Outfit Play Time

Still no luck finding an old F2 outfit for the UKRM sideacar hillclimb
team.

The NHCA video archivist did, however, run to earth a VHS tape featuring
the Mille/RS3 at a 'Have a Go Day'[1] at Curborough Twisty Sprint course
in July 2001.

So all the outfitisti can point and laugh at my sedate progress. As in
all video of such antics, it felt a lot faster than it looks. I should
point out that the tightest left hand kink is lined with a concrete pad
with FOAD lumps in it to discourage cutting the corner. Best not clouted
with the sidecar wheel during attempted chair wheel flying.

Having loaded it on Youtube I realised the spelling error in the title
screen. Still, 'Gaving' works, as a cross between 'having' and 'giving'.



[1] A no licence required taster for prospective riders organised for
the day before the usual July meeting (the one that used to be the
Vincent Owners Club event).
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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<g> Liked the gay leathers. Did you make the corner at 1:30?

 

First thoughts were of some Aprilia road/MotoGP based concoction -
imagine my elation when it turned out to be a two-wheeled ditch-pump
attached to a wheelie bin.

I liked the way you were ducking down to decrease drag, forgetting the
fact that someone had bolted a garden shed to the side of the bike.

 

Oi, I still wear those for hillclimbs and track days - they match the
'tart' a treat, clash a bit with the Morini though ;-)

We were doing just one flying lap runs, so 1:30 was the end of that run.
Straight on at the right hander and then back in to the paddock.

Strictly speaking we shouldn't have been timed, but as the gear was set
up for the next day it would have been rude not to. I am pleased to
report our 'laps' were quicker than a Wasp outfit with a pretty
committed[1] crew. Nowhere near the proper kneelers as you might expect.


Quite a few lads on sprots bikes had a go, but the most impressive
debutante was on a standard Cagiva 1000 Raptor IIRC. Very quick, but
inevitably binned it comprehensively later in the season having been
bitten by the bug.

[1] Tall and narrow with trials tyres on it so they should have been
IYSWIM.


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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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It did look quite quick to my non-outfit-isti eyes. Smooth, too.

 

You really meant 'gaver', didn't you?

D.

 

Too kind. The Guzzi linked braking system was a definite plus point. You
can hear the tyres chirping under braking going in to the last, fastish,
right hander, and the car Firestone on the back was drifting nicely
coming out of it. I would love a go on a proper, wide, low, kneeler.

In hillclimbs and sprints smooth is usually best, unless you are a
genius. Raggedness can lose tenths of a second. It is interesting to
note that a semi-professional supermoto rider that did a full season of
hillclimbs last year looked very quick. Backing it in to every slow bend
and wheelies everywhere. He did well and got in the top ten regularly,
but several of the old lags who weren't so exciting to watch kept him in
his place.


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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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Do you mean "gave 'er"? You may be making an inaccurate assumption
about the passenger. Who, as I related once before, started the first
run of the day ostentatiously reading a newspaper.


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+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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Erm, no. It was an attempt at cross-Channel humour. 'gaver'? You know
as in, ''tain, il me gave, celui-là...'?

Never mind ...

D.

 

<googles>

Ah, I see. Not heard that that used before in that context. I wondered
why some 'torrential' rivers in the Pyrenees are called 'Gaves', e.g.
Gave d'Ossau, Gave d'Aspe etc. Makes sense now, unless that is another
meaning.




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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

'overflow', also. As in at dinner, 'j'en peux plus, là, chuis gavé!'.
S'also used to refer to fattening up a goose ('l'oie' (n. f.), prononce
it as 'loi' as in, 'la loi pénale').. 'gaver les oies'.

I'm going to miss French. :-(

D.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35295373@N00/3281393548/

I used to race ... when I was younger, fitter and handsomer ...

That outfit was still at the drivers house last time I knew of it,
about 5 years ago. If you think it might be interesting I'll make
further enquiries.

The chassis was originally made for the TT with a bolt-together, if not
fully modular, engine cradle so it could have the engine mounting
plates changed easily for different classes. At that point it had a
Katana 1000 engine in it, but two years later it was changed to a TZ
350 engine, then a year later I believe to a GPZ900 water-cooled
engine. Last I knew of it it had been stood engine-less since about
1990, but was all there in the back of his garage, all greased and
oiled up, so could probably be made at least rideable in relatively
short order.

 

Hmm, Ireson chassis - certainly the right credentials.

Tempting, but I have too little workshop space and too many bikes
needing fettling at the moment. The attraction of the outfit spotted on
Ebay a few weeks ago was that it was ready to run and came with its own
covered trailer.

Andy might be tempted, but I think his problem is also space, as we were
going to keep it on the trailer at my place.
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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I'll make enquiries anyway .. might even do something myself ...

 

On Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:27:27 +0000, Pete Fisher

snip>

Oi, I got mine up to a sat nav 100mph (rather than the lightweight
speedometer 100mph my co-pilot managed) and managed to take one hand
off to point at the speedo while it was doing it.

I'll be changing the fork and chair shocks in a couple of weeks and
it's be fine after that...

 

I thought you mentioned a weave - or did it sort itself out if you went
fast enough?

"Every confidence."
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

You could ride through it because it only appeared when you were
riding at a steady speed and simply accelerating got you out of it.
This sounds easy enough but it took ages for me to work up the courage
to find out if gassing it worked.

Once we'd got it sussed both of us were noticeably faster but this
option was removed if you were approaching a curve on the motorway and
any more speed would be too much speed iyswim.

**** yeah. Get yourself another outfit and come with us on next years
trip because I suspect it'll be a bit of an experience.

 

Le Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:40:44 +0000, Pete Fisher a écrit :

Sidecar hillclimbing, the ultimate experience: Team "Les
Marluches" (french road racing outfit) at Pikes Peak, 2008.

http://www.dailymotion.com/search/marluches%2Bpikes%2Bpeak/video/
x6nkii_pikes-peak-2008-en-sidecar_auto

 

[snip some old twat in gay-glo leathers on a three wheeled portaloo]

the "related videos" of the pom-pom girls are much more entertaining.

 

In communiqué <gne91f$kh5$-des-vosges.org>, "La Bete des

Not exactly a full kneeler road racing outfit is it though?

Respect.

Pikes Peak is the only true speed hill climb that I know of in the USA.
Plenty of 5Km hills in Europe though. I've even done a couple of them on
a solo.

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+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+