Sypan`s story. Akela,we'll do our best!

Discuss general riding stories and adventures here.
SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Sypan`s story. Akela,we'll do our best!

Post by SYPAN » Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:06 pm

Introduction

All in all, my Cub ownership has been a very happy and rewarding experience. Good for medium to long (80-160 miles) days out, a long weekend away (483 miles) and many and varied trips to local shops and cafes. It’s very rare I go out without being chatted to or smiled at as a result of my non-threatening and idiosyncratic method of transport. The only real downside on longer trips is the limited tank range of about 90 miles; this has been eased by carrying 1 litre of petrol, which I have only had to resort to on one occasion. However, what I have noticed during my relatively short period of ownership is the disappearance of almost all rural petrol stations and public toilets, both problems in their own way!

You may notice that, unlike many owners of quirky vehicles, I have never given my Cub a name. It is simply known as ‘The C90’, just as my car is ‘The car’ and the cat is ‘Cat’. My wife and offspring have multiple names.

To anyone mystified by the title all I can guess is that you have never been a member of the Scouting movement or, more specifically, The Cubs. My son-in-law tells me that the “Grand Howl” should be “Akela, we will do our best” but he was obviously in a more refined cub pack than mine as ours was always “we’ll”. Our shoulder flash proudly announced that we were the ‘1st Immaculate Conception Spinkhill’ cubs – a source of great and enduring amusement to older, more worldly Scouts and Guides.

The sub-title gives a clue to my almost total lack of a really adventurous spirit. In truth, I am very contented and comfortable with most things. I don’t have a burning need to escape any aspect of a life that I am happy with and I’m sure that many people would view my ‘adventures’ as pathetic little rambles. But as I’m happy with where I am, what I’ve got and especially who I’m with; there is nothing I would wish to change or escape from. I make no apology for this and don’t envy or criticise anyone else for his or her life and values no matter how different to my own.

So, good luck where your gentle rambling or immense expeditions take you.

Phil Nuttall November 2018
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:00 pm

HOW IT ALL BEGAN – SELLING THE DREAM
CLASSIC BIKES AND OLD NAILS


I suppose it all began when I was about 6 years old with a pedal-along Corgi – not a dog but a children’s version of the real motor powered Corgi which was a civilian evolution of the non-too-successful, folding, lightweight bike developed for paratroopers in World War 2.

My motorised travel began because my dad rode a Cyclemaster-powered bicycle to his job as a boilersmith/fitter at the local ironworks. The Cyclemaster motorised wheels came in the scrap sent for melting down – he fished them out and ran them until they blew up and then replaced the now genuinely “scrap” wheel with one of his many ‘recovered’ spares which were hung on six inch nails in his shed. At the peak I seem to remember at least eight wheels lined up awaiting final destruction. I would occasionally “borrow” his Cyclemaster for a brief (very illegal) ride out.

Eventually a Raleigh RM1 moped replaced the Cyclemasters and at the time it seemed to have immense power. A group of us embarked on an extensive tuning programme, this simply involved removing the silencer - this gave an apparently massive increase in power that, in reality, was mainly just an increase in noise.

The moped was used extensively off-road in local fields, resilenced and returned to the shed. As far as I’m aware my dad never knew or if he did he never let on. The Raleigh didn’t last long, possibly as a result of poor design, more probably because we abused it so badly.

At last I finally reached my 16th birthday and got a provisional licence. My dad’s apprentice offered me an early, very battered BSA 250 C10 (with speedo in the tank) free if I could push it home, which I did. My mum and dad took one look at it and said the 1963 version of “No way Jose” – to be fair probably the right response and the BSA was pushed behind the shed. To this day I have no idea where it finally went – probably to another of my dad’s workmates or possibly the scrap heap!

The upside was that another of my dad’s workmates was selling his 1953 BSA Bantam (YNU 21), which was bought for £15 that I had somehow managed to scrape together. For my generation, the Bantam was the next generation’s Honda Cub – a bike to learn on, fall off, repair (usually badly), modify (also usually very badly), pass your test on and move to something bigger.

It was also the source of my first (of two in 55 years) motoring conviction – Carrying a Passenger on a Motorcycle whilst the holder of a Provisional Licence: fine 12 shillings (60p) and licence endorsed. This brought shame to my parents and kudos for me from my contempories and schoolmates.

The Bantam received much attention and modification. First to go was the standard silencer that was swapped for a megaphone type producing extreme noise and a corresponding perceived incredible power increase. I now think that these ‘massive’ gains in power resulted from replacement/removal of clogged silencers rather than for any more complex reason. Next came a second hand George Todd high compression head which genuinely did produce a slight power increase, this was followed by an Amal Monoblock carburettor from an ex GPO telegram Bantam - this restricted top speed to around 25mph and was rapidly swapped back to standard.

Alloy mudguards, ace bars and a “Racing” seat made from an old plank topped with a thin bit of sponge, with half a headlight shell screwed to the back all covered in leatherette from an old armchair completed the transformation - very smart but torture to ride.

By far the best tuning result came when I replaced the standard speedo with a 120mph model bought from a local motorcycle scrap yard – this instantly gave a gain of 20 mph in top speed and everyone who tried the Bantam was amazed how easily it reached 65mph - probably because of mismatched speedometer drive gearing but I’m sure it must have been correct!

I passed my test on the Bantam and sold it a few months later for £30 to a lad who rode it under a bus within a week. He walked away but sadly poor YNU 21 didn’t survive the crash.

The replacement was an early BSA C15 that was a worthy but not very exciting ride. It received slight modifications of ace bars and a Gold Star type silencer, which did make a glorious noise (with twitter on the over-run). I suppose the one permanent reminder of the C15 is that I still have the scar on my knee from my first big “off”. Eventually its engine failed as a result of putting clean oil into it, this released a load of sludge that relocated and clogged the oilways causing big end to collapse.

The C15 was traded in, at my parents’ and future In-Law’s insistence, against a Reliant Regal side valve van. Looking back, these were possibly reasonable fears on their part as the rate of attrition of my friends was very high; by the time I was 20 I had more, mainly motorcycle related, dead and seriously injured friends than the number names of the fallen in both world wars on our village war memorial.

This is in no way intended to trivialise the sacrifice forced upon those young men who had their future stolen but is here to illustrate the very high attrition rate for young motorcyclists at that time.

This began a 12 year period of motorcycle free Reliant and car ownership which came to an end following the birth of my son and daughter, the death of my mother who had a real fear of motorcycles, and the husband of one of my colleagues needing to sell his Suzuki trail bike to fund the purchase of a gorgeous red and white RD400.

