Beachcomber's Tales from the day
- Thread starter beachcomber
- Start date
dewjantim said:
Here's the finished car [ one of them ] - and yes, it IS bloody quick. The owner says it's as quick as the Cobra Realm made for him 6-7 years ago [ 302ci Ford ].
The second pic is the final p.o.c. mock up with my new front chassis design. At this point the exhausts were just made in house by the Realm guys to ensure everything fit and closed ! There was ONE INCH clearance between the top of the blower and the bonnet.
Yes, I was genuinely saddened to learn of George's passing. One good thing is that in my mind's eye - he will always be that dashing young RGS rider, as that was the last time I saw him [ almost 50 years ago ] and that's how I remember him.
As my tribute to George the last Tale before I go off for my Saxony summer chill break, will be the memory of one particular Summer night's ride out round the Caffs, in what I can only term "The Perfect Ride" ..... we all have one don't we ?
That's the sad part of getting old. We are at the age where our generation is starting to drop off. The only consolation is that we had a good time before all the regulation BS came to the for. Very sorry to hear about the passing of your friend.
dewjantim
duc in the park.....
Hoof, fortunately many of us (including Shelby and myself) have taken advantage of the replacement parts available to extend our lives here on Earth so we can enjoy life a little longer. Science is a wonderful thing. BC, I look forward to your "Perfect Ride" and really love the V-8 Jag.
My knees are shot to hell. Next month I go for stem cell treatment on them. I'm not overly fired up about the slice and dice and stick a chunk of metal in. That will be the last resort. Give this a shot first. I'm not done yet and damned if I'm going to let the knees finish me. Yes science is a wonderful thing.
Speedfreak
New Member
It's sad to here your friend George past away, (may he rest in peace) wish you lots of strength to handle this loss.
We all want to get old, but nobody wants to be old.
Grts, Frank "Speedfreak"
We all want to get old, but nobody wants to be old.
Grts, Frank "Speedfreak"
So, I was just reading through the last Tale [ sad eh?] toget me in the right spirit for the "Perfect Ride" Tale, when I noticed a couple of terminal inexactitudes - that confused me, never mind anyone trying to make sense of it all !
A couple of fat finger typos and an omission [ "Gordon Goldie's" real handle ] - and what can only be described as a "senior moment".
A few peeps have asked what was my moniker in those days .................. well I had no allegiance to any one make of bike - just what was around and cheap to build ! SO the guys gave up after a series of Manx's, Tribsas, Tritons etc..... and just settled for "TJ".
So, the main inexactitude - I had in fact typed "uphill", when it should have been "downhill" when describing lifting the Crown from George. A simple error, but made that part of the story bollox !!!
Sorry peeps - if you were as confused as I was, please re-read it. I GUARANTEE it WILL make sense this time..
On the plus side, the next Tale is coming along nicely, albeit with a few moist droplets coming from the eyes.
A couple of fat finger typos and an omission [ "Gordon Goldie's" real handle ] - and what can only be described as a "senior moment".
A few peeps have asked what was my moniker in those days .................. well I had no allegiance to any one make of bike - just what was around and cheap to build ! SO the guys gave up after a series of Manx's, Tribsas, Tritons etc..... and just settled for "TJ".
So, the main inexactitude - I had in fact typed "uphill", when it should have been "downhill" when describing lifting the Crown from George. A simple error, but made that part of the story bollox !!!
Sorry peeps - if you were as confused as I was, please re-read it. I GUARANTEE it WILL make sense this time..
On the plus side, the next Tale is coming along nicely, albeit with a few moist droplets coming from the eyes.
Nearly done [ mid June latest ] again looking for suitable pix to accompany the Tale.
Here it is then, my tribute to Rocket George and Vincent .............
Beachcomber’s Tales from the Day
“The Perfect Ride” …[ in memorium Rocket George ] June 2015
This Tale was inspired by recent conversations with Dommie Dave and my recollections of Lay-Bye racing – and in particular Rocket George. Most peculiar – since the re-telling of the Lay-Bye racing Tale and the sad news about George – I have had some blindingly realistic dreams of events of that period – I mean ………….REALISTIC. Even down to details of conversation and actual riding events – almost willing this Tale to be told. Maybe George was subconciously telling me to get on with it !
This Tale takes place after I’d taken the crown back from George with my Bob Mac Connie up the Lay-Bye and AFTER Vincent had taken it away from me. It was during a period [ rare you say !! ] of a blistering hot and dry Summer – punctuated by infrequent thunderstorms. Day after day of perfect riding weather in the company of like minded pals.
