08-01-2021, 08:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-01-2021, 08:57 PM by Reckless Rat.)
Just like the song in "South Pacific"
I know we've drifted a bit off post, but what the hell. It's cold and there's nothing else to do, not even here. Don't believe anyone that tells you that life in the south of France is nothing but G&Ts on the terrace and sunbathing. OK I was sunbathing this morning with the Mem'Sahib when we had our tiffin on the terrace. It was 4°. It was sunny but I was wearing my quilted lumber jacket and a beany as well as having the patio heater lit just behind us... you just gotta do it as the Yanks say.
Now, I mentioned Hondas earlier. We had Hondas and BMWs at work and without a doubt the Hondas were the most reliable. The BMWs were good, but lacked that Japanese "je ne sais quoi". In the early 80s I had a Suzuki GS550 which I used for commuting. It was a very, very clean bike I had bought off of one our mechanics and it had never ever been wet. I couldn't in all fairness put it through a British winter. After 7 years it still had the nickel plating on the hose clips. Mick Lewis, of Lewis Leathers used to buy and sell bikes and stuff at auction and I went to see him at his place in Chesterfield to see whether he had something cheap and nasty to see me through the winter. Most of the lads had an MZ125 or similarb as a winter hack. He said to me, "I've got this Honda moped. It's OK but the kick start is stuck. If you can get it going give me £50." It was two years old. I got it going, for nowt and I've still got it.
I used it every day for several winters, rain hail or snow. It still runs like the day I bought it and the only thing I've had to change in all that time is the exhaust box, but that was because I trashed it doing some off road larks with a pal....
Apparently there are only a handful of them left, so during lockdown I gave it a make-over (lick o' paint) - it does bugger all for your street cred if you're seen riding it, but it goes like a dingbat up to 30mph (restricted):
![[Image: 20200530-120032.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/hPpzCm4S/20200530-120032.jpg)
I know we've drifted a bit off post, but what the hell. It's cold and there's nothing else to do, not even here. Don't believe anyone that tells you that life in the south of France is nothing but G&Ts on the terrace and sunbathing. OK I was sunbathing this morning with the Mem'Sahib when we had our tiffin on the terrace. It was 4°. It was sunny but I was wearing my quilted lumber jacket and a beany as well as having the patio heater lit just behind us... you just gotta do it as the Yanks say.
Now, I mentioned Hondas earlier. We had Hondas and BMWs at work and without a doubt the Hondas were the most reliable. The BMWs were good, but lacked that Japanese "je ne sais quoi". In the early 80s I had a Suzuki GS550 which I used for commuting. It was a very, very clean bike I had bought off of one our mechanics and it had never ever been wet. I couldn't in all fairness put it through a British winter. After 7 years it still had the nickel plating on the hose clips. Mick Lewis, of Lewis Leathers used to buy and sell bikes and stuff at auction and I went to see him at his place in Chesterfield to see whether he had something cheap and nasty to see me through the winter. Most of the lads had an MZ125 or similarb as a winter hack. He said to me, "I've got this Honda moped. It's OK but the kick start is stuck. If you can get it going give me £50." It was two years old. I got it going, for nowt and I've still got it.
I used it every day for several winters, rain hail or snow. It still runs like the day I bought it and the only thing I've had to change in all that time is the exhaust box, but that was because I trashed it doing some off road larks with a pal....
Apparently there are only a handful of them left, so during lockdown I gave it a make-over (lick o' paint) - it does bugger all for your street cred if you're seen riding it, but it goes like a dingbat up to 30mph (restricted):