The bribe to my wife was that she would have the car to ferry the kids around and commuting by motorcycle would actually represent a cash saving. There followed a period of modern motorcycle ownership with several highlights and a few lowlights, most of which are irrelevant to this tale.
In parallel with my modern motorcycle ownership, in 1982 a colleague offered me a 98cc Excelsior Consort, in big pieces but complete, that his mother-in-law was threatening to throw into a skip as part of her garage clear out. I couldn’t let that happen so the Consort came home and became my first renovation project. I subsequently joined the British Two Stroke Club and met my friend and long term riding companion David Stevenson.

We started ride-outs together and it quickly became obvious that the Consort had a major flaw – it started easily when cold but refused to even try to fire when hot. The crunch came when I took it for an MOT (which it passed) and then refused to start. In a fit of pique I told the MOT tester to keep it and walked home, I believe he sold it soon afterwards for a not inconsiderable sum. I also now know that this is a common fault with small older Villiers engines as the beetle juice (honest) derived shellac varnish separating the HT coil windings breaks down with damp and age allowing the windings to short out when hot and a simple coil swap or rewind solves the problem.

Dave then found me a New Hudson autocycle in Hull which was a bit bodged together but even with its single speed Villiers engine could achieve a genuine 45 mph on the flat and far more down hill. At that time Dave was riding a Bown autocycle and, over the next few years, we did a lot of long(ish) trips (100mile +) and organised a series of well-supported runs for our local section of the National Autocycle and Cyclemotor Club (NACC).

However, several problems started to rear their ugly head: The wheel bearings in 1950s autocycles were large cup and cone bearings which wore through their case hardening and collapsed, replacements were unobtainable (I’ve since found some on a market stall in Cuba). Tyres of the correct size were virtually unobtainable and ‘new old stock’ offerings often had cracked sidewalls or rusted bead wires. The final blow, however, was when all local MOT stations insisted on roller brake efficiency tests – on one occasion the carborundum faced testing roller wore through the tyre tread and burst the inner tube.

I had also acquired a ‘restyled’ New Hudson with the intention of renovating it but being short of spare time decided to sell it via the NACC magazine. A buyer arrived to collect the project, saw my other New Hudson and offered to buy both and, as I was in an MOT melt-down phase, they were both sold for a bargain price with a 1930s New Hudson pedal cycle thrown in free for good measure – this represented several very bad mistakes in one transaction as the MOT regulations changed shortly afterwards and of course, all autocycles are now of an age where they are MOT exempt.

Too late, as mine had gone before this change was announced and prices for 1950s vehicles and vintage bicycles went through the roof.

Between selling my New Hudsons and before the MOT Regs changed I was offered and bought a beautifully restored and rebuilt Cyclemaster (named Clarissa) from its rebuilder and previous owner – David Scott, an engineer of great skill and ability. As a result of the previously described MOT testing woes I decided to sell Clarissa – the announcement about MOT requirements being removed for pre-1960 vehicles came, literally, one month later. This was possibly my worst selling decision ever as Clarissa was a beauty in every respect and I would dearly love to have her today.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:00 pm

My Mobility Scooter (Imaginatively known as “The C90”)

First of all, cards on the table – I was one of those boring old motorcyclists who claim to have owned a Vincent. Admittedly only a 50cc Firefly clip-on, which I swapped with a lad at school for a single record by, I think, The Animals or Screaming Lord Sutch. This began the long and financially incompetent career in motorcycle dealing described in the previous chapter.

Fortunately, my Honda C90 has saved me from a lifetime of bad motorcycle deals and at this stage in my life, with arthritis biting, really has become my red mobility scooter and, as a bonus, is an appreciating asset.

I bought my red 1987 C90 some 7 years ago as a joint venture with my son – the plan was that we would pay half each and he would use it to commute to work and I would use it at weekends for pleasure runs. We bought it from a young man in Mansfield after seeing it advertised in a free motorcycle newspaper.

We took £500 in cash with the firm idea that we would beat him down to around the £400 mark. When we arrived at his house he explained that he was selling the Cub as he had just lost his job, showed us his ferrets and introduced us to his young wife and their newly born baby (note these useful ploys if you are a motorcycle vendor).

I resisted the urge to double our offer but paid the full asking price without any suggestion of haggle and quickly left – I hope that the money helped and he found a new job (because things were then, and still are, grim in Mansfield).

My son rode the C90 home with just a brief stop at a motorcycle shop in Mansfield where he bought a Honda CB600 Hornet, ended the shortest joint ownership venture in history and I became the seventh proud owner of the not quite immaculate, red C90 with just over 8000 miles showing on the clock, two “ full sets” of two keys, a full tool kit, a Haynes manual and 12 month’s MOT.

The first job was a thorough clean to remove the protective layer of many years’ worth of deposited coal dust slurry. Obviously, several previous owners had used it to commute to one of the many local pits, now long gone – younger readers may not remember these and can visit The National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield to see what they were all about.

The second task was an oil change. When I say oil what actually drained out was about 200ml of something very black and semi-solid, which possibly also had NCB origins, it seems that scheduled maintenance had ranked equally in importance with regular cleaning. It has to be said that it had apparently done its job as the engine continues to run untouched to this day with no apparent problems. The Haynes manual had obviously only been used to wedge the ferret hutch door open – the hutch being in a far better state of overall care than the C90.

Whilst in my ownership the C90 has received regular servicing in accordance with the Haynes manual and an original Owner’s Manual that my daughter managed to find for me on the much maligned but indispensable eBay. I have always used only the finest (frighteningly expensive) Castrol oil and the C90 has now covered an indicated 17000 miles without ever letting me down.

It has needed no engine work, burns very little oil and is still running with the original chain and brake shoes. It always starts second (never first) kick and stops “on a sixpence”. Cables, controls, sprockets and wheels are also all original, the electrics have been faultless and eight annual MOTs have been passed with only one advisory.

HOWEVER – possessions are misery, life is never totally without care and several issues have had to be sorted out:
The only routine service problems I’ve had have been removing the tappet covers and I always seem to struggle with the air filter box. Oil and spark plugs have been expensive (detailed costings later). I’m on my third grease gun and I still can’t find one that gives a satisfactory greasing experience for the front suspension pivots – these have been replaced once as a result of the MOT advisory and still seem fine.

The main issue around any C90 is the dreaded ‘tin worm’ (rusting structural metal), which has, in fact, probably been a major reason for the virtual disappearance of Cubs in the UK.

