Yes, we will set off
between 11 and 12. No Im not
messing around with the trike before we leave,
there is only one thing Id like to get a pair of hand
guards to keep the wind off. They
wont take long to fit. We
eventually left nearer 1, after getting the guards and then manufacturing
some parts to fit them. By then we
knew we would arrive after daylight, and long after residual daytime heat.
Eventually we arrived and there
started the beginning of my catastrophic weekend. The ground was a little muddy, but only ¼
or so, so I thought Id pop the Guzzi on the centre stand. Bang, one wing mirror later it fell over.
Right side stand - BANG,
an even more bent wing mirror. Just
waiting now for it to catch light fall over and sink. Saturday
morning & time to get the Bike fixed a little, at least get myself a Right
Hand wing mirror. Its always a bad
idea leaving the Mad Axeman site, a little way down the road and my headlight
fell out. Never mind Snapper will have some tape, and
we will fix the mirror with the aid of a vice and large hammer. Sorted. Back
to the site well almost, via one more trip to Snappers to put the gear
change back on. The
Saturday night selection of little parties was everything it always is
I think I managed to party with all of them, even in the clocktower
but how I got there I dont know. However,
I can clearly remember Bril Bri hitting my head supposedly to put out
the flames from my woolly hat! Did
you think Friday & Saturday were Bike Bad days you aint heard
nothing yet. Try starting the day hung over, with a thaw
making the site a quagmire and consider then that my ignition fell out. Simple job to re-insert it, but the headlight
needed to come off again and then more tape to keep it back. Eventually we set off, club Turnout trophy
in our clutches. That was a really
bad word to choose. The trike decided
to misfire on the drive out from the castle (who forgot to turn his fuel on?!!!),
and being such a soft-shite I turned round to help him. It sounds so simple but not when the
clutch cable snaps mid manoeuvre! 250
miles, no clutch mmmmmm NICE. We
will overcome and conquer. By Borough
Bridge the trike was still being a T**t, so we stopped, and again at Ferry
Bridge. However, this time I noticed
that the Bevel drive seemed to be missing a few bolts well four to
be precise all four! Grovelling
around on the floor I found one, and then removed another from where it was
being used on the trike, and we limped on.
At last the M42 only 60 miles till home but 30 miles of that
was traffic jam. I couldnt stop, having no clutch, nor
could I power home partly because it is a MotoGuzzi V50 and partly
because Cas needed to re-fuel and pressure wash his wheelchair.
Never
have we been so pleased to see home still on hindsight a cracking weekend.