MY VERY FIRST YAM





Enjoying the delights of Cyprus 1966 with my good friend Ron


 Many, many years ago after finishing flying training I'm in Cyprus on my first tour enjoying the
delights of sunshine and duty free cigarettes and booze and careering around in a Canberra B15
bomber for a living. Life starts at 0500 or 0600 daily but by 1300 it's too hot and all flying is done
and it's time for the bar and beach, vice versa, or both or either.

 Come one afternoon, no doubt after several beers, on a trip to Limassol I have a go on a Yamaha
road bike 250 twin. Compared to other bikes this thing goes like the proverbial and after
discovering somebody had put the shifter and brake on the other side, and correcting the ensuing
slide, I decide to buy it.



The Yamaha 250 twin

 It's great fun and I have my independance and my own transport. Now for those of you that
have seen the Cyprus Rally you get a general idea of what the roads are like and back in the 60's
the majority of them were like that with only the main roads having any level of tarmac or metal
surface. Would have been a great place for an Enduro machine but none were available. The best
stretch of road was called the "M1" and ran between the two military bases of R.A.F. Akrotiri and
Espiskopi, all within the "pink" bit on the map known as the SBA (Sovreign Base Area) 

 A couple of sweepers coming on and off this road and then about a 2 mile straight with no trees,
no surprizes and little chance of the law being able to hide anywhere. If memory has it right I
think I could squeeze about 95 out of her on a good day!



Nice Pipes

 With the passing of time a young lady comes on the scene and she lives in Episkopi and I use
the bike to go and pick her up. On arrival at our planned destination she alights from the
machine with a piercing scream as she got off on the left side and her tights touched the left
exhaust pipe!...... v strange watching a hole get bigger before your very eyes!  Evening
complete she is duly returned home and her mother questions the hole in her tights and with
the bike parked on the drive she gives a demonstration to her disbelieving mother. However she
knows the exhaust is hot so dismounts on the other side (clever girl)...... only to discover Mr
Yamaha has another just like it on the right......more screaming and smouldering nylon!!!


 My best friend at the time, Ron buys a "beater" in the shape of a Skoda Octavia and this ugly car
provides hours of constant fun and hilarious tales and we would even read a page from the Skoda
Owner's manual at Squadron ground training before going to "Happy Hour". The manual was
written in pigeon english as a tranlation from the Czech.


The World's Worst car...."The Skoda Octavia"

 Sections like "braking" ... and I quote "imagine you are driving a car with no brakes....." Man you
didn't have to IMAGINE!   ..... another favourite was "the Skoda in winter" . Anyhow, this "thing"
clearly had a mind of it's own with lights coming on all by themselves, the horn sounding with no
one near the car, and light years ahead of self locking. Even had non cancelling turn signals which
came on when they fancied, being so bad that on one day when we arrive at the beach club for a
6 hour stint the left rear flasher is on and won't stop. The simple solution is take the bulb out
which we do. After wining and dining for 6 hours we come back and now the right flasher is
flashing?



"Holy S... the lights are on, and the BRAKES have gone!"

 We both go to Paris for a course and the Skoda is parked and locked in the carpark when
apparently the horn started again and then lasted for nearly 2 days until the battery finally quit!
When we returned tales of this were relayed and an electrical investigation attempted but this
was impossible as EVERY wire in the wiring loom was YELLOW!


 While Ron attempts to sell his heap it of course now refuses to start and he accepts a "bitch"
ride on the back of the Yam to a Squadron Kebab in the Turkish quarter of Limassol. Ron gets
completely blotto on the fine free Kokkineli rocket fuel so I have to take him back to the base.
He is slumped up against me and unbeknown to me manages to either fall asleep or pass out.

 At a set of traffic lights I can feel my passenger against my back and then as I set off and apply
a little power the weight is gone! Next thing I know is a pair of boots shoot up under my armpits
and lift me out of the saddle as Ron falls backwards ..... so as we rocket across the lights I'm in
trials pose but pressing inward with my upper arms to hold Ron who is flopping around like the
proverbial rag doll....... NEVER AGAIN!


No Backrest!




Hillclimbing in the B


 Shortly thereafter Ron takes delivery of a new Triumph Spitfire and I get my treasured British
Racing Green MGB




Great big Tractor Steering Wheel and poor roadholding




Another Event... a driving Test


TONY DOWN