When I got the C90 it was slightly frayed around the edges, principally the rear wheel arch edges. I cleaned this off as best I could, painted it up with the supposedly matching paint supplied specially mixed at the local spray shop and the repeated the process every six months as the rust bubbled through again.

But at least it was only cosmetic corrosion and not the dreaded structural rot which sounds the death knell for so many cubs and variants which all have structural sheet steel body panels. Things came to a head, and thankfully eventual solution, as a result of total stupidity on my part. One afternoon, with nothing better to do I decided to remove the plastic moulding covering the rear of the bike to check for rust.

Under this is a metal plate held on to the main sheet metal body by four bolts. Surprisingly, there was very little rust so I cleaned up the area and replaced the bolts with new stainless steel bolts and big stainless washers before replacing the plastic cover – job done.

About 18 months later I was bored again and decided to repeat the clean up, removed the plastic cover and to my horror discovered a spider web of rusting metal with immaculate stainless bolts, nuts and washers still in place. This began an interest in galvanic (or electrolytic) corrosion – Google it and I hope you will be as fascinated as I am.

Fortunately there is an excellent fabricating welder not far away who specialises in one-off motorcycle parts for professional racing teams but fits in repairs for lesser mortals during the quiet season. He repaired the rotted area to at least as good as new and whilst he was at it sorted out the centre stand pivot pin (another weakness on C90s).

These pins seize in the stand if not removed and lubricated very regularly and pivot in the frame holes which then wear oval. If both your wheels touch the floor when the bike is on its stand or the stand hits the bottom of the chain guard when raised then you’ve got the oval hole syndrome.

The only answer is to cut the pivot pin with an angle grinder, press the pin out of the stand with a hydraulic press and have the holes repaired before refitting the stand using a well-greased pivot pin.

My welder did this, plus he made a bespoke pin with greasing drillings and a captive split pin mechanism to prevent future seizing. If you find someone this good keep him close and keep him sweet; for such a craftsman is rare indeed. AND learn from my errors and never mix stainless steel fasteners with mild steel or aluminium, no matter how much marketing hype surrounds them, how good they look and how much antisieze compound you apply or you will pay the price after one or two UK winters.

After the welding work was done I stripped most of the frame back to bare metal, sealed all the seams, treated with galvanising primer, undercoat and several coats of “rattle can” British Leyland Nightfire Red finished with clear lacquer.

This gave a far better match to original than the specially mixed paint. I then sprayed all internal areas with ACF50 and Waxoyl – expensive but in my opinion well worth it. Reassembled with mild steel bolts and washers the paint finish and metal repair remains sound after two winters.

As with all good things there is a “but”- I find myself increasingly unwilling to go out in the rain, particularly in winter when the roads have been salted. The plan was never to have an immaculate “show” bike but to have something I didn’t worry too much about for day-to-day use. Possibly this unwillingness to expose both me and the C90 to adverse conditions is due to our advancing years or perhaps I’ve just gone soft and just making excuses.

The other cause of rapidly diminishing numbers is, as many people are aware, theft. Probably many of the people who claim to have ridden a C90 (they almost always refer to them as a ’Plaggy’) rode a stolen (or borrowed) one round a field and one “Cub admirer” told me of the place where he and his friends threw stolen Cubs into the River Rother after they had had their “fun”.

One day I might hire a crane with an electromagnet and fish all the remains from the river – of course with fresh petrol they will all start first kick and I’ll sell them for a large fortune!

I did not think theft had affected me until I took the Cub for its third MOT and the tester asked me if I was aware that my C90 had been a ‘ Cat. C’ write-off at some time in the past. This was a surprise but not a concern as what I want is a bike to ride –so no problem and it probably explains the different keys for the ignition and the steering lock. I assume that the ignition key is standard and steering lock is a replacement but I could be wrong about that. The helmet lock opens with either of the keys or a screwdriver and as I don’t use it I don’t really care. What it may also mean is that the recorded mileage may not be correct but I don’t much care about that either,

There have actually been very few other costs, just disposables and cosmetics / accessories. I have kept a record of everything that has been done or spent and really this has been fairly minimal over my period of ownership.

The only significant purchase made is a spare engine, which has been rebuilt. This was bought as a result of transmitted neurosis from my regular riding partner and me noticing the beginnings of ‘fin rot’ – another common issue with Cub engines. However, the spare engine remains unused after more than a year and is sitting as an ‘insurance policy’ in my garage. I really should fit it just to make sure it works but I’m unwilling to go against “If it’s not broke don’t fix it” so we’ll see.

I fitted new, uprated rear suspension units. These were not strictly necessary but their replacement has reduced the pogo-stick tendencies of the standard units.
The seat has been re-covered (as a birthday present) because the original had split and had been mended with insulation tape and superglue for years.

I have fitted three racks (front, centre spine and rear) and have fitted two top boxes, one home made and one second hand Rickman – both boxes subsequently removed – the vintage Rickman sold at a 10 fold profit which is not as good as it sounds as it was bought it for £1. I have also bought and fitted numerous bags of many designs – it has been said I have a bag fetish but I’ve got nowhere near enough for that (yet!).

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:01 pm

SMALL STUPID OFF ROAD TRIPS

After selling my various, now would be valuable and desirable, vintage bikes Dave Stevenson and I met up for the occasional modern bike run-out and at some point Dave suggested that we ought to explore Honda step-throughs as suitably old and quirky but reliable mounts for eccentric trips out.

A major advantage is that many spare parts are still readily available and if you are prepared to fit inferior but much cheaper Chinese parts Cubs can be kept on the road quite satisfactorily. Honda Cubs also have a justified reputation for extreme reliability – partly because their engines are so under-stressed that they will keep plodding on whilst in a state of mechanical near collapse.

During our first few years of ownership a taste for C90 off-road riding was developed. I had previously been a member of the Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF); initially riding my Suzuki and subsequently moving on to a very competent Yamaha DT175 and as a result I had a reasonable knowledge of local Green Lanes.

We have done many of the easier Green Lanes in the Derbyshire Peak District on our C90s with no problems whatsoever. Rather more stupidly I was also undertaking off-road trips on unsurfaced lanes and tracks closer to home, Against all TRF good guidance almost all these local trips were made alone and spontaneously and no-one would have known where I was if anything went wrong, Obviously this is doubly stupid.

On the most memorable of these midweek, winter solo trips I found myself at the bottom of a long steep descent down an unsurfaced road several miles from anywhere. This is a popular route with off-road 4x4 adventurers and the 4x4s had dug ruts about a foot deep in the slimy, yellow clay. The ruts were filled with filthy, opaque water.

