Go
to the Archive indexAs I write these notes, I am in a state of agitation - quite literally! You see, recently, in a moment of weakness, I entered the Shropshire Section's 'Route 66' riding my Mobylette 50VS. Yes, it's one of those much maligned 'modern' jobs with full suspension (shock, horror) but, though only 26 years old, it's good enough for a daily return trip to work. However, I digress.
As my bike trailer was unavailable, the day started with a leisurely 10 mile jaunt along the A5 to the Harvest Moon pub for the 10:30 departure, and then... just go on the run! Or so I thought. Sufficient to say that when I arrived home afterwards (including that 10 mile return run, don't forget) it was 8 o'clock in the evening, having covered some 85 miles or so. At this stage, dinner was no longer an option, and neither was the use of an armchair. Fortunately the local take-away relieved the pain of a lost dinner, but I've yet to find the cure for the other problem!
Looking back now to Saturday the 15th of June and the Shropshire Section's other Tour de Force, as reported by David Flye on Page 23 of the August Buzzing, glance through the list of those attending, and you will find "plus Mr & Mrs Alan Redgrave, Honda CB750". No, please don't panic, your late night Horlicks did not contain any mind altering drugs (More's the pity, in my case!) but we really did do a moped run on a 1976 Honda CB750. This was due to the fact that Joyce's moped, a 1973 Mobylette Majorette was not firing on all cylinders (?), and as we both wanted to attend, this seemed to be the only way.
Now, there are many different methods by which we can test our motor cycling skills. For instance, road racing, speedway, trials, moto-cross, etc. On this day... I found another! Picture this: careering down country lanes at a break-neck 20mph (and sometimes 30 was indicated), following a trail of hazy blue smoke and crackling exhausts, whilst trying to contain a road going sports motor bike on cobbles, mud, water, etc, (not forgetting the recovery van behind) and my dearly beloved adjusting her posture on the passenger seat. Well, that really did put my 25 plus years of biking to the test! The Honda is no lightweight by any means, and has a tendancy to a slight wander at low speeds (guess what speeds?... Yes, that's it, 25-30 mph), and I had forgotten our map. So, of course we became seperated. However, a quick 'sprint' down the A49... and then a quick 'sprint' back again just proved how elusive a squad of autocycles can be. Now both front and rear sections had completely disappeared! "Oh, Heck" I said. At least that's what I think I said. Fortunately, Joyce and I don't have a helmet to helmet intercom, so she didn't hear me (I think). However, she did see the hint of blue exhaust smoke down a side road. Of course, natural moped territory... and there they were. Well done, Joyce! And so we caught up just as we entered our destination of Church Stretton. What a relief: to get off the saddle after only 18 miles! Phew. Tea and sticky buns all round, and soon it was time for... Aaaargh! The Return Journey.
Verdict? A great day out, with many varieties of biking fun. A final thought: during David Flye's report you may have noticed that at Acton Burnell we tried out each other's machines, but no-one wanted to swap. I did offer the swap of my CB750 but no-one wanted to! I wonder why? To sum up then, in amongst all the foregoing, what's my point? Well, to put it simply, it's not the 'winning', it's the taking part that counts. Or, putting it another way, it doesn't matter the age of your 'put-put' providing you achieve that 'inner glow' at the end of the day. And in both the cases illustrated, I know I did! We belong to other motor cycle clubs, but always enjoy our times when out Buzzing.
First published: December 2002