By now my own Café Racer Connie was up and running, and was a true contender for the King of the Lay-Bye crown – but of course after Vincent’s passing we had no more interest in that activity. So we settled down to a series of rides [ “burn-ups” in media parlance ] from caff to caff in the late evenings / early morning.
We didn’t spend much time at the Lay-Bye either, and by 1964 that was a pale shadow of it’s former self. But here we were still in 1963 and the meeting place of choice was Ted’s Caff at Gallows Corner. This was pretty convenient for most of us – and was a good starting point for either a jaunt to Southend on Sea , or a tour of the rural North Essex Caffs.
On this particular occasion, the weather had been hot and balmy for a week, with not even a hint of rain. Most of us had met up at the Brands Wednesday practice day* – and a ride had been suggested for Friday night as a memorial for Vincent. The word went round to all the likely lads for a meet at 8.00pm at Ted’s. We kept the invites down to the “elders” group as it was obvious this particular meet WOULD end up in a burn-up or 6.
The icing on the cake was that the following weekend was a race meeting with the “Continental Sidecar Circus” in town. I still had a real soft spot for outfits, and confess I spent more time talking to the crews and watching them on track than I did sorting out the Connie ! That said, the Connie was pretty much there and it was just the new Amal TT carbs that needed some final fettling. Naturally there was some pretty exotic machinery there, but never the less, the Connie drew quite a crowd of enquirers. You may recall my antics overtaking a certain Derek Minter [ then gently binning it ] in a previous Tale? Well, he came over afterwards – I thought to give me a serious bollocking, but no – he was just interested in why the Connie was so quick ! He even helped me to set [ OK, HE set ] the TT’s up for me. Can’t buy that.
* Just by way of explanation here about my “Wednesdays Off” from work ……. The Electricity Board had to have working gang emergency cover for power failures [ mostly underground ] – and due to the aforementioned sketching / mapping requirements, a qualified Draughtsman had to be on call just in case. I immediately volunteered [ no opposition ! ] to be the guy on call [ usually once or twice a week ]. Due to my previous deal with the gangers – I used to collect the relevant sketches in the following morning before going into work ! I used to get a financial allowance just for being on call [ about 5% of my weekly salary ], and in the event of a “call out” I could choose an additional payment or TOIL [ Time off in Lieue ]. On the weeks I needed to go to Brands for testing – I chose TOIL !! A win win situation.
SO - here we are at the end of a perfect week - bike all ready and fettled or the upcoming ride and the Friday at work dragging like time has stood still.
Come 5 o’clock and I can’t get out of the place quick enough – back to my Nan’s and she’s done my favourite dinner - Liver, Mash [ potatoes ] and beans – the evening is getting off to a flying start.
The next hour or so is spent checking the bike over [ for the tenth time ! ] and giving it a final polish and going over all the alloy work with Solvol Autosol. Bonneville Bob calls round to give his bike a final check and polish and by 7.00pm we just can’t wait any longer – and we’re off.
“Hey Bob, let’s just take a steady ride up to the Lay-Bye before meeting the others at Ted’s” …………
“ TJ – no heroics OK, I’m up to my endorsement [ tickets ] max, and this Summer’s too good to miss out on”.
And with that, we set off at a steady [ and legal ] pace to the Lay-Bye. It’s really too early for the scene to be in full swing, but since we stopped going [ after Vincent’s demise ] the place was attracting a younger and more cowboy element, that were far more interested in posing than doing any serious riding.
A quick side by side blast up and down the challenge route just to show the kids what REAL bikes were all about, and we split. Still far too early for the meeting at Ted’s, and far too nice to be sitting indoors, so we decided to take a quick detour to The Woodlands [ Owl ]. In real terms the caff was only 15 miles or so away from Romford – but could have been in another county ! No sooner than we rounded Gallows Corner [ where Ted’s was ] and a quick blast down a dead straight 2 mile road, and suddenly you’re in rural Essex – on the fringes of the South Weald National park and the ancient Epping Forest. The transition was as stark as it was sudden – and actively encouraged balls out riding.
Bob looked at me and with a thumbs up from both of us – we were off. This was the first time the Connie had been given any real beans on the narrow lanes – sure I’d taken it to Brands for a shakedown on the Wednesday, but the first mile or two was taken at less than max. The carbs set up by Minter were [ as you’d expect ] spot on – no hesitating or misses – just brutal power all the way up.