The track was liberally studded with partly submerged football size boulders and in front was a pool of muddy water of unknown depth followed by a correspondingly steep climb out. The dilemma was do I turn round and try to re-ascend the descent I had just made or continue and attempt the climb out? The pool of muddy water was deeper than the exhaust and footrests.

Fortunately the air intakes are high up on Cubs so keeping the engine running at high revs means that it is unlikely to stall even when the exhaust outlet is fully submerged. By this time my boots were full of muddy water and my trousers soaked and mud splattered almost to my knees. I decided that pressing on represented the best option, as at least then I wouldn’t have to attempt a u-turn. I also had the horrible realisation that no one knew where I was, miles from civilisation and it was unlikely that anyone would find my drowned corpse until next weekend when the 4x4 jockeys came through. This was in the days before widely available mobile phones.

By good luck rather than skill I survived and arrived home in time to clean the Cub, wash my boots, change my trousers and have a cup of coffee before my wife got home. “Have you had a quiet morning?” - “Yes thank-you I’ve not done anything much, just had a little ride round”.

And a resolution was made to be far more sensible in future – it didn’t last – I’m just slightly more careful perhaps. Concerns about damage to the bike now far outweigh concerns about the rider so this will probably be the limiting factor on future off-road jaunts. But. I keep going past the end of unsurfaced tracks and think “I wonder where that goes?” and know I won’t be able to resist them for ever.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:02 pm

ON THE ROAD: LOADS OF RUBBISH AND THE SCARY SNAKE

It is an inescapable fact that Cubs are slow, have a very limited tank range and are very basic; but people race them, do mega journeys on them and turn them into wildly eccentric custom creations.

They have been used as extreme load carriers, particularly in Asian countries and were used as pizza delivery vehicles, ‘knowledge’ bikes in London and local go-to-work vehicles everywhere. Their basic nature and limitations are hardly surprising because they were designed as urban commuter transport and food delivery vehicles over 60 years ago.

On the plus side they are robust, understressed, simple to maintain and with minimal care can be kept running for a reasonable outlay and little effort. They are also light and, for me at least, surprisingly comfortable – far more so than most of the larger, more expensive and more modern motorcycles that I have owned.

They will also carry ridiculous loads as witnessed every day on the roads of South East Asia. Most of these factors make the Cub excellent longer trip transport – but they are SLOW. In my opinion they are not suitable or safe for motorway or busy main road trips, they are not suitable for any longish trip where time is critical and the limited tank range (and guess-work fuel gauge) means that even when a supply of spare fuel is carried garage spotting becomes a stressful part of longer trips especially as rural petrol stations are now few and far between.

In my experience the main limiting factors to long mileage days are boredom and cold. I’m assured that the cold issue is easily solved by fitting a windscreen, which in the case of Cubs can also provide a small increase in top speed but I just can’t bring myself to fit one so I continue to suffer in the name of aesthetic appeal.

There is also the issue of identity crisis – big bike riders treat Cub riders as invisible or lesser beings (even though most Cub riders keep one or more big bikes as their second bike). Scooter riders do not recognise Cubs as scooters, quite rightly because THEY AREN’T SCOOTERS! So no matter what we do, however far we ride or whatever we think we just don’t get taken seriously – fortunately perhaps most of us don’t actually take ourselves too seriously either.

The slow progress that can be achieved does confer advantages, not least of which is that you see things that would normally be missed when you are concentrating on going fast and not running out of road. This is usually an advantage but does mean you also see and notice less attractive facets of our normally beautiful countryside.

Even during my relatively brief period of Cub ownership I have noted a massive increase in the amount of general roadside rubbish, litter and fly tipping. About twenty years ago, on a trip into the Sahara Desert all the party noted that you could tell when we were approaching a settlement by the increasing presence of litter beside the road and plastic bags fluttering on roadside bushes.

Unfortunately, the same is now true in many parts of England. This seems to be partly a result of reductions in local council budgets imposed by central government but the inescapable truth is that a significant minority of people are incapable of taking responsibility for the simple task of disposing of their own rubbish properly and seemingly do not care at all.

I also am frequently saddened by the amount of road kill I see; ranging from the mundane to the exotic. Squashed hedgehogs are becoming increasingly rare, which probably reflects their overall decline in numbers. In contrast on a recent 120-mile trip I counted, amongst the casualties five dead badgers, a dead sheep and a dead deer. I wonder if the badgers indicate a booming population or something more sinister related to authorised or, worse still, unauthorised, culling.

The upside of slow travel is the opportunity to see many beautiful, historic and memorable sights and to meet many interesting and kind people (and a tiny handful of the other type).

On-road day trip adventures have been many and varied. These have ranged from 60 miles in freezing and foul weather to 200 miles in glorious sunshine with every permutation and combination in between. I have to confess, at this point, that without Dave’s enthusiasm my road trips would have been far fewer and shorter.

Dave has also done a far more extensive range of trips both in the UK and abroad. I am not, and will never be one of the many long distance Cub riders. In my defence, I came to Cubbing late in life when already in receipt of my work pension and the unwilling owner of a selection of arthritic joints so what is a proverbial walk in the park for a ‘normal’ person can turn into quite an epic trip for me.

Another limitation to my travels is my inherently anti-social nature – I have never been comfortable as a member of a large riding group. In truth, I find riding alone or with one familiar riding companion less of a challenge as I can travel at my own (slow) pace without feeling I am delaying or pressurising others. I realise this restricts options but that’s just how it is and I definitely fall into the ‘old dog’ category and change or new tricks are now highly unlikely.

Some of the day trips stand out: we have regularly ridden to the Classic Bike Shows at the Stafford Show Ground using a route developed by Dave – one of these trips being particularly memorable when Dave picked up a large nail in his back tyre on the way to the show. We made a quite speedy repair using a spare inner tube that I had taken as a last minute addition to our spare parts selection to replace the badly shredded original and we arrived at the showground only 30 minutes later than planned.

Unfortunately, Dave suffered a second puncture at about 10 miles into the return leg and neither of us had had the foresight to buy a spare tube from one of the many retail outlets at the show. Dave and his bike went home on a recovery truck and I had a cold and dark solo ride home.

Many of our days out have been in the Peak District – the favourite start point is an excellent and wonderfully located catering caravan (that was featured in The Hairy Bikers TV series) overlooking Ladybower Reservoir and ride over to Glossop via the A57 Snake Pass.

