Engine Punk

While looking through some old photographs I found this shot of a dirt track Douglas at Wiscombe Park hill climb back in 1998 (I think). This shot reminded me why I like this design so much - for such an old bike, it looks like it's doing a 100mph even propped up against a Transit. The bike wheels and low slung engine all shout speed to me and although it's a hard tail and I prefer sprung frames any attempt to give it springing would alter the simple lines of the bike. The handle bars look like a bit too practical. I'd like to see this machine with drop handlebars like a racing push bike. And the gearchange on the tank and the shape of the tank itself make you realise this is an old bike. But the concept of the dirt track Douglas seems so modern to me. Because it has a front brake this is probably the road going version of the dirt track Duggie - the SW5. The speedway biked lacked any sort of front brake and the gearchange was usually locked in one position. Me? I ...

Stephen Pate has sent me some more images of the special brakes for the A series Vincent TTR that he's restoring. Again, they are things of beauty and were sourced by the Japanese and American TTR owners working together. When I saw the pre-restoration state of the machine I thought how unnecessary but now that I realise its historic nature, I appreciate the responsibility that goes with owning something like this. Without the special TTR forks and brakes this bike was close to being "only" another A series Vincent. Now that the right parts have been sourced, just bolting them on wouldn't be right. Besides, earlier restoration work on this bike did not come up to standard. There's an opportunity here to review the condition of the whole machine and ensure its survival for many years to come. In fact, Steve says that the condition of the special forks was a real mess and that after shot blasting he ended up building a jig and then disassembling the forks befor...

It was on the last day of a practice expedition for my Duke of Edinburgh award. I'd been out on Dartmoor for four days camping with my school friends when we began to make our way into Princetown. There was a tremendous sense of returning to civilisation. We'd been camping out in tents and had carried everything with us. At one stage something big came for our rubbish bag tucked under the flysheet of our tent and Hoppy Hopwood swore blind it was an ocelot. The Beast of Bodmin Moor was in the news even then - except this was Dartmoor. We probably smelt a bit and were a little foot sore but the sense of camaraderie was great. We'd not heard any radio let alone any TV, which was rare for a bunch of teenage boys, so felt completely cut off from the news and world events.  This is what I saw in Princetown in the late 70s - a Russian-built UAZ 4x4 truck (Photo Olyslager Organisation) As we tramped across the moors, we began to catch glimpses of little 4x4 pick up trucks...

Most people are familiar with the Reliant three wheel van of Del Boy and Rodney from Only Fools and Horses. They are looked down upon by everyone but those that have driven them remember them with surprising fondness. One of my mates had one years ago and goes into raptures about them. I don't understand why he's so enthusiastic about them and can only assume there's more to them than meets the eye. Could they be a Vintage Thing? Maybe but if they are it's probably for the wrong reasons, like the Austin Allegro (VT No.23) . Or maybe they have hidden virtues known only by a select few who have personal knowledge of these devices. Me? I keep an open mind. Here's the big brother to the Reliant Regal Supervan - Reliant's description not mine. It's the Reliant Ant or TW9, a forward control version on a longer and heavier chassis but with the same all aluminium 4 cylinder engine and four speed box. That must be a joke name, surely - the Rely Ant Ant?...

Of all the Vintage Things so far, the A series Vinnie has aroused most interest and I recently heard about a most interesting and very rare variant the TTR. Just before World War II, the factory went racing and subsequently built 3 A series TTRs - or Tourist Trophy Replicas - for sale. Two survive, one in Japan and the other in the US, which is being restored by Stephen Pate at Restoration Werks in Illinois & Minnesota. He's sent me these pre-restoration pictures. That's right - pre-restoration. Market value is estimated at $800k! The price of a TTR has traditionally been reckoned to be twice that of a standard A series Vincent and following the sale recently of an outstanding example at $400,000, $800k could be possible if it ever came to market - not that this TTR is for sale, however. As pictured it features the incorrect forks and front brake but incredibly the correct pattern girder forks were found on a wall in Japanese temple. Obviously really. All that was nee...

Many years ago when I was a student and rock regularly went to college, there was an outbreak of new wave synthesiser bands. Some of these pre-programmed their tunes into keyboards and drum machines and the proceeded to stand by their electronic equipment. That was their idea of playing live and would have been disposable pop if had been popular but this phase didn't last. It was just boring and didn't appeal. For a while in my very late teens I thought the synthesiser sound was great but this soon descended into the sort of pretentious rubbish indulged in by the talentless that said "actually, we're more of a studio band." Nowadays, like Stiff Little Fingers, I believe in the power of guitar and drum but Montarg and Krayon - aka Starbase 109 - have got something. I dunno what but it's definitely a something. But Starbase 109 had my feet tapping when they supported The Stranglers at Exeter University on Friday nite. And quite a few people were danci...

Last Saturday me and Andrew (of multiple tractor ownership fame) picked up this Ginetta G26 in Saltash for another mate of mine. It was an ebay bargain and although engineless has all its other vital organs. Originally Pinto powered there is talk of trialling it - it being that time of year - and possibly installing a Cologne V6. I suspect that it maybe a bit front heavy in that form and for trialling purposes you need good traction but that spec would make for quite a quick car because it's such a light car. I know this because I helped push it onto the trailer. Designed and produced by the four Walklett brothers, Ginettas have already featured as Vintage Things (Pete Low's G21 was the first one ever) but I had come to regard the G26 as one the less desirable, partly because it's eclipsed by real beauties like the G4, the G12 and an old favourite of mine the Imp powered G15. So many Vintage Things but so little time. My mate really wanted a G12 but they are wort...