It was during this period just before Passingford Bridge [ Fishing for Gold Stars Tale ] that Bob pulled out a good few bike lengths, but as my confidence in the new handling abiliites of the Connie grew, I easilly hauled him back. This was a section of the ride to the Woodlands that I really excelled on – just one of those roads you could ace. By the time I pulled into the Woodlands car park, I had about 100yds on Bob !! He was stunned by the Connie’s speed, and handling – always a weak point.
“ Fuck me TJ, what have you done to THAT” was all Bob could get out. He didn’t make any excuses. Misfires, brake fade or any one of the numerous excuses …………. He just flat out said he’d been well and truly beaten.
Again, really too early for the caff to get busy, so we contented ourselves with a pie and coffee, sitting outside under the verandah watching the local villagers go about their business. The two bikes were busy pinging and clicking as the engines cooled down, with a whiff of burnt castrol R in the air – ah life is good.
Then two young kids pulled in – one on a Golden Arrow and the other on an Enfield Crusader Sports. Both were the manufacturers’ lame attempts to claim the youth market, too little too late - RIP the British Bike industry. The kids just stood in awe looking at the two proper Café Racers, and took a while to draw up the courage to come over and start talking to us about our rides. One of them pulled a camera out and asked if he could take some pix. Soon they were sitting on the two bikes having pictures taken – well and truly smitten. One of the lads got up the courage to start asking some serious bike questions, and then out of the blue said “ Have you both got Vincents then” eying up the Vincent patch on the left breast of my leather jacket. As Bob and I looked at each other, it was only then we realised we BOTH had the same Vincent patch newly sewn onto our jackets.
The next hour flashed by in a haze of nostalic tales, including of course the recent passing of Vincent. However, this ride was to be a memorial to Vincent – not a morbid wake, so with that, we took off back to Ted’s to meet up with the lads.
We both agreed to take it “steady” on the way back – and so it was, never exceeding 70mph until we got back to Ted’s. Even at 70 the lanes [ just wide enough for two cars to pass ] became very narrow and we both arrived at Ted’s with clumps of grass from the hedgerows on the footpegs.
When we pulled into the car park, Dommie Dave and Gordon Goldie were already there – yep you guessed – BOTH with Vincent patches sewn into their jackets. This was all done independantly and with no prior arrangement……………..
Rocket George and Brian Rocket were the next two to pull together - the Rockets making a glorious stereo fanfare as they came in. No cigar for guessing correct ! Yes, they had both made the same subconcious gesture. Some had chosen left breast, others left arm for the badge position – but the thought was most definitely there
Another pie [ !! ] and Coffee / Tea while we waited for any late comers, and by 9.00pm there was no sign of anyone else and we all posed for a group photo taken by Ted [ caff owner ] – Vincent patches proudly on display. That photo had pride of place above the till [ cash register ] in the Caff for as long as I was going there. Where is it now ? We ALL had copies donated by Ted, but you all know what happened to MY pictorial memories of the 60’s - bitch.
We decided to do a round robin of the favourite Caffs, ending up back at the Woodlands [ Owl ]. We also decided that as this was somwewhat of a sombre occasion, we would have an orderly convoy with no individual burn ups. So we came to the agreement that Bob and Gordon would lead us out and down the main A127 to the real Blinking Owl [ ! ] near Southend. The convoy of 6 REAL Café Racers at a steady 100mph, riding two by two certainly drew some attention.
We even picked up a Police escort just before we got to the Owl, and imagine our surprise when the two coppers pulled in behind us. When they came over there was a real possibility of a round of fucks going their way – but no, they were just curious why we were “only” doing a ton and in an orderly manner. One of the cops in particular was a bit of a bike nut and was more interested in the bikes ! The conversation some got round to what we were all up to and when we related the sad tale of Vincent, one of the two rozzers said he had heard of a Norvin and a certain Crispy Daimler Dart. “Yep, that was our boy” – “Any problems with that ?” What it did get us was a Police escort complete with Blues and Twos back to Gallows corner with a smart salute before they returned to their patch.
From there it was another orderly convoy out to a Caff in rural Abridge, which forgive me [ brain / memory fade ] I can’t recall the name – but it was one Vincent liked. This time it was the two Rockets that headed the pack out and due to the nature of the lanes, we kept the speeds down to around 60 -70 mph. Once we left the busy arterial roads behind and joined the leafy lanes of rural Essex, we had a little more time for our own thoughts. The weather was playing ball, and we had a wonderfully warm moonlit night for our jaunt. We eventually pulled in to the Caff [ Treetops ? ], again causing quite a stir with the machinery. The guys there soon recognised us and our bikes with the distinctive “Ton Up” club ovals on our rear number plates [ Yea, she ditched that as well – DOUBLE BITCH ]. When we went up to the counter to get yet ANOTHER pie and coffee / tea – the owner’s Daughter spotted all the Vincent patches and burst into tears ………………………… seems that Vincent had quite a thing going for her – probably why he liked the Caff so much !
