Resurrection Shuffle

Over the years I've owned several MZ Skorpions, the bike with the big single engine from Yamaha. I started with a Traveller, then bought a Sport, and finally completed the set with a Tour, so you could say that I like them. I still have the Tour and the Sport, although the Tour is due a rebuild after being stolen/recovered, and the Sport currently resides at the back of the shed having fallen out of favour because of the effect that it's riding position had on my worsening back.

Publicity shot of MZ Skorpion Sport & Skorpion Tour

The Sport is a great fun bike for short rides, but most of my riding in recent years has been confined to long-distance touring, and it just doesn't fit the bill. It was picked up reasonably cheaply, and I have had more than my money's worth out of it, so it probably makes sense to sell it on to someone who will actually ride it. I did dig it out for a service along with my Tour prior to taking the latter on a European jaunt several years ago, before putting it away again as I was still in two minds about what to do with it.

My two bikes

Finally, last year I decided to sell it and began the task of resurrecting a bike that been off the road since 2007 if the expired tax disc was any indicator. However, before I’d done much more than take all the bodywork off and give it a bit of a clean I was interrupted by the need to get another ancient relic fit for the road, this time my wife's old 125 for her brother to take his test on (for details see Here). Time and events then conspired against me and it went back into the shed for the remainder of the year.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it another try. I dug out all the bits I’d acquired and made a list of what needed done. It was a surprisingly short list, so I’m hopeful that I can get it ready for the Spring. Current thinking is that once done I'll sell it off and clear a bit of space in the shed for other projects but, you never know, I might like it again so much that I hang onto it for a while yet. I really hate selling bikes.

Doggles

Across America, dogs of all breeds ride in the open air in motorcycle sidecars, whether on short trips around town or extended adventures on the open road. Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America's Sidecar Dogs is a delightful and inspiring documentary film about motorcyclists and their beloved canine co-pilots. 

Sit Stay Ride follows a number of sidecar-riding duos, trios, and foursomes as they travel together - sharing the experience of being out and about on a sidecar motorcycle - a machine as unique as its passengers. Focusing on the dynamic and sometimes eccentric individuals who travel with a sidecar dog, we explore the essential relationship between humans and canines; the extraordinary bond that exists between them and flourishes through shared experiences and adventures. 

Sit Stay Ride is a rollicking, upbeat film that introduces you to the interesting personalities and heart-warming relationships that exist on the highways and byways of America through a series of insightful interviews, stunning visuals, and intimate portraits of dogs doing what they love best: living life to the fullest.

Sidewinder

Sketchbook

(Via: motobilia)

Haggis Gathering

Yesterday I went to the ‘Haggis Gathering’ Auto-jumble in Lanark, about an hour away from me. It’s an annual event, but I’d never been before as classic motorcycle auto-jumbles (swap meets) aren’t normally my thing. The main attraction, however, was an opportunity to meet up with a few friends and do some catching up.

I paid a couple of quid to get in and went for a wander around. Actually, the first thing I encountered on arrival was a bloke screaming the nuts of an elderly Suzuki GT500 running up and down the car park and laying down a two-stroke smokescreen which would have done a James Bond movie proud. He looked to be having a whale of a time until it seized on him. Oops. Turned out that he had been a prospective buyer and I left him and the bikes owner having an animated conversation and headed on in to the event proper.

It’s part outdoor event, part indoor event, with the indoor bit being housed in the stalls usually used for livestock pens, which I found a bit bizarre but it seemed to work well enough. It was surprisingly busy, maybe because it’s the first such event of the year.

It was the expected mix of old bikes, new and used parts for sale, as well as tools and assorted bric a brac. 

Fiat based trike

I didn’t find anything that I really wanted or needed, but did get talking to a couple of the folk selling bikes as they tend to pounce if you hesitate and make the mistake of making eye contact.

Old-school Hinckley Triumphs - Sprint & Trophy

A nice old bloke selling a complete and running Ariel Leader and another in bits was a nice distraction and we had a bit of a natter about old British two strokes in general. 

Triumph Tiger Cub

I did spot an old MZ for sale, a TS125 which turned out to be completely seized and which, I was assured, would sort itself out with a bit of oil down the bore. Which makes you wonder if it were that easy why it hadn’t already been done? I moved swiftly on.

East German MZ TS125

The rest of the day was spent catching up with the people I had arranged to meet, and the odd person who I just happened to bump into. One lad I hadn’t seen in a couple of years was quite excited as he’d just bought an ex-Danish Army Nimbus 750 and was waiting on it being delivered. I’m quite interested in having a look at it too, to be honest.

In the end, it was a pleasant day out and I came away without spending too much. Besides a couple of coffees all I ended up buying was a couple of lengths of fuel line which I figured might come in hands sometime.

2017 Update

I have been fairly erratic in updating this blog over the last year or so, but I’m hoping to post a bit more original stuff this year, rather than other people's work, fun though that is.

To that end I have been super pro-active and booked two trips overseas on the bike already. Both to Ireland, one in May the other in August both to bike rallies. The offer of a 20% reduction and an upgrade in my ticket may have had something to do with this unexpected efficiency. 

I've also booked accommodation and tickets for the motorcycle show at Peterborough again. Maybe this year there will be something for me to spend my money on?

I am also looking at the possibility of a trip to the Montlhery Café Racer Festival near Paris in June (although whether that one comes off is dependent on a number of other factors) and attempting the North Coast 500 here in Scotland. This tour has become increasingly popular since its inception a few years ago and covers parts of the country that I rarely go to as well as parts I've never been. A nice dry summer would be nice.

I also have a couple of bikes to get back on the road, and I'll doubtless bore you all with my tales of skinned knuckles and money wasted on parts bought that don't quite fit in the process. My dilemma over these machines is whether to do them up and keep them or move them on as I really hate selling bikes, but I really need the space. That’s not to say that I’ll not then immediately fill it up again with something else.