FROM THE FRONT
First things first. I’m really not keen on letting people down, and am sorry about being unable to make it to the Stafford Show back in April. The two big shows there are among the event highlights of my year (really!) and we’d planned to have the usual blizzard of conversations, trade tips, exchange insults and do a lot of coffee and laughter – as usual. However, instead of all that I can confirm that the NHS emergency services are excellent, that the staff at Barnstaple hospital are outstanding. All good stuff … if not exactly what I’d expected to be doing.
So … sorry to all those who turned up to find the RC stripy tablecloth missing.
The next piece of bad news follows on from that. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to make it to the RC Ride-In and barbecue at F2 Motorcycles on June 6th. I will do my best, but can’t guarantee that I’ll get there – even if I manage to set out. I’ve been fitting in as many practice rides as work and weather permit, so am optimistic. David Angel – our host and head chef at F2 – is being as helpful as always and will get his Barbie sizzling – so ride over, meet RC folk (and David, hopefully), eat lots (remember to take your own food; David provides the cooking device) and I’ll do my best! That makes me sound like a Cub Scout, somehow…
This unwanted and unexpected interruption has reminded me of the need to do what we want to do now, rather than wait endlessly for a better day, for better weather, for a better bike. It’s maybe too easy to put things off, to save those great rides (and many other things!) for a later date, rather than grasping opportunities as they present themselves – but the reminder of how rapidly things can change has been timely. If not entirely welcome.
An especially irritating consequence of the medical nonsense has been that I’ve been unable to ride a bike which has lived in the house for over a decade and which was a non-runner when I acquired it – and stayed that way for far too many years because I kept putting off the rebuild, waiting for a better time, a time when I was less busy and could savour the pleasure of rebuilding an ancient Matchless. Not just any ancient Matchless either: this is a Model X, a 1000cc V-twin, something of a dream bike for me.
Earlier in the year I decided that I was never going to get around to taking it apart myself, so approached Richard Negus – noted rebuilder of lost causes – with a view to his undertaking the task. Which he did. And in his customarily improbably short time, the job was done, the bike was running beautifully and was back in The Shed. I started it – a tall tale in itself – and had a brief whizz, rattle and clatter around some local lanes, decided to treat myself to a haul down into the depths of Cornwall … and then came the medical conniption. A lesson learned.
Don’t delay – do it today!
Ride safely