We were totally unaware, but they had been seeing quite a bit of each other. Our money was no good for the rest of the stay there and when we went outside to leave, there was an avenue of bikes either side of our mounts – engines running, with their owners standing silently beside them. As we pulled out of the car park with Dave and myself leading out, there was the instant revving of 40 or so bikes ………… priceless moment.
THIS WAS THE FINAL RUN TO OUR FAVOURITE CAFF – the Woodlands [ Note - NO fuckin Ace Café here ! ]
Another gentle run down familiar lanes alone with our individual thoughts. By the time we pulled into the Woodlands word had gone before [ remember – NO mobile phones ] and there was another avenue of bikes for us to drive through, right up to the verandah. Normally it was impossible to park here unless you got there real early – or were driving a Police Zed car [ see Tale !! ]. Again, our money was no good for the rest of the evening – yet more pies !!!
We had no real plans beyond calling into the Woodlands as the last stop, but it wasn’t long before others were asking if they could join the tribute run. So by the time the caff was ready to close up [ 1 am ‘ish ] we all decided to head out back to the Lay-Bye, where we’d first met Vincent. We explained that we wanted an orderly convoy with no heroics or accidents and we again set off on the final leg with Dave and George in the lead
Remarkably and considering there were over 50 bikes in the group – everyone was well behaved and stuck to the plan.
Bikes normally arrived at the Lay-Bye individually or in small groups, so we caused quite a stir when we all pulled in together. Word soon got round what it was all about and it wasn’t long before virtually every bike up there made a couple of passes up and down – maybe 200 or so bikes all in motion at the same time.
When things had calmed down the six of us decided we would do a balls out “Crown” run – but in fact we named the “Vincent Run” in Vincent’s honour. All the other riders were alerted to the fact that we wanted the Bye-Pass to ourselves as a final sign off tribute to Vincent and all agreed.
Now, it was impossible to get six bikes off side by side from the Lay-Byes, so we devised a plan whereby outriders would go to the two roundabouts and simply hold the traffic up by means of blocking the approach roads !!
So it was – around 2.00 am one of the finest biking memories I have, was born.
The six of us lined up across the dual carriageway and with a flag start [ actually some bird’s Tee shirt ] we were off [ dowhill start ].
George got the jump [ false start guvnor ] on us all and had 2 or 3 bike lengths 100yds out ………………..
– but the Connie was gaining rapidly, into the fat part of the rev band in 1st and second, now then George me lad – I’ll take the wide entry into the curve as I hit third and cut across to the nearside apex . The engine is only lightly loaded as we have the downhill run and the engine was getting over it’s peak as third was selected just before the entry point for the wide sweep. George had opted for hugging the inner line and letting the RGS run out to obstruct MY line!! I had much more track time than George and was ready for that move – effectively a block pass ! So I just took my run at the left hand apex a little sooner, and the Connie’s superior grunt took me past on his inside – He wasn’t expecting that. We grinned at each other as we passed – George realising he’d been out manouvered. Short shifting into top and the lower gearbox sprocket I’d fitted really came into play and the Connie pulled the 2 tooth lower sprocket with ease and 100 yds or so before Gosnays I had opened up a 4 bike lead which it held all round the roundabout and off up the uphill leg. Into the roundabout with footpegs and “segs” ** scraping and a shower of sparks that brought applause and appreciation from the road blocking outriders. Behind us the boys were giving it beans, with Brian Rocket and Gordon just holding off Dave with Bob bringing up the rear – That Triumph frame REALLY did hinge in the middle, frightening the crap out of Bob and those around him on the downhill curve.Again, the Connie’s superior grunt hauled another 2-3 bike lengths out of the roundabout and although George did his best, he could never pull that lead back. The Connie was really pulling like a train through 2nd – just seeing the magic ton in third before snicking into top just as the needle hit the red zone on the revcounter. The two Lay-Byes were offset, so you could in fact fly absolutely bollocks out past the downhill Lay-Bye [ on the opposite side ] before you started to brake as you passed the uphill one. As we passed the Lay-Byes - chin buried onto the tank and hugging the tank and bike with arms and legs the Connie was truly flat out. All the lads had their engines revving and headlights on as a salute as the two of us hurtled past at 125mph + – another unforgettable moment.George tried his best to leave his braking until the last minute and entered the roundabout way too fast and nearly lost it as he tried to correct his mistake. Way too late – by now the Connie was on the final leg to the downhill Lay-Bye and passed it with 8-10 bike lengths on George.
