Beachcomber's Tales from the day

[Saki]

OK you guys - here's the choice for the "Christmas Tales".

1. The Vanishing Motorcyclist [ #1 ] - MY favourite
2. The Vanishing Motorcyclist [ #2 ]
3. The Crispy Daimler Dart - GRP 2 seater British sports car - given to the pursuit police to catch the bikes !!!!
4. The disintegrating Robin Reliant - 3 wheel GRP utility car - used in the UK comedy show "Only Fools and Horses".

OK - any one of the above and the most popular vote gets it. The other 3 will appear sometime next Spring. Don't worry there are dozens more for the rest of the year !

Just a bit of English translation in advance -

1. Roundabout - or traffic island. Used in the UK [ and EU ] usually where there are more than 4 roads at a junction [ not always ], and especially where the traffic flow doesn't need to be slowed to a stop by traffic lights.
2. Dual Carriageway - 2 lanes in each direction usually seperated by a central barrier.
3. Lay-Bye - I have NO idea what the US equivalent might be, but these are sections of the highway [ usually around 400 - 800 yards] widened on the nearside for trucks / cars to pull over / rest.
4. "Lanes" - very narrow country roads barely wide enough for 2 compact cars to pass usually bordered with hedges and sometimes, liberally covered in cow shit.
5. Transports Caffs - contrary to popular misconception, in the early 60's we used to meet in Caffs set aside mainly for truckers - NOT Coffee Bars. Coffee bars were a later phenomenon - 67 on - and were MAINLY used by Mods. We very rarely met at pubs or consumed alcohol while out for a ride. Ohhhh - don't even get me stated about Juke Box "Record Racing".

That'll do for now and hopefully stop my US cousins saying "WDF is he on about"

the lay-bye would just be a rest stop, though ours are quite fancy and normally have bathrooms and such though some are just a little stretch of road and nothing else.

As for my vote I'd like to hear #1 cause if its your favorite its gotta be good.

[RatBag22]

Lay-bye? good heaven's, slang must change from place to place in the UK as well...

In wales we call it a "hard shoulder" it baffles me as to why, but it seem's to have stuck.

[Makr]

Defiantly want to hear them all.

[beachcomber]

Lay Bye - English versions are generally just a piece of ashphalt set aside for brief stops / breakdowns. In the EU - France and Germany especially they are proper rest over places with toilet / washing facilities, pic-nic tables and so on.

BTW - the "dual carriageways" originally acted as arterial roads to carry traffic around a town rather than through it - for that reason they were also called " Bye-Pass".

I won a prize from an English bike mag. once for alliteration based on Bye-Pass - " Bought a Bonnie to burn up the bye-pass" was one of my offerings. Got me a years' free subscription to the mag !

Forget my preferrence - it's your choice - #3 seems to have it on a free vote, #1 has been biased by me I guess. Don't worry - both had me in stitches just recalling the incidents!

Hey - do you have Roundabouts in the US? Favourite haunt of the 4 wheel "drifter boys" as you can imagine.

[Drewski]

Hey - do you have Roundabouts in the US? Favourite haunt of the 4 wheel "drifter boys" as you can imagine.

There are a few in Canada, but I don't think they're very common. I've seen a couple in prairie cities and a few in Toronto.

Down the road a little in Cambridge, ON, the "powers that be" decided to add some small roundabouts in the suburbs of the city a couple of years ago. I think it was just to be different. Most of the locals hate 'em!!  They confuse the crap outta too many drivers around here! 

Keep the tales comin' Beachcomber!! 

[Erskine]

I vote for no 1 please.
I was round a friends today getting some valves reground and he had a daimler dart V8 engine on a stand next to the bench.
Sweet little lump.

[Ringo]

Put me in for #1.

[beachcomber]

I was just doing the rose tinted specs bit with myself and a bottle of Brandy last night -
"Dangerous Roy and the Manx engine" - will definitely be on the list !

[Rocan]

theres a couple roundabouts here in the states; not common though.

i love them! every time i go back to malta i have a blast racing around them; their a great way to find out well your car can hold a turn! haha


EDIT: this is my 3000 post. man i need to get off this site. 

[crazypj]

There are  quite a few roundabouts in Massachusetts, around Springfield area (haven't been around much  of the state.)
 Was really surprised to find some in Florida, they are tiny ones though in housing developments  to save space (as in Britain) or as speed calming devices, only about 20~30 ft diameter.
 Still 'interesting' though.
In the early 80's I used to hang out with Harlow 70's.
 Rode to Harlow from South Wales (236miles, 1hr 45~50 mins, pre GATSO/speed camera  ) then another 70 miles to 'Saarrfend'.
 They wondered why I wasn't too happy 
 Got a few stories, when I can remember them 

[Garage Rat]

Brandon Manitoba has two "Traffic Circles", Small one laned ones. I loved to race around them in 10 laps or so before cutting out again.  


For those of you who watch Top Gear, on the Cool Wall there is in fact a "Beachcomber" category. The problem is, Nothings cool enough to get placed there so they never talk mention it.


BTW, I vote for #3

[beachcomber]

Came across this little gem - this was the police issue Daimler dart - complete with bell on the front grill [ before sirens !! ].

The plod on the left could have been the brother of the one from my previous story - plus moustache of course !

Hardly Crockett and Tubbs eh?

[cowboysculptor]

I can think of a couple roundabouts in Philadelphia. As for the lay-bye, I've heard them referred to as breakdown lanes.

But we seriously digress; I don't think any of us checked out this thread to compare notes on road terms. Go ahead with story three, since that's how we're leaning!

[Hoofhearted]

Getcher finger out BC.   Otherwise I'll have to drag out my old BS stories.

[beachcomber]

Hoof - I'd be counting on a story or 10 from your past !!!!!! That's the whole point of opening up this thread - to get as many of those stories out there.

Roundabouts Like all good "conversations" there's a little digression now and then - this time relevant'ish to the upcoming plot. No point me banging on about roundabouts [ central to the story ] if nobody on your side of the pond knew what the hell I was talking about! MOST of the roundabouts involved in my stories were at least 30 - 50 yds across - those pissy little "traffic calmers" are fairly modern [ last 20 years ] and generally get driven straight over............then there was the time Rocket George tried to ride across the GBFO one at Gallows Corner near Romford.

The stories are inbedded inside my head - so drafting them up is not a problem, I just want to make them readable. Also remember - most of the events happened at least 45 years ago - need to get the memory banks firing accurately to do justice to my mates who were there at the time. Remember, you WILL hear the skinny - no BS.

I was going to do something like one a month, so as not to hog the thread - however, story #1 - "The Vanishing Motorcyclist" will be coming up in the next 7 days - roundabout and all !!!