front seat -chairmans comments

[g80csp11]

Rob ,
I take exception at your comments in 'Front seat ' in the latest Jampot . As Franks rightly said "Who says that posh desert sleds are all ‘show' and no ‘go'? As you can tell from the state of it, this 1967 Matchless P11 was ridden into the show and its owner clearly gets about a bit. ".
Perhaps Frank does like the big twins over the 'Shiny' trophy hunters bikes

Yes it might not win the Concours award in the true sense of the word , but I think Roy would agree a well used bike , mechanically looked after has a certain charm and deserves respect . much better than a bike that get taken to shows , doesn't leak oil and covers perhaps 50 miles a year .

I aim to ride to all the events , completing running repairs when necessary on route. Ok Neville can show you a dozen picture of the ' minor ' repairs . but don't forget is was never designed as a long distance touring bike. Anyone that uses their bike as much as I use mine , will have to do repairs. the important thing is to use our bikes and enjoy them.

Yes I could restore it again , make it all shiny and trailer to shows , but where is the fun in that !. If you want a shiny bike then that's up to you!.
I'd much prefer my P11 as it is 'well used'

[ajscomboman]

Tongue in cheek Peter, nothing more than that. Absolutely nothing wrong with your P11 in it's current condition winning an award.

If you read it differently then I apologise as no offence was meant. In fact it's quite refreshing to see a well used bike win.

[g80csp11]

that's Ok Rob , even Frank's comments were written in the same manner . I'm never going to have a showroom condition bike . Although as Neville knows I have several in the 'kitchen or spare room condition'
Some people like to keep their car clean as well , constantly washing etc..

The downside is that when you have to do a roadside repair , you get dirty

[G15 Roy]

What a pain getteing the wheel out after a flat on the way home yesterday.

Rear View.JPG

[SPRIDDLER]

What a pain getting the wheel out yesterday.

From where, a canal?

[Rob Harknett]

Observe people at shows, I have. I recall wheeling my old 36/22 onto a club stand once. One of the guys muttered, scrapping the bottom of the barrel now , the club chairman jumped on him with, that's a good old bike, not a shinny mantle piece ornament. Then what happens, people walked by the shinny bike and gather round my grubby old thing. Proof an honest old bike attracts on a club stand. Just observe reactions if you see one Roy's rusty's on our club stand, you will note it a crowd puller.

[JohnHewes]

Quite right Rob, I remember well my old G9 with a group of guys around it in front of the Douglas digs a few years ago. It was in a line of otherwise anonymous Japanese bikes, and getting all the attention.
John

[clive]

feeling excluded my mag has not arrived yet, and I did renew!

[500tg3lc]

Original condition - about 10 years ago I took my original 1956 g3lc to a Kempton show that I'd owned and ridden since the 60s it was, and still is in the same sort of condition it was used in the 50s - Mike Andrews came over and said how nice to see a bike as it was when he rode one, complete with dents in the ally tank - another interesting comment the same day was from Don Morley, saying nice to see an original bike pity about the forks, I asked what's wrong with the forks, he said they should be 1 1/8" for 1956, I told him he was wrong, he didn't agree - later in the show he voted a 56 g3lc Matchless with 1 1/4 forks the same as mine as best in show, it was an immaculate bike, but clearly was not being used as it was intended, it would seem some people look for something to criticise if a bike is not all bright and shiny - as it happens a picture of my bike appeared to my surprise in the club magazine, just a picture no comment.

[MikeM.]

Not really about "our bikes" but still on shiny ones, I rode my Greeves in a local road event where it turned out that there were awards given for various classes of bikes. My Greeves won best in show, when querying this as there was a Dot which was spotless and my Greeves had oil all over the centre stand the answer given was "your Greeves is obviously used and not a show piece". Makes a change for me to win something for my bikes aren't cleaned very often.