** “Segs” were metal boot protectors that were nailed into the outside edge of the sole of your boots to save the leather when cornering hard.The sign of a hard rider were worn down and chamfered “segs”………some of the posers would grind them down on the bench for effect !!!! Nope, won’t find them mentioned on “Café Racer” either ………..
The winner was in the great scheme of things immaterial – but I’m proud to say that the Connie took the “Vincent Run” that night – seemed right somehow. And although there was no longer a “Crown” to be won, I had at least beaten George fair and square – in my mind at least, I had the “Crown “ back !!
Vincent and George, thinking of you – RIP mates.
THE ACTUAL PATCH
THE BLINKING OWL [ SOUTHEND ]
TED'S GALLOWS CORNER
CRUSADER SPORTS
GOLDEN ARROW
SOUTHEND PIER - THE LONGEST IN EUROPE [ 1 MILE ].
NOW THEN - SPOT PRIZE IF YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THAT TRAIN AND CARROLL SHELBY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOUTHEND ON SEA
"SEGS"
Beachcomber’s Tales from the Day
“The Perfect Ride” …[ in memorium Rocket George ] June 2015
This Tale was inspired by recent conversations with Dommie Dave and my recollections of Lay-Bye racing – and in particular Rocket George. Most peculiar – since the re-telling of the Lay-Bye racing Tale and the sad news about George – I have had some blindingly realistic dreams of events of that period – I mean ………….REALISTIC. Even down to details of conversation and actual riding events – almost willing this Tale to be told. Maybe George was subconciously telling me to get on with it !
This Tale takes place after I’d taken the crown back from George with my Bob Mac Connie up the Lay-Bye and AFTER Vincent had taken it away from me. It was during a period [ rare you say !! ] of a blistering hot and dry Summer – punctuated by infrequent thunderstorms. Day after day of perfect riding weather in the company of like minded pals.
By now my own Café Racer Connie was up and running, and was a true contender for the King of the Lay-Bye crown – but of course after Vincent’s passing we had no more interest in that activity. So we settled down to a series of rides [ “burn-ups” in media parlance ] from caff to caff in the late evenings / early morning.
We didn’t spend much time at the Lay-Bye either, and by 1964 that was a pale shadow of it’s former self. But here we were still in 1963 and the meeting place of choice was Ted’s Caff at Gallows Corner. This was pretty convenient for most of us – and was a good starting point for either a jaunt to Southend on Sea , or a tour of the rural North Essex Caffs.
On this particular occasion, the weather had been hot and balmy for a week, with not even a hint of rain. Most of us had met up at the Brands Wednesday practice day* – and a ride had been suggested for Friday night as a memorial for Vincent. The word went round to all the likely lads for a meet at 8.00pm at Ted’s. We kept the invites down to the “elders” group as it was obvious this particular meet WOULD end up in a burn-up or 6.
The icing on the cake was that the following weekend was a race meeting with the “Continental Sidecar Circus” in town. I still had a real soft spot for outfits, and confess I spent more time talking to the crews and watching them on track than I did sorting out the Connie ! That said, the Connie was pretty much there and it was just the new Amal TT carbs that needed some final fettling. Naturally there was some pretty exotic machinery there, but never the less, the Connie drew quite a crowd of enquirers. You may recall my antics overtaking a certain Derek Minter [ then gently binning it ] in a previous Tale? Well, he came over afterwards – I thought to give me a serious bollocking, but no – he was just interested in why the Connie was so quick ! He even helped me to set [ OK, HE set ] the TT’s up for me. Can’t buy that.
* Just by way of explanation here about my “Wednesdays Off” from work ……. The Electricity Board had to have working gang emergency cover for power failures [ mostly underground ] – and due to the aforementioned sketching / mapping requirements, a qualified Draughtsman had to be on call just in case. I immediately volunteered [ no opposition ! ] to be the guy on call [ usually once or twice a week ]. Due to my previous deal with the gangers – I used to collect the relevant sketches in the following morning before going into work ! I used to get a financial allowance just for being on call [ about 5% of my weekly salary ], and in the event of a “call out” I could choose an additional payment or TOIL [ Time off in Lieue ]. On the weeks I needed to go to Brands for testing – I chose TOIL !! A win win situation.
