described it as "an abortion" and refused to book
me because he said he felt sorry for me. The second was a Cortina (£50), the
gearstick came off in my hand as I drove it away. I never fixed it. The
third (£175) a Datsun Cherry I painted with black tractor enamel with a
decorating brush and ploughed it into a dispatch rider shortly after. The
Fourth, a 3 door Sierra. Lasted me a while despite overheating all the time.
I sold it in Leamington Spa and saw it 2 years later in a car park in
Somerset. My last an XR3 I bought at an auction. I bought it because I
thought it was an XR3i and you know that rule about deciding a figure and
not bidding over it? Heh. Still, was the best of the bunch.

That's why I like brand new bikes I think.

 

Bear says...

Morris Minor Traveller that my dad gave me when he considered it too
knackered, even for him[1]. My mates nicknamed it 'The Shed' on account
of it having marine ply where the metal panels used to be in the rear
section. I had it 3 weeks before rear ending a Volvo 340 on Bedford
High Street because it ran out of brakes. 1275 A series engines with a
Mini Cooper S head and twin 1 1/2 inch SUs being stopped by drum brakes
is not a good thing. Needless to say that incident wrote it off.

[1] My dad bought it new in Singapore, shipped it over here 3 years
later where it promptly decided to fall victim to wood rot. My old man
did nearly 200,000 miles in it with barely an oil change then gave it
to me because he couldn't be arsed to take it to the scrappies. I
replaced the wood with the whole rear end from a written off one, stuck
a new engine in and Robert was my Auntie's hubbie.

 

My first car was a Renault 5. I rolled it - 3 and half turns, and
left it upside down in a ditch.

 

One of my uncles used to do rallying in an Ital. The engines would last
(on average) 2 rallys.
He liked them though.

Phil

 

My first car was a BMW 520iA when I went to work for said company in
London but I was 27 by that time. I didn't even pass a car test until I
was 26. Proper (1)
biker y'see ;o) It was utterly wonderful and never missed a beat. 8
years later I bumped into a Paki chap in East Kilbride driving self same
car!! it had followed me to Scotland.

(1) Pauper might be more accurate, UKAEA salaries were 3rd world

'Hog

 

Like the XM. Nice cars the XM's - well apart from the build quality,
the quality of the build and how well it was made..

Oh - and the fact that it had little 'design features' that always went
wrong - like the gearbox. And the hydragas suspension (did I mention
the build quality? I could have put it together better myself!)

Phil.

 

<waits for PC brigade to launch tirade against inflammatory description of
car's new owner>

--
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)

 

heh. I didn't pass my car test until I was 22.

 

<wiggles line>

'Hog

 

I passed my car test within a couple of weeks of my 17th birthday.

 

you naughty man

--
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)

 

I was 21.
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

darsy wrote

I also.

 

Dutton Phaeton S4. A Caterham 7-style kitcar. I bought it when I was
15, rebuilt it, then thrashed it around the roads even though it was
in grey primer and I was still only 16.

 

Pretty much how I was with the bike test.

Car test took a bit longer, due to lessons being halted by
inability to move right leg properly for three months (tricky
coves, bikes.)

 

<Shudder>Memories of the worst B&B experience of my life, second only
to Preston</Shudder>