Beachcomber's Tales from the day

beachcomber said:
Now if only I could get a copy of that .......................... [ in memoriam ]

Hmmm Could it be?... http://www.britishpathe.com/video/southend-pier
 

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TAF,

many thanx for taking the time to research - regrettably not the film.

But get this, at the end of the film are shown [ deck chairs ] my Nan's next door neighbours !!!!

Chances of that ?

I think it was '73 /'74 'ish and was aTV documentary [ BBC / ITV ]
 
You, LF, are a master storyteller! How fortunate we are to have your recollections and experiences so eloquently shared on this forum.
 
Gentlemen, gentlemen ......... I am not worthy 8)

I thank you for your kind words and especially from a fellow rider from the era [ Hoof ].

How cool is your pic with the lid Hoof .................. nonchalantly perched on top of a Manx Norton.

The various feedbacks keep my juices flowing to share as much as possible / relevant "from the day" as I then know I am indeed sharing with the new generation and they are enjoying the info.

Don't forget all you post Sixties guys - take and keep safe plenty of pictorial evidence - enjoy the hell out of our hobby. Don't take "no" and "oh you can't do that" advice, just go for it and YOU too will have your own ".................Tales" to relate in years to come.

The Tales are beginning to come to an end [ serious Tales that is ], just plain and simple - I've related all the good stuff already, maybe another 3 or 4 worthy of the telling.

Loads of little anectodal Tales along the way - like the time 10 or so of the "elders" rode naked down Southend Sea front, just for the craic.............................., or the time Maurice [ cemetery Tale ] stopped for a pee in minus God knows what on the way back from the first Dragon Rally and it wasn't until the next petrol stop he realised he's left his flies open and his wedding tackle had frozen to the tank. So we went inside and asked the waitress to come outside with a cup of warm water and pour it on the offending [ offensive ? ] object to release him ........ She was a good sport [ anyway Maurice was a BIG lad ] and even in minus whatever we could see his blushes as we lifted him gently off the bike so as not to leave any essential parts attached to the tank !
 
beachcomber said:
Gentlemen, gentlemen ......... I am not worthy 8)

I thank you for your kind words and especially from a fellow rider from the era [ Hoof ].

Worthy? Most definitely !! Great stories and memories from a period when fun was tolerated (more or less). Each generation has its moments. I thoroughly enjoyed mine.

The lid was bought for 37/6. See who remembers that !
 
Hoofhearted said:
Worthy? Most definitely !! Great stories and memories from a period when fun was tolerated (more or less). Each generation has its moments. I thoroughly enjoyed mine.

The lid was bought for 37/6. See who remembers that !

Hoof ......... these young whipersnappers will think that's the hat size or something !

Most [ all ? ] of my early day helmets were hand-me-downs or came with the bike.

However, after the sad demise of Don [ toppled over, hit head on kerb, instant death ] the very next day I went out and bought the then new "Everoak Racemaster". It was one of the first "jet" helmets in the UK and certainly the best - kid leather liner and plenty of padding !

By 1967 they were 59/6 - I think I paid 45 bob when I bought mine - or 2 pounds and five shillings.

All totally meaningless to our North American cousins !!! 12 pennies to the shilling - 20 shillings to a pound .. won't even get into sovreigns, bushels and firkins and stuff !

The Racemaster was the helmet of choice for most of the racecar drivers of the day - Brabham, Clark, Salvadori ...........Moss stuck to his old puddin basin, and nearly died as a result.

Jim Clark's Racemaster recently sold at auction for just under $2000 [US ]




 
I kind figured you would be about the only one who would know the price. I (back then) never liked the "jet" helmet. Why? Because Hailwood didn't wear one!! When I started riding I never wore a helmet because my Dad never wore one (Helmets were for racers. His words.) I had a friend who wore a helmet and was hit by a car. Broken leg and collarbone and a big tire mark on the helmet but no head injuries. When I told my Dad about that he gave me the money to bo buy a helmet. Haven't been without one since.

When the full face came out the powers that be in Irish road racing were very quick to adopt it as compulsory. Not a bad move. Over the years of racing I have managed to destroy a few helmets. Its when you see damage to the chin bar and face shield that you realize why you wear one.