SO - here we are at the end of a perfect week - bike all ready and fettled or the upcoming ride and the Friday at work dragging like time has stood still.
Come 5 o’clock and I can’t get out of the place quick enough – back to my Nan’s and she’s done my favourite dinner - Liver, Mash [ potatoes ] and beans – the evening is getting off to a flying start.
The next hour or so is spent checking the bike over [ for the tenth time ! ] and giving it a final polish and going over all the alloy work with Solvol Autosol. Bonneville Bob calls round to give his bike a final check and polish and by 7.00pm we just can’t wait any longer – and we’re off.
“Hey Bob, let’s just take a steady ride up to the Lay-Bye before meeting the others at Ted’s” …………
“ TJ – no heroics OK, I’m up to my endorsement [ tickets ] max, and this Summer’s too good to miss out on”.
And with that, we set off at a steady [ and legal ] pace to the Lay-Bye. It’s really too early for the scene to be in full swing, but since we stopped going [ after Vincent’s demise ] the place was attracting a younger and more cowboy element, that were far more interested in posing than doing any serious riding.
A quick side by side blast up and down the challenge route just to show the kids what REAL bikes were all about, and we split. Still far too early for the meeting at Ted’s, and far too nice to be sitting indoors, so we decided to take a quick detour to The Woodlands [ Owl ]. In real terms the caff was only 15 miles or so away from Romford – but could have been in another county ! No sooner than we rounded Gallows Corner [ where Ted’s was ] and a quick blast down a dead straight 2 mile road, and suddenly you’re in rural Essex – on the fringes of the South Weald National park and the ancient Epping Forest. The transition was as stark as it was sudden – and actively encouraged balls out riding.
Bob looked at me and with a thumbs up from both of us – we were off. This was the first time the Connie had been given any real beans on the narrow lanes – sure I’d taken it to Brands for a shakedown on the Wednesday, but the first mile or two was taken at less than max. The carbs set up by Minter were [ as you’d expect ] spot on – no hesitating or misses – just brutal power all the way up.
It was during this period just before Passingford Bridge [ Fishing for Gold Stars Tale ] that Bob pulled out a good few bike lengths, but as my confidence in the new handling abiliites of the Connie grew, I easilly hauled him back. This was a section of the ride to the Woodlands that I really excelled on – just one of those roads you could ace. By the time I pulled into the Woodlands car park, I had about 100yds on Bob !! He was stunned by the Connie’s speed, and handling – always a weak point.
“ Fuck me TJ, what have you done to THAT” was all Bob could get out. He didn’t make any excuses. Misfires, brake fade or any one of the numerous excuses …………. He just flat out said he’d been well and truly beaten.
Again, really too early for the caff to get busy, so we contented ourselves with a pie and coffee, sitting outside under the verandah watching the local villagers go about their business. The two bikes were busy pinging and clicking as the engines cooled down, with a whiff of burnt castrol R in the air – ah life is good.
Then two young kids pulled in – one on a Golden Arrow and the other on an Enfield Crusader Sports. Both were the manufacturers’ lame attempts to claim the youth market, too little too late - RIP the British Bike industry. The kids just stood in awe looking at the two proper Café Racers, and took a while to draw up the courage to come over and start talking to us about our rides. One of them pulled a camera out and asked if he could take some pix. Soon they were sitting on the two bikes having pictures taken – well and truly smitten. One of the lads got up the courage to start asking some serious bike questions, and then out of the blue said “ Have you both got Vincents then” eying up the Vincent patch on the left breast of my leather jacket. As Bob and I looked at each other, it was only then we realised we BOTH had the same Vincent patch newly sewn onto our jackets.
The next hour flashed by in a haze of nostalic tales, including of course the recent passing of Vincent. However, this ride was to be a memorial to Vincent – not a morbid wake, so with that, we took off back to Ted’s to meet up with the lads.
We both agreed to take it “steady” on the way back – and so it was, never exceeding 70mph until we got back to Ted’s. Even at 70 the lanes [ just wide enough for two cars to pass ] became very narrow and we both arrived at Ted’s with clumps of grass from the hedgerows on the footpegs.
When we pulled into the car park, Dommie Dave and Gordon Goldie were already there – yep you guessed – BOTH with Vincent patches sewn into their jackets. This was all done independantly and with no prior arrangement……………..
