Yesterday I went to Newcastle. When I went up last time I spent a great few hours with a PCRA buddy talking bikes and having a great bench racing session. Yesterday I bypassed that pit stop and went to visit a lady who has been a friend since I was at high school. Like me, she has had an accident recently and has a badly broken arm and other lesser injuries but certainly enough to inconvenience and cause pain and the attendant problems that brings. So we had a “sicko” session as well as catching up on what’s happened since we last saw each other about a year ago. Very pleasant, and it made me appreciate again the fact that real friends don’t have to live in each others’ pockets necessarily but can remain so even if they don’t see each other frequently.
I then went to visit a mate with whom I also went to the same school but who I haven’t seen for 41 years. The last time I saw Lenny he was lying in Newcastle hospital with a serious case of gravel rash after having come off his BSA while NOT wearing proper protective gear. It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but, man, it WAS.
Obviously, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and the couple of hours I spent with Lenny and his family seemed to just fly by as we caught each other up with what had happened in our lives since last we met. These things can sometimes be a bit maudlin, but this one wasn’t. Lenny was always a rebel and a clown and, despite the passage of years, family and business responsibilities and the vicissitudes of life, he has remained substantially the same. He still rides, a BMW K1200S, and sitting and talking to him was so enjoyable the passage of time seemed to become of no importance at all. I certainly will be keeping in touch more regularly now that we have re-established the contact.
All in all, a most enjoyable day.
In motorcycling news, the lubricant company, MOTUL has announced a partnership overnight with Suzuki that seems to indicate that they will be partnering Suzuki on a MotoGp venture in 2012. The wording is very ambiguous and doesn’t amount to an official announcement of Suzuki’s intentions, but certainly hints at it. If it DOES happen, I sincerely hope that Suzuki will devote proper time, R&D and staff to the project so that it doesn’t degenerate into the farce that their current “effort” has become.
In WSBK overnight the “British” specialists again did well in Superpole, with ex-pat Pommy, John Hopkins securing his first Superpole riding as a wild card in the Silverstone event. Checa is still the danger man, though.
Finally, a little “off the wall” for you. The “Kwikasfaki” by Cabbie engineering.
Combining an engine lifted out of a drag bike (295lbs, 135rwhp, 9.3 down the ¼ mile) and modern running gear, this thing’s a serious piece of kit and a Kwaka owner’s dream. I just love those custom-made expansion chambers.