There is also an excellent café in Glossop run by a young couple who provide better food and service than I have had in many far more expensive and supposedly “Up-market” establishments. Most of these Snake trips have been spectacular and trouble free but anyone who is familiar with Trans-Pennine routes knows how quickly the weather can change from gentle to brutal in a matter of a few miles.

Without doubt, one of my most scary motorcycle experiences was riding the Snake in mist so thick I honestly could not see the edge of the road and, believe me, there are some spectacular drops if you get it wrong. Added to this was the constant fear of sales reps in Audis in a lethal rush to get to Manchester who would not see my weak rear-light until it was too late.

My glasses and visor steamed up rendering me effectively blind and my cheap ‘waterproof’ riding gear leaking in all the worst places compounded the discomfort. I cannot describe the relief of dropping out of the mist and rolling onto the café forecourt in Glossop to enjoy the best cafe pancakes in the North of England.

Other rides that stand out for me have been over the Humber Bridge (free to motorcycles) and to Newark Autojumble. On one of these Dave became increasingly neurotic about his ‘disintegrating’ engine –subsequently found to be a loose engine-mounting bolt. There have been several memorable trips over the Cat and Fiddle (A537) to the Cheshire/Staffordshire side of the Peak District - an area that is a particular favourite of mine.

At this point I must mention the excellent free pocket size books produced by several Road Safety Partnerships, which list the most dangerous motorcycling roads in their area. These have become to me the Cub equivalent of the old Ian Allen train spotting books and a self-imposed challenge is to ride all the roads detailed. Incidentally, Snake Pass always ranks very high on the list of dangerous motorcycle roads although I think it may be the victim of data misinterpretation as, in simple terms, the more bikes there are on a particular stretch of road the more motorcycle accidents there will be – it can be scary in places though.

Cat and Fiddle held the distinction for several years but since the introduction of 50mph average speed cameras (not a problem for Cubs) the number of bikers and motorists has noticeably fallen. Last time I visited the famous Cat & Fiddle Inn (the second highest in England) it was closed and surrounded by fencing. I hope this is only a temporary closure as this iconic inn is too good to lose.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:03 pm

COAST TO COAST (C2C)
483 miles in four days


I have only actually done one Cub mounted multi-day trip, which was the Coast-to-Coast run between Hartlepool on the North East coast and Whitehaven in Cumbria. A run, which the NACC organises on an annual basis. This run is held over two days with an overnight break in Alston in Cumbria.

As I have no trailer (or more specifically no towing ball) it was decided that the trip would be a home-to-home undertaking. Being a softie I decided to do this as a four-day trip: Day one was home, North of Chesterfield, to Thirsk, guided as far as the outskirts of York by my son on his scooter. I stayed overnight in an excellent B&B just outside Thirsk. I had a cottage annex all to myself with covered secure parking for the C90 round the back.

I had a very good Fish and Chip supper at the local pub all washed down with a couple of pints of Black Sheep Best Bitter and so off to bed early. I had told my hosts that I needed an early start in the morning and that I would be quite happy to forego the second B of B&B. They insisted that I should have at least a small ‘bite’ to set me on my way. This actually was a Full English Breakfast minus the bread rolls because the local baker didn’t open at 6am – Yorkshire hospitality at its best.

I met Dave at the market place in Thirsk at 7am. He had ridden up from Barnsley, leaving home at 5am. We headed North up the A19 which was fortunately early Saturday quiet. The section past the massive chemical works complex in Middlesbrough where the road becomes six lanes wide at one point was particularly ‘exciting’. The traffic was beginning to thicken up by this time and seemed to attack us from every angle. Fortunately we were soon well clear of Middlesbrough and managed to fit in a toilet stop and fluid replacement with coffee for us at one of Ronald’s ‘Golden Arch’ cafés and petrol for the bikes of course.

A large group of assorted small capacity bikes had assembled by the time we reached the meeting point to start the C2C. I had a feeling we were looked on rather as wimps for riding such ‘large capacity’ machines – despite the fact that I had ridden 120 miles and Dave 90 miles completely unsupported to reach the assembly. To be fair, some brave souls were riding ‘two-up’ on ancient 50cc mopeds so perhaps they were justified in viewing us as ‘Southern Softies’. Conversely, several highly organised teams had arrived in large vans with spare bikes and home comforts – so we could look down on them!

The group set off more or less promptly as and when individuals and groups felt the spirit move them and eventually a chain of riders on a wide range of machines began day one of the crossing. What became apparent very early on was that, whilst many of us have an idyllic picture of Durham as ‘The Land of the Prince Bishops’, and indeed in many parts this is true, many other parts were showing the signs common to run-down post-industrial areas across the whole of the North.

And nobody in power seems to know, care or be interested in addressing this terrible, soul-destroying, wasteful situation. I really don’t feel that this can continue for much longer before something explodes in these areas ignored for so long and make their vote to leave the EU seem like a minor hiccup.

However, the journey soon moved on to beautiful Tees Dale with a stop at High Force waterfall; more a stop for real ale sampling than sightseeing. As we moved off light rain began to fall – I estimated we were only about an hour from the overnight halt at Alston and asked myself “How wet can you get in an hour?” The rain intensified as we travelled and the answer to that question soon proved to be very, very wet. By the time we reached Alston I was soaked to the skin and chilled to the bone. And Alston was largely shut.

Eventually, we found a Tea Shop that was open and had a very welcome hot drink before making our way to our “luxury” accommodation at Alston Youth Hostel.This was my first ever experience of YHA accommodation and I’m sure that had I been 18, rather than mid-60s it would have been fine.

The first shock came when the Warden (an appropriate job title) told us that we were in luck because we were in the small dormitory and there were only 8 people in it – EXCUSE ME – Have I not got a single room with en-suite?? After selecting our de-luxe bunks and changing into dry clothing Dave and I went in search of a meal and a drink back in Alston.

Most eating-places seemed to be full of C2C’ers who had had the foresight to pre-book and there was literally ‘no room at the Inn’. Eventually we found Pie, Chips and Beer at a local pub. When we walked in the locals viewed us with such obvious suspicion that made me think we must have grown several additional heads in the course of the day’s journey. We ate up, drank up and slunk back to our luxury accommodation.

I have rarely spent a less restful night and being locked in a room with seven grown men snoring, talking in their sleep and adding their personal methane contributions to global warming confirmed to me that I do not ever want to go in prison, an old people’s home or a multiple occupancy hospital ward. I slipped out of the dormitory as dawn was breaking and had a shower in the communal facilities where I’m pretty certain I came out dirtier than I went in and acquired a selection of new and previously unknown fungal infections.