Rocket George and Brian Rocket were the next two to pull together - the Rockets making a glorious stereo fanfare as they came in. No cigar for guessing correct ! Yes, they had both made the same subconcious gesture. Some had chosen left breast, others left arm for the badge position – but the thought was most definitely there
Another pie [ !! ] and Coffee / Tea while we waited for any late comers, and by 9.00pm there was no sign of anyone else and we all posed for a group photo taken by Ted [ caff owner ] – Vincent patches proudly on display. That photo had pride of place above the till [ cash register ] in the Caff for as long as I was going there. Where is it now ? We ALL had copies donated by Ted, but you all know what happened to MY pictorial memories of the 60’s - bitch.
We decided to do a round robin of the favourite Caffs, ending up back at the Woodlands [ Owl ]. We also decided that as this was somwewhat of a sombre occasion, we would have an orderly convoy with no individual burn ups. So we came to the agreement that Bob and Gordon would lead us out and down the main A127 to the real Blinking Owl [ ! ] near Southend. The convoy of 6 REAL Café Racers at a steady 100mph, riding two by two certainly drew some attention.
We even picked up a Police escort just before we got to the Owl, and imagine our surprise when the two coppers pulled in behind us. When they came over there was a real possibility of a round of fucks going their way – but no, they were just curious why we were “only” doing a ton and in an orderly manner. One of the cops in particular was a bit of a bike nut and was more interested in the bikes ! The conversation some got round to what we were all up to and when we related the sad tale of Vincent, one of the two rozzers said he had heard of a Norvin and a certain Crispy Daimler Dart. “Yep, that was our boy” – “Any problems with that ?” What it did get us was a Police escort complete with Blues and Twos back to Gallows corner with a smart salute before they returned to their patch.
From there it was another orderly convoy out to a Caff in rural Abridge, which forgive me [ brain / memory fade ] I can’t recall the name – but it was one Vincent liked. This time it was the two Rockets that headed the pack out and due to the nature of the lanes, we kept the speeds down to around 60 -70 mph. Once we left the busy arterial roads behind and joined the leafy lanes of rural Essex, we had a little more time for our own thoughts. The weather was playing ball, and we had a wonderfully warm moonlit night for our jaunt. We eventually pulled in to the Caff [ Treetops ? ], again causing quite a stir with the machinery. The guys there soon recognised us and our bikes with the distinctive “Ton Up” club ovals on our rear number plates [ Yea, she ditched that as well – DOUBLE BITCH ]. When we went up to the counter to get yet ANOTHER pie and coffee / tea – the owner’s Daughter spotted all the Vincent patches and burst into tears ………………………… seems that Vincent had quite a thing going for her – probably why he liked the Caff so much !
We were totally unaware, but they had been seeing quite a bit of each other. Our money was no good for the rest of the stay there and when we went outside to leave, there was an avenue of bikes either side of our mounts – engines running, with their owners standing silently beside them. As we pulled out of the car park with Dave and myself leading out, there was the instant revving of 40 or so bikes ………… priceless moment.
THIS WAS THE FINAL RUN TO OUR FAVOURITE CAFF – the Woodlands [ Note - NO fuckin Ace Café here ! ]
Another gentle run down familiar lanes alone with our individual thoughts. By the time we pulled into the Woodlands word had gone before [ remember – NO mobile phones ] and there was another avenue of bikes for us to drive through, right up to the verandah. Normally it was impossible to park here unless you got there real early – or were driving a Police Zed car [ see Tale !! ]. Again, our money was no good for the rest of the evening – yet more pies !!!
We had no real plans beyond calling into the Woodlands as the last stop, but it wasn’t long before others were asking if they could join the tribute run. So by the time the caff was ready to close up [ 1 am ‘ish ] we all decided to head out back to the Lay-Bye, where we’d first met Vincent. We explained that we wanted an orderly convoy with no heroics or accidents and we again set off on the final leg with Dave and George in the lead
Remarkably and considering there were over 50 bikes in the group – everyone was well behaved and stuck to the plan.
Bikes normally arrived at the Lay-Bye individually or in small groups, so we caused quite a stir when we all pulled in together. Word soon got round what it was all about and it wasn’t long before virtually every bike up there made a couple of passes up and down – maybe 200 or so bikes all in motion at the same time.
When things had calmed down the six of us decided we would do a balls out “Crown” run – but in fact we named the “Vincent Run” in Vincent’s honour. All the other riders were alerted to the fact that we wanted the Bye-Pass to ourselves as a final sign off tribute to Vincent and all agreed.
Now, it was impossible to get six bikes off side by side from the Lay-Byes, so we devised a plan whereby outriders would go to the two roundabouts and simply hold the traffic up by means of blocking the approach roads !!
So it was – around 2.00 am one of the finest biking memories I have, was born.
