Cheap Thrills

After 6 weeks of TV my leg was out of cast but my spirit felt like it was in one. I'd tried to do some spannering but it's difficult on one leg. You may remember the XL125R roller I bought at Newark autojumble for £25, as I could now stand I decided to do this project before I returned to work. Straight away I'd acquired a good tank off ebay (£10), both sidepanels (Newark £7),headlight cowl (ebay again £5) .Top find was a wrongly listed (as Cr125 ) complete exhaust,home made but done well and goes outside the frame (£5 plus p&p!).I will never have a cold right leg! The engine is a pushrod CG125 unit I'd saved from my CT125 before I sold it and stands me at £20 and that got new black paint. . It wasn't such an easy fit though.I had to grind out a section from the CG front engine mount.At the rear I made a special bolt as the frame has 10mm holes and the engine 8mm. I turned down a very long 10mm bolt in the lathe and cut a new thread by hand.The spacers were 12mm with 10mm 'shoulders'.The carb top would foul the frame so I extended the manifold with a TL 'heat spacer'.Ignition switch is a Yamaha one with some mods to fit top yoke. The tank & panels got fresh Cherry Red paint & some decals.The frame and swingarm were well scuzzy so I decided to dismantle the bike and re-paint,the forks were rotary wire-brushed and silver painted.A seat cover's nearly £30 so it's got tape on for now! Front wheel is an alloy TLR trials item I'd bought for a fiver years ago.
After no ride for 3 months - I couldn't resist (despite the lack of MOT,Tax,Licence etc ) so I rode her up to the next village. All I can say is,it went well,it was bloody loud and it made me smile.
Bikes,they can drive you mad yet keep you sane.


Above 3rd July Here 30th July total cost I reckon is £95

Pushin' Too Far

Sun and Rain,Joy and Pain. Life is full of contrast, just mine seems to have been turned up to full. Strength and weakness,pushing it and getting pulled. So, I'm all over this guy's back wheel missing by an inch as I switch sides and then take him on the outside. I'm thinking God whatever happens this is it,I'm on it, lovin it,can't stop me now. Twenty minutes later,"Are you alright?" Well,I'd be a lot better if you removed that front wheel,and the rest of your motorcycle, from my now broken leg.

Flying on my inside a Honda 500 had caught my foot,rolled up my leg and snapped my fibula.Nice. If the ambulance leaves,the race has to stop,so playing the hero I insist they wait until the race finishes.Then shudder as my MX boot is removed,I felt the bone 'clicking' and fear a gorefest (It ain't).At hospital, I grimace as the nurse says "Now that will need pulling".Strange moments,delays in anaesthetics arriving,silence,the Indian doctor holds my widely displaced foot,he looks into my eyes. No words exchanged.Alright then,go on. Time passes. "Ok it's in. You don't even flinch,you very strong". Cheers matey, and even better afterwards when I get left with the gas & air..:-) . A week in hospital until they operate and have a variety of Meccano put in my lower leg. Still, Rossi & De Puniet were racing Moto GP in casts a matter of weeks later. Mental.