Weekender 2019 REBOOT

[bigredduke]

"Reckon your bike's gonna start?"

"Dunno, but I think I know just the bloke who will give me a hand to bump start it"

"Utopia?"

"Yup"

"Don't drop the clutch until you get to the steepest part, near that wall - that should be really funny"

Fantastic pictures Mr G, keep em coming! Pictures look about 5 degrees warmer than it actually was.

.....for the record mate, the yellow one was adie's, the one that runs "economically ", ie on one cylinder
Brilliant photographs mate,love the subtle bin shot btw!

Show off!bloody brilliant, more pleeeeez

[Mr Gazza]

Originally Posted by Moco1961

.....for the record mate, the yellow one was adie's, the one that runs "economically ", ie on one cylinder
Brilliant photographs mate,love the subtle bin shot btw!

Sorry Adie! Never was much good at paying attention..

Good way to post pictures up BRD..

[Luddite]

Wow! What fantastic images!

I'm sure Sir Clough Williams-Ellis would approve of all that Bologna metal in his Italianate village. Don't they look at home there? It actually looks more like a Ducati press launch than a club meet.

You'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing photos for the calendar!

Kudos to all concerned for arranging such a resounding success at such short notice.

[slob]

I've moved all the photos to their own thread in an attempt to create some sort of order
http://ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=57395

[utopia]

Originally Posted by Moco1961

...... apart from abandoning Jeff when we left on Sunday morning I quite enjoyed being tail gunner for the day !

Absolutely not the slightest jot of a worry, mate.

I actually enjoyed the buzz of leaping into action, grabbing the satnav and tracking you all down.
And anyway, you would have already clocked that everyone was there and ready to go, so you were watching for moving bikes with bodies on them, not scanning the parking area for riderless ones.
It was my fault really as I should have spoken to you before dashing off to the shower, but I didn't because I was trying to hurry.
Shame I hadn't already put my helmet on though.

For those that weren't there .. a pigeon in the tree above shat on my head just as we had finished lining up the bikes for a photo before setting off on the Portmerion trip.
Actually, the main payload hit the tarmac at my feet, but three pieces of stray shot peppered my left leg .... and one further stray hit my hair.
Rob reckoned he couldn't see it "cos it was hair coloured".
I was pleased with that as pigeon **** still has some brown in it, as well as the white and grey.
It certainly wasn't hair scented though.
But they say its lucky.
Within seconds I was back in the bathroom, head under the shower (while in full leathers), a quick towel dry and back out front in short.ish order.
There was hardly a Ducati in sight and none in earshot .. but at least my bike was still there, else I would've been properly snookered.
"No problem" quoth I, there can't be many ways to Portmerion and I have satnav technology on my side and carbon fibre speediness to my wheels (ok I made the "wheels" bit up for the sake of the yarn).
Anyway .. back to room, get satnav.
The first glint of luck came soon enough, when I learned (read .. I forgot but was reminded) that The Ponderosa was the first destination, then on to Portmerion.
Anyway .. back to reception, get postcode for Ponderosa.
Luckily it was only a handful of miles away (really .. no pun intended .. but there it is).
I was there before everyone had bought their coffee, and I think I managed not to spring the average speed camera trap en route.

In the carpark at the Ponderosa, was an old guy (listen to me, these days) with a van and this gorgeous two stroke Kawasaki.
Apparently he still held the lap record around the Isle of Man for a bike of its class.
Twin cylinder, aircooled, with massively bigger square barrel finning, 350cc, disc valves and sideways facing carbs, Ceriani forks, spoked wheels with four leading shoe front brake (he scorned at my "Fontana" enquiry .. it was Italian but I didn't catch the name) and two leading shoes at the back. Both alloy rims bore proper old school racing triangulars.
The oversize, TT tank was painted in maroon and bore the old kawasaki winged logo that they used to use on their first, heavily brit twin inspired forays into motorcycle design. I'd say it was of late 60s vintage.
It probably made similar power to my M750, but over a razor-blade thin power band, and weighed rather less than "not very much at all".
I considered myself lucky to have seen that.
Does anyone have a pic ?

contd ...

[utopia]

Preparing to set off again from the Ponderosa, I thumbed Stella's starter button but got no response.
Well, it had been about a year since the last time the solenoid connection had worked loose and I suppose it was about time.
A quick bump in the carpark and (luckily) she fired up at the first attempt .. and I poked the connector back fully home with a stick next time we stopped.

But the real luck was lurking out of sight all weekend.
This was something of a test run for the new exhaust and I suspected that it may cause the motor to run a bit lean.
I usually get around 150 miles before the light comes on, so for the return journey back home on monday I decided to run it down to the light before refuelling.
The trip meter was showing high 160s when I pulled onto the drive .. and no fuel light.
After washing the bike, I nipped out for a run around my fave local backroads, to dry the brake pads and to see when the fuel light finally did come on.
I got carried away and the trip reached nearly 180 miles when I decided I'd best head back home to investigate further, arriving back with 193 miles indicated and still no orange light.
Yep, you've probably guessed .. the fuel light wasn't working.
My own fault .. I'd had the tank on and off a few times recently and had failed to reconnect the gauge the last time.
Tank had about an eggcup-full left in it and calculations suggested that, at previous fuel consumption rates, a brimmed tank should do 190 miles to bone dry ... and I hadn't quite brimmed it.
So my weekender ended with me being extremely lucky not to have to push to the nearest garage ... which was miles away at a place that isn't called Houghton on the Hill for nothing.

I wonder how long this luck thing will continue.

ps. The above was written yesterday, before I heard the news about Buzzbomb.
It now seems kinda inappropriate to be posting a humourous story about good luck and so I held back.
But Geoff wouldn't have wanted that, I'm sure.
And anyway, we were all lucky to have known him and shared his company.

[slob]

Dave Thomas’ 1966 A1R, first Kawasaki to win a race in the UK

[Luddite]

Originally Posted by utopia

In the carpark at the Ponderosa, was an old guy (listen to me, these days) with a van and this gorgeous two stroke Kawasaki.
Apparently he still held the lap record around the Isle of Man for a bike of its class.
Twin cylinder, aircooled, with massively bigger square barrel finning, 350cc, disc valves and sideways facing carbs, Ceriani forks, spoked wheels with four leading shoe front brake (he scorned at my "Fontana" enquiry .. it was Italian but I didn't catch the name) and two leading shoes at the back. Both alloy rims bore proper old school racing triangulars.
The oversize, TT tank was painted in maroon and bore the old kawasaki winged logo that they used to use on their first, heavily brit twin inspired forays into motorcycle design...

...Does anyone have a pic ?

Love those old two strokes!

It sounds like an A7R - did it look like this?





Quite a rare beast.

[slob]

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...22&postcount=8