Thumbs Up!

The target over winter was to get this RM100 ready for the Twinshock practise day at Gale Common,Selby for March 14th.Bike gets took out for a 'shake-down' locally on the Golden Field beforehand.Miraculously,nothing falls off,not even me.I must be too used to the fairly sedate canter of the Ts185, everything suddenly happens at 3/4 revs:a rush of noise,power, rear-end snaking.Did I mention laughing?! So 2 hrs session -all good.
After a night before jet wash,we arrive at the track.It won't start.Gutted,and I can't even watch the rest roar by.In desperation we bung in an old car plug and whaddya know? Ring-a-ding.Off for my first ever session on an MX track and oh my gawd this motocross lark is something else. The enduros I have done are all natural terrain,this is an assault course of ruts,jumps,bouncing and hanging on.Still,it's hairy but not terrifying,well you can't be scared by 100cc I know...By session 2 -I'm still getting blasted by all and sundry but give chase on 1 or 2 slower ones and end up having a ball.Free practise at the end is great fun too.Can't hold the powerband on as I bounce around on what seems like a turbo-charged wailing banshee space hopper, even tho' I know to keep the revs on before a jump. Is it lack of experience,or lack of decent suspension? The thought occurs to me after:perhaps I'd be quicker if I'd started racing at 13 rather than 43 !

Cabin Fever

When there is snow on the ground,and Cheryl Cole has clearly lost your phone number, all a man can do is polish his plastics.After nearly a week of this indoor bike work (plus seat foam & making decals) however, I was ready to run screaming to them thar hills,or hoover up,or something.If I couldn't get mud on my bike,or oil on my hands then I needed sun on my back.Last minute to Alicante,Spain for 6 days: it has beer,football,Sun(remember that?) and senoritas.Well, 3 outta 4 ain't bad,and managed to go to Hercules v Celta Vigo,although what they made of a drunken loon shouting in pidgin Spanish on the terraces God only knows.. Afterwards went drinking brandy,to a gig and nightclub.To coin a term I was "beyond the beyonds".A top city tho',with ne'er a Red Lion or Full English in sight (that's 10 miles up the road in Benidorm,er,no thanks) .

Suitably recharged, arrive home and the RM100 gets finished double-quick. Quite pleased how it looks,especially as it features such items as a £1 fr wheel,£2 mudguards,£10 exhaust and home made and 50p decals. A lot of it came from a rolling chassis I got years ago for £15,the frame came from a £70/70% of an RM. The whole bike came in on budget at around £300 -helped no doubt by the fully rebuilt engine lucked on for £85!! The down side of being 'frugal' is time spent refurbishing,this bike and the other engine & rewound coils totals maybe 250 hours. To some folk, that's a whole 2 months watching evening TV.
This poses the question: What exactly is, "A Waste of Time"?

RM100 with 125 suspension.Front end to finish and temporary race ovals to be sorted :-)