What I used to hate was at each race meeting there was a helmet inspector. If you dump it you have to bring your helmet to the inspector who examines it and makes a determination as to whether its done or not. At one event I dropped it and my head skated along the ground and pretty well tore the helmet up. As I was sitting in the medical center getting patched up the inspector came in. Looked at me and asked if I was OK and picked up my helmet to have a look. Then the sickening moment when he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife and cut the straps off. It was his way of saying your helmet did its job and won't be used again. To a person who was scratching by on 12 quid a week it was a disaster. Beans on toast for a few weeks until you could save up to get another helmet.

On another forum a guy posted a picture of an old helmet and wondered what it was. I found this ad from an old motorcycle mag I had. A Centurion Top Jet. One of my least liked helmets.

 
The well is running a bit dry now folks ........................ I may well bow out with one last tale after I get back from my Summer break in Saxony, and then concentrate on upgrading all the Tales for "The Book".

I've had some happy memory jerkers as a result of telling the Tales . as well as some very sad reminders, some brought right up to date.

After hearing the news about George, I decided to make a real effort to contact those of us left still standing upright.

With that, I contacted Dommie Dave, who I know lives just round the corner in Cornwall from another of the old Essex crowd - Mickey "Carps" [ his "riding" name ].

Too late - again :'(................................. I last visited Carps 20 years ago when I found myself in his neck of the woods. Bear in mind we hadn't made contact or seen each other since he left Dagenham in 1967 [ 'ish ] - almost 30 years previously. And to my shame I hadn't even spoken to him for at least 10 years - and now it's too late.

When Dave told me [ he'd called round to Carps' house ] I was shocked - then I thought, hang on -anyone riding from that era is now in their early 70's - 80's !!! :eek:

Maybe I won't even try to contact any of the others now - I'll just remember them as they were in those Golden early sixties - young guys, passionate about their bikes and riding for the hell of it -burning up the bye-pass and Cafe hopping through the night into the early Summer mornings.

Yea, that's it ............................................ 8) 8)
 
This has been a truly inspiring stroll through the memories of a few great men... and even you BC ;)

I have taken the time to copy paste every story into a word document for a box of things like this that I've been stuffing for a few years.

I would like to be on the list of signed copy's (2ea. please, one for my son)... of the book when out in first draft... If you don't mind I could forward my contact/invoice to info to your inbox.

Best of luck to ya,
RD
 
I think an appropriate end to the season's Tales will be a tribute to Mickey Carps, maybe a few of the short anecdotes thrown in for good measure. 8)

Dommie Dave was back in our old neck of the woods [ Essex ] early this week on business, and while there caught up with a couple of his pals.

Turns out that our old mentor Joe Dennis [ and the guy responsible for getting the ex. Bob Mac Connies for me from Ted Bloomfield ] passed away a few years back. :'(

Joe was "an old guy" of 35 when we were mere whippersnappers in our early 20's.

He was a marine engineer in what has now become the fashionable part [ The Docklands ] of the old East End of London.

Apart from being responsible for putting the deals together for the Connies, he was a seriously good bike builder. Tritons were his passion and he built 4 or 5 of them - ALL with stock Norton running gear [ usually Dommie ] and ALL with my favourite 500 pre- unit motors. They even had stock position footpegs and ALL had "Vincent straights" bars. Don't get the idea these were just stock Dommies with a Triumph motor thrown in - they were stripped to the last nut and bolt and totally refurbished. Working with Marine parts - he always had boxes of stainless steel nuts and bolts, which he generously spread around his pals. With full machine shops at his disposal many of the specialised items we needed - engine plates, brackets and even engine bolts were turned up in stainless.

I learned a lot from Joe, especially the craft of doing things "properly" - if I made something not to his high standards - he'd make me do it over until it was !

I can still see Joe - Irvin flying jacket, DR boots, puddin' basin helmet with Mk 9's and with a roll up fag miraculously attached to his bottom lip - even when he spoke...... there's a whiff of Old Holborn in my memory banks

yep - nostalgia AIN'T what it used to be .........................................
 
Wideline and alloy T100 is a very sweet combo that eluded me. I built a few 650s and T100s and the 500 single carb and a GP but somehow the alloy 500 still calls me.

