The NMM

I'm gonna give this a try as Hairy Larry wants pics and it's taking soooooooooooo long to upload the little buggers one at a time, so clicky on the linky thing                                                                       http://s165.photobucket.com/u52/850norton/nationalmotorcyclemuseum and it should show some piccies for you to gander at.

I'll keep adding to it until they're all  there.

Here's one that Kawa emailed from the recent Stafford show:

In one of the posts I said that IMHO this was one of the most beautiful machine ever assembled and this is a good example of why I think so. It just shouts raw power and good looks.

In a more serious vein, this was carved on the back of a headstone in the village cemetery where my Dad is buried :

Speaking of Stafford, I've heard tell that it was a good do for those who went.....congrats to Kawa for getting a wee trophy for one of his Kawa's and GBC who met up with some of Bodger's online acquinatances.

Been there, blah blah, blah,...Part Zwei

In the last exciting installment, I told of trips off to Bicester, Newbury, Daventry, and the chippy. In this edition we're off to Solihull, the home of the National Motorcycle Museum or to make it easier on arthritic fingers, the NMM.

Upon leaving home for Brum, due care and attention was required for a couple of reasons, the main one being that it was foggy as all get out, as well as not being familiar with the route though I did  have a good idea where I was going.

Anyway, back to the plot (if there ever was one), once on the M40 heading North it was fairly foggy....that is until I crossed the county line into Warwickshire from Oxfordshire and then the fog lifted and then it was plain sailing.

After a short bit, it was time to take to the M42 which goes to Solihull. Then it was a case of waiting for the exit to come into view, which it did. After getting off the motorway, a trip around the roundabout was made and of course muggins took the WRONG exit which he discovered as he went onto a slip road while seeing the sign to the NMM at the NEXT exit.

So after doubling back and taking the RIGHT exit at the roundabout, I pulls into the parking lot roughly 45 minutes after leaving the hoose. And about 15 minutes after that Kawa pulls in and parks up near my ride.

After exchanging pleasantries, we enter the NMM and start to have a poke around before paying our admission into the exhibit halls. A point of information for future reference, they knock off a bit if you are a member of the VCMCC, which were both are, so that makes it even better.

We both took pictures of some of the finest examples of British craftsmanship that were produced during the last century, all the while having a natter aboot stuff.

To start off I got piccies of the ones I really wanted such as the Triumph/BSA DOHC 350s, Triumph 1000 Quadrent, The Texas Cigar Triumph streamline operated by Johnny Allen as well as a X75 Hurricane that IMO was the finest looking machine ever put out by a motorcycle company, ever.

There were also some examples of some that were prototypes of some machines that should've been put into production such as a Norton 900cc Trisolastic which was a Norton with a Triumph/BSA triple basically as as a BSA 750 Gold Star II triple and a BSA B50 in an isolastic frame.

After a bit it was time to have a bite of food so we got ticket thingies that got us back into the exhibit halls an went upstairs to the eating area. After some bacon and sausage butties and tea, back we went for some more looking and drooling  (on my part anyway).

All of these could've extended the life of the British motorcycle companies for a few more years while newer, fresher designs and concepts were thought of, assembles, tested and put into production. But it was not to be as we all know.

I took several piccies of the racing triples piloted by my hero's of the day, Ray Pickrell, John Cooper, Percy Tait and Gene Romero. Also several of the John Player Nortons raced by Peter Williams, Mick Grant and Dave Croxford. And not to forget one that was a legend in it's own time, "Slippery Sam".

In the next posting after I get the pics all sized smaller for easier uploading will be all these mentioned as well as the "Copper Knob", "Flying Banana", "Hog Slayer", and a few others.

After spending a couple of hours, Kawa and myself both had to leave. But prior to that I had to make a stop in he gift shop on premises to pick up a few trinkets such as a book on BSA Unit Singles and a few postcards. Then it was back on to the motorways for the two of us to our respective destinations; back to Banbury and Kings Sutton for me and Stafford and Squires Cafe for Kawa.

The rest of the trip home was spent relaxing, driving about and seeing old friends here and there. Did pick up a few necessities such as a Campbell Cooper waxed cotton jacket similar to a Belstaff/Barbour from F2 Motorcycles in Middleton Cheney, a call to the VCMCC got an order placed for a book on the TT as well as a mug for supping tea from, a tube of Solvol, Chocolate Digestives, shortbread, Mars bars, teabags and for some of the women at work some huge bars of Cadburys Dairy Milk and Roasted Nut. All of which I managed to pack into the already cramped bags I had.

I now it's been 30 years since I left and two years since I had last been back, but things had changed quite a bit. Towns and villages themselves are still as they were for the most part, the roadways have expanded due to the volume of traffic which seems to have exploded and the same with consumer prices.

A good example was the price of fuel; I rented a small Ford Fiesta car and had to completely fill it up once. Fuel was GBP1.16 a liter/roughly $2 a quart or about $8 a US gallon and as I put in 34 liters, it came out to about $70 for 13 gallons. And people here in the US complain about paying $2.50 a gallon. An order for cod and chips from the chippy was nearly GBP7.00, that's nearly $12 or so.

I think the next trip will be just for a week and that'll be for a Haggis Run along with a tour of the Highlands and Inverary.

