Classic Motorcycle Magazine

Don't think I was going that

Racing at Wrangway Cross, near
Wellington.

Not exactly!

I remember riding into what was quite a heavy drift, the snow very quickly compacting in front of me, and coming to a dead stop - with me nearly over the bars. This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

My mum was having someone shoot some photos of her horses, and I guess the photographer had a few frames left on his roll of film, because I was asked to quickly get "my gear" on and bike out. This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

People always used to laugh at SS50's, the Suzuki AP50 and now-classic Yamaha FS1E being the "ones to have". Unless you really enjoyed fiddling with bikes, in which case you rode a Fantic or Malaguti!

So I followed the detailed instructions in an issue of Motorcycle Mechanics magazine and made it an "SS70". This involved getting a 70cc barrel from a breakers, and a brand new 70cc piston and ring. I took the piston into Mr Lush's school metalwork lesson, and machined the crown on a lathe to the specified dimensions so's it would fit the 50's combustion chamber. I remember firing it up for the first time, and the intake valve was just hitting the piston, so I had to file a little off the piston. But after that it went like a dream, in fact the power was so good that one day I totally lost drive. On investigation I found I'd sheared the square splines clean off the clutch basket!

I recall the speedo reading 64 (or 67?) mph at one point, prone with a tailwind heading downhill towards Minehead Fire Station. Not bad! This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.