While writing my article for mcnews earlier on in the week the subject of cafe racers came up which inevitably led to Rickman. The Rickman bothers, I am sure I don’t need to remind you, became famous in the late 1970’s for producing a build-it-yourself cafe racer kit. You supplied the engine and they supplied the rest of the running gear (at a price!).
Thinking about Rickmans led me to thinking about Greg Stevens. Greg was a foundation member of Canberra Road Racing Club in 1977 and owned an orange Rickman Honda as seen in the top picture. Quite how he had been able to afford it in those days was a bit of a mystery and something which I never actually asked him. The “budget” riding gear; old one-piece black leathers and motocross boots says a lot about the era. Answers on a postcard if you can identify the helmet.
Greg was short, wiry and scruffy. With a ginger beard and a smiling face, he was everyone’s mate. As was the fashion of the day, he had a nickname and it was based on his usually unkempt appearance. He was called “Grub.” He worked at City Bike and Car Sales in Fyshwick and he became an enthusiastic supporter of the club and even brought the Rickman out to do a couple of club days at Oran Park. It didn’t take very long after that that he acquired a new nickname, an amalgam of his previous moniker and his motorcycling passion, Yes, he became “Grubastini”
Greg’s domestic arrangements were a little mysterious also so it was some surprise to me to find that he had moved out of town and was renting a tiny farmer’s cottage on the Barton Highway, not far from the intersection of the Hume, just north of Yass. I had occasion to visit him several times there while he did an engine rebuild for me on my 400/4. The place was run-down, messy and remarkably as unkempt as its occupier. The Rickman lived on the verandah just outside of the front door along with numerous other motorcycling items of dubious provenance. It occurred to me at the time and later became clearer that people who work in bike shops always seem to accumulate stuff as a by-product of their jobs, coming across numerous bargains as an inevitable consequence of their employment.
Greg did a great job on the bike and had it singing in no time. Soon afterwards I left Canberra but, before that, I seem to have lost contact with him. I guess he became involved in other interests as young people do.
Fast forward to 2012 and a guy called John Meara posted a swag of his personal photos from the Castrol Six Hour Race on the Six Hour page on Facebook. He also posted a lot of other motorcycle-related photos from back in the day. There was a huge album of pictures from the MRA’s anti lights-on protest ride to Parliament House in Canberra in January 1980 which, the organisers claimed, drew a group of 10000 bikes. And, in that album there were two photos of a guy captioned as “Grub”. In one photo he was seen to be riding pillion and to be carrying a crutch, tucked under his left leg and running along the side of the bike. When I asked John about the person I became pretty sure that it was, in fact, Grubastini.
From time to time I do a “I wonder where so and so is now?” and the occurrence of the Rickman connection has prompted me to ask if anyone amongst my readers might know where Greg is now. I am guessing he would now be in his mid-50’s and I suspect that he could still be involved in motorcycling.
So, Grubastini, where are you? Do you have an idea; can you help? It’s a long shot, I know, but it’s worth putting it out there.
Till next time.
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