The next posting will have a few pictures once I can get them re-sized for easier uploading. Until then....keep on keeping on.

Been there, done that and now back Part Uno

Well then, now that I'm back from a fortnights hols back home, it's time to record this for prosterity, or at least so I can remember 5 years from now what I did.

It started with a flight from San Antonio to Houston and the fun and games that are involved with airline security checks, long lines and all the other nonsense that takes place.

From Houston it was an 8 hour or so flight to Londonium and Heathrow Airport. Getting off the plane in order to go through Customs and Immigration is always a chore but this time I was surprised. The usual 30 minute wait to clear through Immigration Control wasn't to bad wich was followed by finding luggage that has been stowed within the plane for the journey. Bags were located without much fuss due to having a distinctive looking bag which made it easy to spot.

Next came the part that a lot of peopple dread adn that's going through HM Customs. The last time I did this trip was two years ago and me being the (ahem) law abiding that I is, went into the "Nothing to Declare" line as I had nothing to declare. As I was walking along minding my own business wanting to get out and get home I was accosted by a strange young woman which came as a shock as I'm never accosted by any woman but that's another story.

Anyway, this young person turns out to be a member of HM Customs and wondered if she might look into my bags which I of course obliged her.

She then proceeded to pull the contents out, commenting on the heavy leather jacket and asking i I wouldn't mind if they x-rayed my crash helmet. I naturally agreed to that request as I was curious to know if there were any cracks in it that might be of concern.

A few minutes later I was given the go ahead to depart and enjoy my stay in the UK.

Back to the present time and I was expecting the same experience, but no, there was only one of these protectors of the UK and this person had already fixed their sights on a victim and it was clear saailing for the Bodger out into the airport concourse to look for my sister who was to be there to provide transportation home.

Slight problem, the palne arrived 30 minutes early and she hadn't arrived herself. Not a problem though, as a few minutes later as herself and her hubby arrived. The next bit is the leaving Londonium for the Midlands and home.

Traffic out of the airport as well as in  is a nightmare to behold. You can get lost without even trying. But all was well as we all made it out and home safely within an hour where a pot of tea was brewed and waiting.

After getting home and settling in, it was time for a walkabout to see what if anything had changed. Things looked  pretty much normal except the roads all seemed to be smaller, probably due to the number of cars that were now parked everywhere.

The next day brought a trip into Banbury to have a nosey about and to buy two very important items, A-Zs for Banbury/Brackley/Bicester and one for Birmingham. The B/B/B one was to make a trip to Bicester in order to patronize a Starbucks to get some coffee thaat I'm partial to as well as to pick up something for a co-worker.

The Birmingham map was so I had clear directions to the National Motorcycle Museum in the Solihull area and I wanted to make sure that I ahd no problems getting there.

The next day, Monday, saw the obtaining of a rental car and the trip to Bicester. After driving around Bicester for eons, the Starbucks was  found.

I know you're wondering, so what happened to the map book that you had just gotten the day before ya Wozzick and why didn't ya use it? Good question and the answer is that I had forgotten the bloody thing..

 Any road, the coffee was bought, drank and enjoyed as well as the gift for the co-worker so it turned out OK.

The next day brought a farther excursion done to the Newbury area. Following the A34 from Banbury towards Oxford is relatively easy enough, and then follow it south to Newbury by following the signs. All went well until arriving in Kidlington which is part on Oxford which meant I had gone to far towards Oxford.

So after getting directions, it began to go to plan. While ging towards the target destination, the plan was to exit near Wantage and then proceed towards a remote military base in the country where I haad enjoyed four years of my early military life.

So towards Wantage I went and arrived there without a hitch. However, I had either missed a sign, some thug had stolen it, it got misplaced or some ohteer explanation exists, but after leaving Wantage, the short 15 minute trip to the base turned into a Magical Mystery Tour of epic proportions involving a unscheduled tour of the Berkshire countryside. But finally by chance did I get to where I needed to be.

I expected things to change a little over 30 years and they had....where there used to be a small little sentry gate shack at the top of a small hill, there was now a larger building with massive gates, there were new buildings and a telephone to call for access to the base, which I had to use.

Talked to a nice MOD chappie and explained what I was up and after a ten minute wait, he comes out to tell me that there wasn't anyone to sho me around the base. Didn't need that as the base itself isn't that big, can be walked around in less tha ten minutes. But it was a no go. If I left my particulars with them, they might be able to arrange somehing for a later time. Decided to pass on it.

So the it was a trip off into Newbury. The town changed a little, the surrounding area alot due to new roads being put in over the years. So after a couple of hours there, it was back to home base.

On the Friday I took a wee trip over to Daventry to take some pictures over to Sue who is the widpw of Cliff or "Pooh" who I mentioned in an obit posting a few months back. I had a few pictures of a BMW K100 that belonged to Pooh which he loaned ot me to use on my last trip back. As she didn't have any of that bike, she asked if I could get her some which was not a problem.

Also helped her drain the tank on his BMW R80 called "Wobble". It's been parked up in the shed since Pooh died and had some fuel in the tank which needed to be drained so the inside wouldn't rust.

After all that it was time to head home after making a trip into Banbury for some grub at the local chippy. A nice helping of steak and kidney pie and chips was called for as it had been drizzling all day.

In the next installment, a trip to Solihull and the NMM. Stay tuned.