My first lid was a pre-loved pudding basin and the first I bought was an Everoak jet and after that was the same type that Chas Dean at Motorcycle Mechanics used to use with leather inside. I used it with bubble visor which was OK but distorted vision around the edges and then with different goggles over my glasses and of course a leather face mask - remember them?

This was my first bike and obviously it became a cafe racer. Ports were opened up, clip ons, rear sets, alloy guards, home made (crap) seat, expansion chamber - some things never change.... And the jacket used to be my dad's and I died it black (was brown). That was probably 68 or 69.

CCI02232015crop_zps8udrxhej.jpg




Later came this T100 in a T5 frame IIRC, High comp slipper pistons, Thruxton 650 crank with light flywheel (2mm longer stroke) :) and so on. But someone stole the pipes.

sweptbacks_zpsgtpkf94k.jpg



So I got other cheap pipes because I used it to commute 75 miles each way back then - must be where I lost the brain cells....

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It still had the GP /race kit inlet manifold chopped monoblocks, alternator and Capacitor (no battery), halogen headlamp and K2F magneto. E3134 cams and 3059R followers and the tank was fuel in front and oil at the rear. I tried a couple of tachos and they were inaccurate so I ended up with speedo and oil pressure gauge to keep an eye on the bottom end.

The guy I sold it to was hit by a car in Edinburgh, so he kept the motor and made it into a Triton. He told me is twas way faster and sweeter than his mates Bonnies, so who am I to argue with a happy buyer.

BTW 47/6 sounds right form my first Jet style helmet but that was so long ago I can hardly remember.
 
I built this unit 500 to replace the pre-unit, but seriously, it was so slow and soft it was a shame. Nice example of period swept back pipes, Goldie style mufflers and seat/rear fender combo popular at the time.

unit500_zpsbe6mrgsh.jpg


Beach - any photos from back in the day you could post? I think yu said a prior Mrs B may have destroyed them - any of your old mates still got any? Would be good to see what is still out there under the bed or in old shoe boxes in the attic etc.
 
thirty years later and still no sense.....

1965 CB160 just getting jetting and gearing right - not really racing it ;-)

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Nice rides Teazer ............now "if only and all that" ! ;)

The ONLY few pix I have "from the day" have already been posted up - the Manx/Goldie with my then young Daughter [ now 48 ! ]. You're right about "old shoe boxes" etc. I KNOW I have a picture somehere of my Connie after it was Cafe Racered - an actual "action" shot taken by Dave Dueters - he of the collision on the way to a sprint meet. He was a very keen amateur photographer, who later went on to become professional and moved to South Africa. It was a sensational pic - along the lines of Tim's Canyon Carving shot with the XS650. I remember the pic vividly and it was taken on the Passingford Bridge bends. Somewhere in my loft !!!!!! ::) There's another at the start line on my reverse head Triumph Sprint bike [ again taken by Dave ], and I also remember seeing one in the loft some 30 odd years ago of me at Brands with the Triumph Sitter outfit. Now then, if I sort out my library of close on 2000 books, various boxes of files and paperwork plus any other nooks and crannies - I might come accross them ! :-\

........................... So Dommie Dave was down in Essex again Monday, and finally a bit of pleasant news .......... Brian Rocket [ "Dommie Dave, Brian Rocket and the Norwegian Fish Canning Heiress" ] is alive and enjoying retirement with his family on a small farm in Norway.

The information is about 6 months old - but at least positive. Dave's trying to track down contact details ..................... now that WOULD be aome sort of a reunion - as long as they don't play the "Vikings" Theme !
 
I'm off for my Summer in Saxony chill break - I'll be AWOL for a few weeks now, planned return on the 2nd Sept. when I will have the framework for the Mickey Carps [ last Tale - at least for this year ] drafted out



 
Chill break over .... back to reality. Mid to high 30 degrees with clear blue skies in Saxony - back to rain and 15 degrees in the UK ................. ::)

Plenty of time to relax and mull over the Mickey Carps tribute Tale. Strange to relate that it took me a while to remember exactly how I came into contact with Carps [ almost 55 years ago ], but then it came back - along with some quite vivid memories of that period in my life - made all the richer for knowing Mick.

3 - 4 weeks should do it ......................... 8)


Chilling on the beer terrace



MrsB sheltering from 40 degrees of Saxony sunshine

 
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