I went outside into the pale dawn light for some peace and quiet and instantly became the best meal that I imagine Alston mosquitoes had enjoyed for some time. I returned to our cell and packed ready to be off as quickly as possible – I suspect not very quietly or with good grace.

The participants assembled in Alston on the morning of day two in various states of preparedness for the ride west. The route from Alston begins with a long, steep climb to Hartside Café, which claimed to be the highest café in England with spectacular views on a clear day.

This may or may not be true but when it’s misty the view presents an excellent opportunity to view, well actually, mist. Unfortunately, last time I visited the café it had been badly fire damaged and its future seems uncertain. The climb to the top of Hartside Pass certainly justified the scorn that those mounted on ancient mopeds had shown us and the power of the Cubs certainly proved to be a boon to those of us who are weak and/or lacking in moral fibre. The superior brakes on the Cubs were also a major plus point for the descent to the West. Several cyclists were climbing the Western slope, they surely had cause to scorn anyone with an engine – all credit to them and I’m sure they would have enjoyed their overnight rest at Alston Youth Hostel.

The remainder of day two of The C2C seemed to pass in a blur of tired travel. My main memories are spectacular scenery as we traversed the Northern Lake District, the lunch stop at a pub where the landlord forced us to sit outside the boundary wall unless we bought a meal from their Sunday menu and the constant quest for toilets and petrol. The weather also deteriorated as we moved west and by the time we arrived in Whitehaven we had the traditional Lakeland cold drizzle.

I had also noticed that as we approached the coast the appearance of the surroundings had, once again, moved from spectacularly beautiful to depressingly run-down and deprived, although some parts of Whitehaven were showing positive signs of attempts at revival.

Being on our “powerful” machines we were among the first to complete the crossing and agreed that although we would have loved to stay to welcome the main peloton home we had a long ride ahead of us and time (and hence daylight) was running short; Cubs on fast roads in the dark are no fun at all. Our route out of Whitehaven reversed part of the C2C and we greeted several inbound riders.

We began our Southerly course across the Lake District, initially using narrow, gated roads but eventually joined the main roads South, which were heavy with holiday traffic. I suppose we maintained a good pace with both our speedometers showing over 50mph at times.

We made a quick stop for a very civilised pot of tea at a Little Chef just after Kendal. When we reached Skipton, Dave turned south towards his home near Barnsley and I went east to my daughter’s house in Leeds where, in total contrast to the Lakeland weather, a barbeque was in full swing in the warm evening sunshine.

After a most pleasant evening my wife and I blagged a bed and I spent a far more peaceful and restful night than the previous one. Next morning my wife returned home in the car with most of my luggage and I had an easy ride home via Wakefield. The total mileage for the weekend stood at 483.

I have been encouraged to undertake more multi-day adventures but so far, to my shame, have managed to avoid them. I now feel too old and inflexible for lightweight camping and in all honesty did not enjoy my hostel experience at all. I am now convinced that my sister-in-law was right when she firmly declared, a few years ago, “My days of not having en-suite are long gone”. However, I have still not ruled out some of the trips that are still bouncing around in my head.

Planning is currently underway for a “Heartlands” trip based on the film of that name which is, in my opinion, the best C90 road movie produced so far. It documents a trip from an un-named post-industrial town in North East of England to Blackpool by a sad young man on his C90. Taken in geographical order the film locations bear little relation to reality but strung together in a different order represent a two or three day trip (as in the film). I just have to find the start point, I hope the cooling towers in the film aren’t those in Tinsley, Sheffield as they were demolished a few years ago and film location guides do not list this particular location. The quest continues.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:03 pm

Better than money in the Bank

If you get to appendix 1 where details of my running costs are given you will see that my annual costs work out at £40 per year (or 11p per day). This is partly because Cubs are inherently cheap transport but also because when you acquire a Cub you become a member of a very fluid brotherhood of present, past, future and ‘associate’ would-be owners.

Occasionally, Cub riders have an immense stroke of good fortune when they park up and an ‘old boy’ appears and announces “I used to have one of those” and the Cub owner holds his or her breath hoping that the next comment is “I’ve still got some bits if you want them”.

This type of good fortune has happened to me twice during my period of ownership. Obviously, the Holy Grail is the announcement “And it’s still at the back of the shed if you want it”. This has never happened to me but I know people who have won this particular lottery – sadly the rise of eBay has increased the perceived value of these shed find ‘projects’ to ridiculous levels and has given hopeful sellers unreasonable expectation of the value of their stored treasure. I know of at least three C90s hiding in garages (one still in its original crate), which are waiting to make their owners multi-millionaires or die, whichever occurs the soonest.

Neither of my days of good fortune were the result of an approach from a retired owner. One was an advert on eBay for a small selection of spare parts listed as ‘Collection Only’ in a nearby village with a start price of 99p. I went mad and bid £1. There were no other bids and when I went to collect my booty the seller pointed to a large pile of spare parts in his back garden and said I could take them all if I wanted as he was having a clear out and his wife was pressurising him to get rid quickly. I filled my car, paid my £1 and disappeared quickly. I’ve subsequently sold or donated some of the hoard to fellow enthusiasts, used a few of them and stored the rest in my garage roof where they will presumably remain until the disposal cycle begins again.

The second spares acquisition was a ‘bitter sweet’ experience. Whilst out on my C90 I called into a local garage to enquire about a small welding job and the proprietor appeared and said he couldn’t do the welding but “I’ve got one of those in my store shed if you want it” – well “Yes, I might be interested”. Several weeks later he phoned to say he had dug it out if I wanted to have a look at it. I went down and there was a blue C90 with bent forks, no engine but otherwise clean, solid and complete. “How much?” – “Thirty pounds if you want it – including delivery” – “YES PLEASE”.

It turned out he had run a recovery service for the local police in the days when stolen C90’s were regarded as little more than scrap. He was allowed to dispose of them as he wished and apparently was in the habit of taking out the engines that he built into go-carts for his kids and their friends. And now the really bitter bit “I had a clear out last month and threw the remains of about ten C90’s into the scrap metal skip”!

This was definitely a case of good timing / bad timing because a few days later it could have been much worse as the next skip load was being prepared. I dismantled the remains, kept the bits I wanted and sold the rest for a small profit to a happy buyer who is a C90 endurance racer (really) and Custom Cub builder.

Looking back I should perhaps have kept it and built an additional Cub for myself but space, time and ability constraints tell me that selling to a good home was probably the best course. Incidentally, this buyer is the originator of the “Money in the Bank” quote and at the time of writing has several garages full of C90 spares that are increasing in value far more rapidly than any financial investment.

