Noggin,Nosh and Natter 2018

As should have been expected,with the current weather, it was a massive turnout for this years N,N&N last Wednesday evening - I've never seen the cars parked so far up the A350 and it was just a constant stream of cars coming and going- a little bit mad to be honest and not sure what the villagers of  Longbridge Deverill thought to it all? Also, although it's mostly a four wheeler event, there were a load more bikes than normal too.
   Anyway, here's a few pics

  

Guzzi bit's and Pieces

Last Tuesday I went down to Poole to pick up a few Guzzi parts, two bikes...........oh yeah and a sidecar. Pretty knackered after it all as picked the van up by 8am,getting it back just before the hire place closed at 6pm. We had a lucky escape too after nearly losing the Convert off the back of the tail lift and not sure where myself and the seller, Guido, managed to find the strength to pull it back as we both truly thought it was going to flip over onto the concrete. As I was inside the van Guido said that he expected me to be flung into the air while trying to pull it back upright.
  The red bike is a 850T dressed as a 750S and apparently packs a punch. The black bike is/was a Convert that has a T3 engine/gearbox etc after the torque converter went many years ago. It's fitted with leading link forks. My plan is to sell the latter and sidecar asap to get some money back and to reclaim my workshop space 

A Sunday morning spin to Bridgenorth

I tend to wake up quite early every morning and my plan is, if the inclination takes me, is to ride somewhere of a reasonable distance and enjoy some relatively quiet roads. It's been on my mind to get up into Shropshire for absolutely ages now and so that's what I did yesterday - up through the Wye Valley, Monmouth, Hereford, a quick stop off in Ludlow and then onto Bridgenorth. -  I haven't been to for probably 30 years - and where I arrived by 9am. A walk round for 30 - 40 minutes and a return via Cleobury Mortimer and back home to Bristol just after 1pm

Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley

Ludlow
One of 500 listed buildings in this small town

Bridgenorth

Not a bad idea to have put a castle here
so you could see the neighbours coming

There'll be few blokes I know who'd
be happy with this sign outside a pub

Homeward bound and Clee Hill Common

Royal Enfield Bobber...........

..........becomes a Green Laner with just a change of tyres and tank.
    This is Ben's 'Pull Your Finger Out' Bobber, built for and while he was involved with Sideburn magazine. Over these last number of years the Cafe Racer craze has caused a backlash from people who get annoyed by ' yet another standard bike' being modified (particularly in the Guzzi world at least) and accusing the owners/builders of owning impractical, hardly used bikes. Well, Ben (he of the Zagato / Davida advert Guzzi fame) can't be accused of any of that.
   Here are a few pics of the Enfield as it was built and then for Ben's foray into the Welsh countryside a few weeks back. Also a pic of his world famous Guzzi outside a shop that I had around 1999. There is some luggage removed from the pile already and note the 8mm bolts / passenger footrest as yes that seat hump was the perch for a young lady who was travelling with him. That includes a trip from Amsterdam and then up to Liverpool. Fair play!!
    The Royal Enfield is For Sale so if your interested then I can pass on your details

 

Noggin, Nosh & Natter and Calne Bike Day

Can't quite believe that we are already looking at this years Noggin, Nosh and Natter at The George Inn  Longbridge Deverill. This is really mostly a Classic car event with quite a number of old Lorries / Trucks in the pub car park also with usually a number of bikes turning up. The field next to the pub is dedicated to the cars with a lot more Classics spread throughout the other two large fields ....the latter which doubles up as general visitor parking too. It's a lovely busy free event and if the weather stays as is then it should be great. The pub is located on the A350 Shaftesbury road  just 5 minutes from the A36 and you can't miss it right opposite the petrol station. Oh yeah, it's on the last Wednesday evening  of the 25th - officially from 4pm - 9pm.
   On the following Saturday - 28th  is Calne Bike Day which is huge taking over the whole of the town centre with all types of bikes in attendance from Classics to Customs, Chops etc etc. The Moto Guzzi club always has a Stand in place.
    Pics are from the 2016 N,N&N

Period Sidecars

These pics are from my friend Richards personal Moto Guzzi dedicated photo album. Fairly sure that they were taken at Teo Lamers in Holland as Richard was a number of years ago a regular visitor to a large Dutch Guzzi Rally and was also friendly, I believe, with Teo Lamers. I like sidecars though don't have a yearnig to own one, but I must admit a couple of these particularly are pretty special