just when you thought it was safe

[Thumper]

This year has been a bad year with me only attending three rallies due to a lack of funds caused by three close friends all getting married in August. Just as was looking forward to a trip to Holland to the european XS11 rally 13-15 June I telephoned friends in Scotland and found out they've decided to get married on 14th June. That's my plans all spoiled. I guess I'm just gonna have to keep slogging away at the Irish rallies and enjoy another trip up the highlands, now where did I put that camping gear???

[uk1.1s]

2002 - slow year on the bike scene

I'm with you Thumper.

Spent late 2001 / early 2002 trying to get parts and get running a 500 Sanglas single - one of those Spanish bikes they stopped making in about '79. Germans even invited me to their Sanglas rally in Hamburg - so looking forward to riding the quirky thing over.

Whole thing done on a shoe-string budget as I'd just bought a house - so NO money spare.

Shake-down ride to a rally on the Isle of Wight in early May, which was fun and loads of interest in my bike as no-one had seen one before. On the way back it started to make a bit more noise than normal - 20 miles from home it was pretty definitely the big-end bearings - oh bu%%er. Hamburg rally was off then.

June saw some more reliable old Japanese wheels take me towards another rally near Birmingham when, about half way there, at a roundabout - smash - I get rear ended ....by my girlfriend on her bike! One very eventful afternoon in the local hospital

Got married ourselves in September (less than no money now) - but after the honeymoon (Connemara / Kerry etc etc) - there's always the Gert Bustard Rally and we already had tickets!

Guess who's really ill that weekend then .

So this year a total of one rally - where the bike engine blew up on the way home - not a great year really.

Roll on 2003 and some warm dry rides with no traffic, speed cameras or sheep in the road (that last one's another story)

Graham