I had a friend and colleague in a previous life who, together with five friends, bought a small aeroplane with a covenant that, as members of the syndicate died their share would pass to the surviving members until finally one of them would become sole owner. Last time I spoke to him his chance of ownership was down to 1 in 4. I imagine the same will happen with all the C90s and spares stored throughout the country and eventually one lucky (or unfortunate) survivor will inherit the whole lot.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:04 pm

So Where Are They Now?

Most people know that the Cub, together with its variants and derivatives, is the record holder for the number of a single vehicle type produced, having been in continuous production since 1958. Records show that Honda alone has produced over 100 million units (2017) in 15 different countries.

Many other manufacturers, principally in the Far East, have produced very similar models or even blatant ‘clones’. Cub variants from other Japanese manufacturers are of equal; some would even claim superior, quality. Those from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia are of lower quality in general but each has its band of enthusiasts and variants from these countries have the advantage of far lower prices both for complete bikes and spare parts.

The following list is an account drawing on my personal experiences. What I have found during our travels has been that the photos of the Cub on my phone invariably produce a positive response, albeit sometimes with bemusement that a “rich” westerner should have an interest in, and worse still ride, an old Honda Cub.

Of less use to me is that as well as eliciting a friendly reaction I have been offered (and declined) numerous cigarettes, which seem to be an integral part of Cub ownership across the Far East.

The following list is personal and in no way is it intended to be a definitive review of where to find Cubs across the globe so please forgive omissions and inaccuracies.

Europe
Traditionally Cubs have not been popular in many parts of Europe. Partly, I suspect, because in affluent Northern Europe Cubs were sold as commuter bikes and cars are the preferred option for cold, wet and dark journeys to and from work. Another factor is the traditionally lax regulation of mopeds in many countries – if you can ride an unregistered, uninsured moped when you are 14 or use cycleways legally why bother with anything else?

The final factor that I think has played a part is simple protectionism or national pride – not official but very real and obvious – in France you mainly see French vehicles and especially in Italy, the land of scooters, Italian manufactured vehicles are almost de rigueur.

Deus Ex Machina in Milan is an exception and produces some quite impressive and very expensive Custom Cubs but when I asked the builder where the donor bikes came from the answer was “China”! However, Deus is a niche supplier and despite the Latin name is an Australian not an Italian company - but they do serve excellent cappuccino. One shining light for Cubbers in Europe is Greece and the Greek islands where Cubs; both standard and massively customised are everywhere.

An essential for almost every Cub in Greece is a very loud race style exhaust which would produce an instant MOT fail in the UK – inevitably in the UK blamed on “Europe”, but last time I looked Greece was in Europe – so exactly who is responsible for draconian regulations in the UK?

However, Britain is cold, wet and dark and the Cub became the commuter bike of choice for many British workers, so why was this? I suspect a combination of complex factors: not least of which was the dreadful, profit driven lightweight offerings from the moribund British motorcycle industry.

The reality is that many of them, particularly those with Villiers engines were not that bad and with a bit of development could have been very good work bikes but that development never happened and the asset stripped British motorcycle industry died.

The sad reality is that it is now, with the exception of a few low volume specialist, high-end manufactures, impossible to buy a British made vehicle (except those from foreign owned factories) – a sad state for the nation that supplied cars and motorcycles to the world less than a generation ago.

Americas
I have never seen a Cub in any part of North or South America despite the US being the first target export market in the early days of the Cub with the ‘You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda’ campaign and even a Beach Boys song about their little Honda!

The Cubs are obviously still there, known as The Passport, and rust free California origin CT90 trail bikes occasionally pop up on the UK market at inflated prices. Canada is probably too cold for motorcycling in general with shiny Harleys coming out as toys on the occasional sunny day. Honda CB500s are interesting taxis in the narrow streets of the Rio favellas with no Cubs seen in Brazil but the C90 club has at least one member in Argentina.

Cuba is a delight for lovers of East European two strokes (and old American cars with dubious, frequently Lada, replacement engines) but no “Capitalist Cubs”. The only Cub I saw in any part of the Americas was an immaculate, customised C90 at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua but The Americas is a big place and just because I’ve only seen one doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

Far East
The first time I visited Vietnam I thought I had died and gone to Cub heaven. I have never seen so many and I have been told that in many cities the average is two cubs per household. They are everywhere and serve many functions: carrying massive and ungainly loads or entire families – I have personally seen a family of five on one bike but I’m sure others will be able to beat that. In both Vietnam and Thailand there are also home made commercial sidecars of apparently impossible size serving many functions ranging from mobile shops, to builder’s floats and mobile catering outlets offering excellent street food.

It seems that the older type Cubs with leading link forks have been relegated to ‘beast of burden’ roles and anyone with any sort of social standing rides an updated version with telescopic forks and, whisper it quietly, a front disc brake – these updated versions are not available in Europe as they don’t meet emissions and other regulations (At the time of writing there are rumours of a Euro compliant version in the pipeline). Cubs and variants are found in many other countries in the Far East and in many countries spare parts are widely available and very cheap.

If I were to make one suggestion it would be that if you possibly can visit Vietnam before it becomes “modernised” and cheap cars or electric scooters replace Cubs. If you can manage to go you will find fascinating history both recent and ancient, wonderful happy people, interesting food and probably the only chance you will ever have to fire off a few rounds from an AK47 or an M16 rifle, climb on a disabled US tank left in place as a memorial to the all female battalion that ‘killed’ it and explore the Viet Cong tunnels (if that’s your thing) all for the price of a couple of pints of beer in the UK, or you can have 20 pints of local beer instead if you prefer.

I just thank my personal God that Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister at the time, defied our American “special friends” and saved thousands of British young men (including probably me) from going there to experience the real thing in 1965.
If you are so minded you can also fill your luggage with ridiculously cheap Cub spares to take home.

India
There are lots of motorbikes in India and whilst I expected to see Cubs I saw none. The machine of choice appears to be locally produced Hero 125s. There are a few old mopeds around but modernisation and gross inequality means the rich have expensive imported cars and the poor use bicycle rickshaws or tuk-tuks at best or nothing at all as a general rule. I suspect there may still be some cubs hiding in rural communities.



China
Whilst China seems to be the world’s principal producer of Cub clones it would seem that these are mainly for export. The main modes of two-wheeled transport, in the cities at least, are electric scooters and larger modern scooters. Even most of the millions of bicycles seem to have disappeared. The small electric scooters seem to be reliable and nippy. China now produces and exports a wide range of electric motors for e-bikes to many parts of the world.