The six of us lined up across the dual carriageway and with a flag start [ actually some bird’s Tee shirt ] we were off [ dowhill start ].
George got the jump [ false start guvnor ] on us all and had 2 or 3 bike lengths 100yds out ………………..
– but the Connie was gaining rapidly, into the fat part of the rev band in 1st and second, now then George me lad – I’ll take the wide entry into the curve as I hit third and cut across to the nearside apex . The engine is only lightly loaded as we have the downhill run and the engine was getting over it’s peak as third was selected just before the entry point for the wide sweep. George had opted for hugging the inner line and letting the RGS run out to obstruct MY line!! I had much more track time than George and was ready for that move – effectively a block pass ! So I just took my run at the left hand apex a little sooner, and the Connie’s superior grunt took me past on his inside – He wasn’t expecting that. We grinned at each other as we passed – George realising he’d been out manouvered. Short shifting into top and the lower gearbox sprocket I’d fitted really came into play and the Connie pulled the 2 tooth lower sprocket with ease and 100 yds or so before Gosnays I had opened up a 4 bike lead which it held all round the roundabout and off up the uphill leg. Into the roundabout with footpegs and “segs” ** scraping and a shower of sparks that brought applause and appreciation from the road blocking outriders. Behind us the boys were giving it beans, with Brian Rocket and Gordon just holding off Dave with Bob bringing up the rear – That Triumph frame REALLY did hinge in the middle, frightening the crap out of Bob and those around him on the downhill curve.Again, the Connie’s superior grunt hauled another 2-3 bike lengths out of the roundabout and although George did his best, he could never pull that lead back. The Connie was really pulling like a train through 2nd – just seeing the magic ton in third before snicking into top just as the needle hit the red zone on the revcounter. The two Lay-Byes were offset, so you could in fact fly absolutely bollocks out past the downhill Lay-Bye [ on the opposite side ] before you started to brake as you passed the uphill one. As we passed the Lay-Byes - chin buried onto the tank and hugging the tank and bike with arms and legs the Connie was truly flat out. All the lads had their engines revving and headlights on as a salute as the two of us hurtled past at 125mph + – another unforgettable moment.George tried his best to leave his braking until the last minute and entered the roundabout way too fast and nearly lost it as he tried to correct his mistake. Way too late – by now the Connie was on the final leg to the downhill Lay-Bye and passed it with 8-10 bike lengths on George.
** “Segs” were metal boot protectors that were nailed into the outside edge of the sole of your boots to save the leather when cornering hard.The sign of a hard rider were worn down and chamfered “segs”………some of the posers would grind them down on the bench for effect !!!! Nope, won’t find them mentioned on “Café Racer” either ………..
The winner was in the great scheme of things immaterial – but I’m proud to say that the Connie took the “Vincent Run” that night – seemed right somehow. And although there was no longer a “Crown” to be won, I had at least beaten George fair and square – in my mind at least, I had the “Crown “ back !!
Vincent and George, thinking of you – RIP mates.
THE ACTUAL PATCH
THE BLINKING OWL [ SOUTHEND ]
TED'S GALLOWS CORNER
CRUSADER SPORTS
GOLDEN ARROW
SOUTHEND PIER - THE LONGEST IN EUROPE [ 1 MILE ].
NOW THEN - SPOT PRIZE IF YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THAT TRAIN AND CARROLL SHELBY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOUTHEND ON SEA
"SEGS"
No takers on the Southend Pier train and Carroll Shelby then ?????
And NO, not as simple as he rode on it !
And NO, not as simple as he rode on it !
Brodie said:
And Brodie gets the prize !!!!!!!!!!!!
I posed the same question to the Cobra [ replica ] Owner's Club here in the UK - after 2 months I had to tell them !
The trains were taken out of commission some 10 years or so ago, and are languishing in a breakers yard [ still intact 'ish ].
About 30 years ago the BBC [ television ] did a programme documentary on the pier and the trains. It was a fairly quiet midweek period [ Autumn / Fall ]. During the filming the camera zoomed in on a couple walking along the pedestrian way. As the train passed them the camera panned round for the front view there were my Mum and Dad taking in the sea air !!! When they arrived at the terminal, the film crew asked them if they'd be OK to be filmed on the train's return trip to the seafront to which they agreed.
Now if only I could get a copy of that .......................... [ in memoriam ]
Six of the Tales have been revamped for "the Book" ........ I hope to have ALL the Tales sorted by the end of the year - then it's just finding the best way to publish / distribute. I'll get there.
