bigplonker

I first saw a 350 CCM in action when Dave Thorpe struggled round the Scottish way back in... whenever it was. Saw one for sale a bit later and took the plunge. Did a few SE Centre trials on it, got the four stroke bug and swapped it for... can't remember, possibly a 350 Ajay (no, it was a 250 Honda Pinkie from Gordon Farley's Ash shop). The buyer bought it on behalf of an American enthusiast who was intending to rebuild 'as new', so it went off to the USA where I presume it still resides, possibly in a millionaire's collection, or museum. Must be worth quite a few bob now I suppose. Out of curiosity, I revisited my bike blog to check out the 350CCM posting where I listed a few bikes over the last ten years. Interesting. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/9185673305938807930/6167844510043939243

A few interesting 350 CCMs here... https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/9185673305938807930/6167844510043939243

Merci beaucoup b40rt. Yes, well spotted, that's the Yam Mick was building that I mentioned (photo now attached).

I've just been idly meandering around the internet where I discovered a very interesting bike: a 525cc Yamaha trials twinshock, built by a talented French engineer, Frédéric Fleury (?) - see link below. Apparently it was based on a Yamaha XT500. Which reminded me of a photo I saw years ago in a Mick Andrews trials book (forgotten its title, but I remember the book was small which contrasted with the bigger books by Sammy Miller and Don Smith - I still have all three somewhere upstairs). The photo was of a partly constructed 500 trials bike that Mick was building, based on an XT500. For years I wondered if that build was ever completed - apparently it wasn't due to Yamaha pulling the plug (as mentioned in Fred's article below), which was a shame. Anyways, Fred invited Mick to have a test ride. Mick's very popular over here in France where he often attends trials gatherings. Apparently he gave it a thumbs up. It's probably not a very competitive bike but nevertheless it's an impressive bit of machinery. Bravo Fred! http://www.loeil2fred.com/525-xty/#prettyPhoto[1]/4/

No comprendo all this gay banter. I feel like a spare wotsit at a frightfully jolly thing.

Good shout mate. Me too.

Bonjour, As a confirmed Luddite from a pre-computer age I regret to admit rather sheepishly that I don't understand the phrase "free up your messenger".

YES, CORRECT! Couldn't find an example on t'internet but this pic of Smithy's Greeves comes close...

Well observed, good point, but... nah.

Indeed they do. But nah.

Yes! That's the gubbins.

Hmm... maybe, but... nah. I used to boil my chain in a tin of that grease stuff (forgotten brand name) that melted when heated but the tin was about 10 inches in diameter - the tin in question is about... ooh... a mere five inches in diameter. If 'er indoors caught me boiling the chain on the cooker, I'd be in the doghouse.

An astute observation but... nah.

Good answer, but there was a far more common useage.

Good thinking, but not the answer I have in mind.

A teaser for the oldies: What's the connection between a Quality Street tin and a trials bike?

I bought a new Seeley (the black mudguard version) sometime around 1980(?) and have been a fan of them ever since. Spotted a good 'un for sale out here in France a few years back but didn't buy it. However, for some strange reason, I kept some photos of the bike and browsed through them earlier today in one of my 'delete unwanted photos' sessions. I think I'll keep 'em. Would be interesting to see other members' Seeley photos as I think there were a few different versions over its limited production run. Or am I wrong as usual? Anyway, a couple of snaps...

As explained earlier, Dorna sneakily removed £125 from my bank account without prior warning. This was the cost of viewing this year's MotoGP rounds. However, as all these rounds (except for one?) have so far been cancelled, will I be able to claim a refund?

Hello there, I consider myself fortunate to have bought that Comerford's Cub from Gordon Farley's in Guildford a few years back, but I consider myself a bit bonkers for selling it soon after so I could buy a gorgeous 410 Matchless from Sunbeam club mate Mike Holloway. Have to admit I didn't like the big red lettering on the Cub's tank so I replaced it with a couple of simple Triumph logos. Saw it advertised some time later and it looked like it had been shoved away in a damp shed. A sorry sight. Original bike with plastic cap for petrol tank (from Triumph Tina scooter???) and ye olde covers(!) for clutch and front brake cables on handlebar but... standard forks weren't exactly brilliant.

I had a 320 with a special exhaust for a short time. Not sure if it was a 'works bike' though.

I searched the Dorna MotoGP site for any info regarding cancelling this payment and/or being reimbursed. Couldn't find anything even remotely related. Sneaky burgers.

Yes, I know this is a trials site, but it has a MotoGP section so I may as well use it to have a bit of a moan. This morning I received an email from PayPal stating that Dorna (the organisation that runs MotoGP) have grabbed about £125 from my account. This is the cost of viewing the 2020 GPs. Unfortunately I was unaware that this was an automatic payment triggered at the end of the final race of the 2019 calendar which happened yesterday at Valencia. My gripe is that this sum was grabbed without prior warning. Personally I would have preferred an email informing me that this sum was about to be deducted from my bank account and that it could be cancelled if I so wished. Fortunately I could just about afford this expense without getting overdrawn. Also, I'm happy to consider paying to watch next year's races. But, and it's a big but, I really do think Dorna have been a bit sneaky. I've now cancelled this automatic payment nonsense after searching the internet for how to do so. Have to admit I'm now reluctant to sign up for the 2021 season. Thank you. Moan over.

Gosh and crikey! Mighty impressive!

I've just spotted this HT5 for sale, advertised on the leboncoin site. It's in France, just south of Paris and asking €9900, which is about £9000. Could be of interest to someone, but, alas, not moi.

Spotted this trials Zundapp for sale in northern France. €1500.