I find the electric vehicle phenomenon interesting as, whilst they undoubtedly reduce harmful emissions at the point of use, the environmental damage caused by power generation and battery production and disposal (a potential major and growing problem) merit more detailed ‘cradle to grave’ scrutiny. I also have concerns that to save children in rich countries the undeniable misery of asthma, child (and adult) lithium and cobalt miners in Africa are working, suffering and dying in appalling conditions so that batteries can be produced.

Australia/ New Zealand
Australia is the home of the legendary “Postie Bike” – not strictly a Cub but a stronger and slightly more powerful very desirable 105cc derivative. The older ones are sold off to the public, just as ex-telegram Bantams were in the UK in the 1960s. The most famous decommissioned Postie bike (named Dot) was ridden home to the UK from Sydney and subsequently ridden across the US by Nathan Millward.
New Zealand, whilst in many ways being motorcycle heaven, appears to be a Cub desert perhaps because, like Northern Europe it is frequently cold and wet.

Africa
I have never seen a Cub in Africa although a group of BMW riders from the UK rode and donated a number of Cubs to a hospital in The Gambia. The ride is documented in a book and DVD; both entitled ‘Scooters in the Sahara’ – even though Cubs are NOT scooters. The Cubs, all well used examples, performed impeccably and would appear to be well suited to African conditions – rather more so than the giant BMWs normally ridden by the members of this group.
There are many old mopeds, mainly of French origin, in North African countries that were previously French colonies.

This is a collection of my personal experiences and is not intended to be a definitive guide to Cub distribution. It may seem that I have travelled with one eye searching for Cubs at all times and this is probably true, much to the distress of my long-suffering wife who insists (quite correctly) that most of my holiday photos are of rusty old motorbikes rather than the natural and man-made wonders that we have been fortunate enough to visit.

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:05 pm

The Final Chapter

This is, both literally and metaphorically, the final chapter. As I begin this I have no idea how long it will be or indeed where or how it will take me.

At the time of writing I still have three motorcycles in my garage; my beloved Cub, a BMW F650CS and a Honda Camino PA50 moped plus collections of spares, some that I am slowly giving away or selling as part of a decluttering project.

I will briefly discuss (or dismiss) these in the reverse order:

The Camino was an impulse buy at a time when I was looking for a project. I called in at a local dealer’s shop to buy a spark plug and came out with a totally standard, 1977 Honda PA50 Camino with just less than 800 miles on the clock. To any sensible person this would have set deafening alarm bells ringing but who, in the world of powered two wheelers, is sensible? The Camino was one of the few Honda two stroke two wheelers to be built in Europe (Belgium in this case) and was possibly designed by Mad King Leopold as a machine of exquisite torture.

The carburettor, which has tiny jets and drillings, is buried tightly below the main frame tube and this necessitates literally splitting the entire bike in half to do any running adjustments or jet cleaning. To test if adjustments have worked the whole has to be reassembled to try it and when it’s wrong everything has to be taken apart again – and because the jets are so small they block up with alarming regularity. This, and the shortage of power for climbing Sheffield hills, probably explains the low mileage.

After purchase I looked up Honda Camino on Google and found that it was number two on a list of the worst designed motorbikes ever! I suppose it fulfils one of the requirements for being a “real” motorcyclist of having as many bikes as you need +1. The Camino is definitely my +1 and is, at least, an appreciating (but unappreciated) asset and it is very unlikely that I will add many more miles. It is now classed by the DVLA as a ‘Vehicle of Historic Interest’ – there is no accounting for taste but at least it’s now MOT and Road Tax free.

The BMW was new when I bought it as a ‘pre-registered’ bargain from Rainbow Motorcycles in Sheffield. It has served me well for sixteen years being a reasonably reliable go to work bike and leisure transport for myself and wife and it now qualifies for classic insurance. Even though it is light by modern motorcycle standards it is becoming more difficult for me to push in and out of the garage – it has seemingly become far heavier in recent years or I am becoming increasingly feeble (of course the latter cannot be possible!).

The BMW was also the source of my second motoring conviction when I was caught by a mobile speed camera doing 37 mph on a deserted road on Easter Monday which also happened to be my 56th birthday. I paid the fine and took the 3 points, now long gone but I shan’t forgive (yes, I know I shouldn’t speed). The BMW remains in use as a second vehicle to both our car and the Cub but I’m not sure for how much longer. However, when I accelerate towards the rev limiter in the first three gears on a warm dry road, just for that few brief seconds I’m mad and twenty again and BMW ownership becomes so very, very worthwhile.

Which brings us to the Cub: handsome, light, agile and increasing in value – all in stark contrast to the owner. I think this will be with me for a few more years until I can no longer get on and off it or find my way home (whichever comes first).

I have a list of potential buyers but I hope it will revert to my son (the previous joint owner) and remain in the family for many years to come. This assumes, of course, that I don’t ride it over a real or metaphorical cliff and send it, and me, the way of all aged cubs, both human and Honda, who are worn out and beyond repair. And who knows what next year’s MOT (for either of us) might throw up. It is only a matter of time before the Cub changes to a real mobility scooter. We shall see……………

SYPAN
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:28 pm
Rides:: Honda C90 BMW F650CS Honda Camino
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield

Re: My story book

Post by SYPAN » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:06 pm

Appendix 1 – Cumulative Running Costs

ROUTINE SERVICE ITEMS
  • Oil 10 litres £90
  • Tyres 4 £100 1 front, 3 rear
  • Battery 3 £45 2 lead acid, 1 Mobatt (sealed)
  • Air Filter 2 £16
  • Spark Plug 3 £18 2 normal, 1 iridium
  • Exhaust 1 £30 Copy –still solid and shiny after 5 years
TOTAL £299

NON-RECURRING COSTS
  • Front Fork bushes £30
  • Frame Welding + engineering £120
  • Seat Re-cover £80
  • Paint + rust proofers £35
  • Rear Suspension units £45
TOTAL £310

RUNNING EXPENSES
  • Petrol - 8000 miles @110mpg £327
  • Road Tax £100
  • Insurance Nil (as part of a multi policy)
  • MOT testing £150
TOTAL £577

TOTAL RUNNING COST £1186
TOTAL DISTANCE 8000 miles
COST PER MILE 15p

INITIAL COST £500
VALUE NOW (EST) £1000

INCOME (Buy & Sell Spares) £120

COST PER YEAR (TO END 2017) £40

Locked