ANOTHER HERD ARRIVES


 

The boys stop in for a Christmas cocktail

 With a minor improvement in the weather Richard set off to come and collect the refurbished Italian
SWM which during the rebuild phase I had found myself becoming quite attached to. Sadly I didn't get
to give it a full test but there are still a few minor things that Ugly Betty requires so I shall see her again
as soon as the bits arrive.

 The truck pulls in and once more the place is full of EleFants, but of the Ducati kind. These are the
Italian ones with the small ears, and having been forced down from the high mountains due to snow
they will be over wintering here while they too, get their revamp for summer climes and once more take
to the roads shouting "Chao" as they scootle round the mountain roads scaring young bimbos and
bimbettes alike.


 

Where the hell is this Dolores place ?


 Like a lot of Italian made things they are made for touring the Mediterranean and don't respond well to
the damp and wet. I can remember my Alfa Romeo would not start first thing in the dewey October fogs
of a RAF base but by lunchtime when the fog had burnt off it would burst into life in the Autumn
sunshine. These two Ducatis require a complete electrical rewire as there are a host of well
documented problems with Battery wires that catch fire, misfiring problems and then as the ride
continues a dimming of headlights!



 

He has them in Red........ 






or blue if you prefer

 Having now rebuilt two of Italy's fine trials bikes from little more than scrap I rather fancy a JPS Fantic?
Now I believe one of those would look really neat in that livery especially as their tanks needed that extra
something to give them a bit of character. Everybody who has ridden them seems to think they were the
best bike of their times so maybe I'll be searching the pages of Craig's List to see what can be found.
Realistically they should be as cheap as chips as you can't ride them anywhere at the moment but we
will keep pressing until we get our way.




A dead Jumbo 


 

The reborn Jumbo with a little help from Blackcat

 Just heard from Ed that the RMTA will be having two classes for Twinshocks next year at their events
with corresponding state Championships. These bikes will not have any age limit so that will let in all
the non-Ahrma allowed machines so we could see prices rising soon as people now have somewhere
to ride these machines. Better get looking for that Fantic or persuade Richard to let me ride the JPS
Jumbo or the very glitzy Cagiva that I built and also ended up in his stable. Failing that I could always
resurrect the Superglitz Yam that Mick Andrews rode at Sandia or take everyone on using the faithful
No Excuse Cub.

 The mind turns back to the day we went to collect Gina Cagiva from Mountain Man Vern. Vern, who
claimed to be MMI trained at Phoenix many years ago, was also the recipient of Shadetree
Engineering's coveted award the "Master Bodger Trophy", a bit like the Heissman for Motor Cycle
Mechanics, and in subsequent years had added many "rosettes" and "Best in Show" awards to his
trophy cabinet. The finest of these were, "The Bondo Bodge" for leaking tanks, the "Silicone & Electrical
Tape Master Class" on perished rubber Inlets, and my favorite "Wheel Lacing with Broken Spokes"
whereby you must attractively bend the broken spokes around the remaining good ones without the
wheel collapsing. Vern was clearly the winner here exhibiting one of his finest pieces of work with no
less than 8 broken spokes in the rear wheel! ......... and finally to get the judges critical vote for the
"Rat Pack Award" which is the old (ridden hard, put away wet class) Vern had caught their attention by
riding through a wet slurry mix of concrete and cement and plastered the engine cases, rims, bash
plate and all other alloy items with this winning compound.




Vern actually rode it out to my trailer!!!





What do they teach at MMI ?




Vern's entry for "THE BONDO BODGE"





A clear winner in the "RAT PACK COMPETITION"





The engine after some TLC




The tank unit is professionally saved 


 Another mega rebuild flashes through the mind's eye as I reminisce over Gina Cagiva, was the heap
that went on to become the Majesty, also in Richard's collection, and I will have a pleasant time
reacquainting myself with some of these old friends. What became the Majesty lived in the motor cycle
junkyard here in Dolores. For many years I had always said I would stop there and see what was in the
piles amid the knee high grass. Eventually I do and find the remains of a TY250A Yam which had been
scrapped after "little knowledge dangerous team" had played with it and taken parts off out of curiosity
but with no idea what they were looking for or any idea of how to rectify the problem. After some
discussion my original offer of $50.00 was rejected and he beat me down to $30 to take it away! 

 


The $30 Majesty starting unit



Yes, its the same bike with just "a few" mods
 

 Enough of this time to get back to the Elephant house and start on the next two before they wander off.



Well, maybe two!




TONY DOWN