Author Topic: Motorcycle Book Excerpts  (Read 6293 times)

Online ruSTynutz

  • NR2024 Rally Team
  • Supreme "2000" Club Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4433
  • Thanked: 2791 times
    • "Destined to Drive" Driving School
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #50 on: May 26, 2020, 05:55:58 PM »
Who doesn’t want to be able to say they maintain their six-pack motorcycling?

It's true!!! You should see my gut!!! Trouble is, my six pack appears to be inside some sort of esky...  :crackup


        2005 Honda ST1300A
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #51 on: May 27, 2020, 10:00:22 AM »
Riding has also been proven to make a positive difference for individuals suffering from Type 2 diabetes or weak knees.
The exercise one gets from riding impacts body chemistry, decreasing insulin use. This increase in insulin sensitivity also tells your body to store less fat, which can help you make significant strides with weight loss goals. As true of any other form of exercise, no one is claiming riding is a cure for diabetes. Nonetheless, it can help! As a result of the intense use of thigh muscles in motorcycling, riders end up with stronger knees and become less susceptible to knee injuries.
So next time you get sick of the daily treadmill grind or solving tedious puzzles to keep your mind running strong or if just don’t have time for any extra personal maintenance in your day, change things up! Try getting that mental and physical fitness in by doing something you already love- like motorcycling.
https://theridingcenter.com/  10 April 2020
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #52 on: July 28, 2020, 04:31:19 PM »
I happened upon the next two books in a Maleny bookshop. The author is a local resident.
In Sri Lanka (Ceylon, as it was called in the '60s)
Rounding the next bend I nearly froze as I was confronted with the rear ends of huge mounds of flesh, lumbering along side by side, carrying logs gripped between their tusks and trunk. I was doing about thirty miles per hour on the still wet road and a sudden braking would mean another skid and a possible collision with the animals.   The only alternative was to drive between them. Crouched low over the handlebars to keep under the logs I slipped through between the rolling monsters. I gave a sigh of relief as I burst into the open and continued cautiously on.
I cruised past villages, coconut groves and paddy fields and it was almost dark when I stopped to inquire the whereabouts of the hospital. Luckily I had picked a doctor's residence and he gave me directions to the hospital, which I reached after dark. I parked at the entrance and with my helmet in my hand entered, and was met by a police sergeant.
You will find your friend at the casualty ward on the first floor," he said. "Have you reported the accident to the police at Kahawatta?"
"No, but I will do it first thing in the morning," I promised him, "but now I want to find my friend."
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p16
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #53 on: July 29, 2020, 10:07:02 AM »
It was a cloudy afternoon as we cruised along the smooth bitumen road, dodging ox-carts with their huge loads, and side stepping people walking right in the middle of the road. We were doing about 30 mph when we cruised up behind one of those characters.  I started to blow the horn about fifty yards away but he appeared not to hear so I slowed down, keeping the horn blasting all the time.
I was about thirty feet off this middle-aged peasant, clad in loincloth and turban, when he started to meander all over the road. As I drew abreast of him he swayed in our direction and almost under the wheel. I swerved violently, almost biting the bitumen as I threw the scooter over in an endeavour to miss him.
I thought I had succeeded, but I had not allowed for the overhanging rucksack, which clouted his legs and the long, hooked stick he was carrying.  The impact threw the stick and sent the jaywalker spinning across the road in a heap. As soon as I could I pulled up and we both ran back to see if any damage had been done. He was in the process of getting onto his feet when he saw us, and a complete change came over him. We could read it in his eyes.
"White men!"
In a flash he fell back on the ground again and put on an act that a film star would have envied.   He rolled round holding various parts of his body as though he had been mortally wounded.
Keith and I looked at each other, spellbound for a second or two, for we knew we had not done any serious damage to him.
Just then a Land Rover pulled up and two Indians got out and came over to see what had happened. On being told our story they had a look at the writhing man, spoke to him, then turned and told us to give him a rupee and he would be cured. We felt a little annoyed at having been caught, for we should have known better, but I dug into my pocket and tossed him a few annas.
Immediately the pain ceased.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  pp59-60
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #54 on: July 30, 2020, 09:15:00 AM »
After breakfast, we bought our permit, and joined the truck convoy. I was not looking forward to the drive over the spillways as each one was over a mile long and coated with oily slime over the top of which several inches of water ran. If we skidded there was a more than even chance of going over the top and into the river below, but I decided to give it a go and ride in the wake of the truck's duals.
At the sound of a bell the barrier was dropped. The race was on. There were two trucks ahead of me and I kept hard on their tail as they started grinding in low gear onto the first of the weirs. There, I eased the scooter down behind them and onto the greasy spillway. What we had been told had been no exaggeration, for the surface was inches thick with green oily slime which squelched out from under the truck wheels, leaving me only a narrow strip to ride in. On our left, about three feet away, was a six feet high spillway with water pouring across the road and over the bottom spillway. If we should get out of the wheel tracks there was five feet between us and the river. I kept close behind in the wake of the trucks, not taking my eyes off the narrow strip. We were wet with spray when we climbed the opposite bank with only three weirs to go.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  pp63-4
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #55 on: August 05, 2020, 12:10:43 AM »
During Holi festival
Quick getaways were necessary in order to survive and at times I found myself driving dangerously, almost running over inebriated, glazed-eyed locals. On several occasions my vision was completely blurred as coloured water ran over my goggles and mixed with purple and green powder on my face.  We intended stopping but there seemed to be no place of refuge, for even on the open road a crowd would be lying in wait for the unwary traveller. By this time I was sporting a red face and green beard, and to stop our clothes becoming even more stained, we donned our raincoats.
Further north we were pelted with paper water bombs, often managing to dodge them as they were hurled through the air from a distance.
The worst was still to come. Along what seemed to be a quiet stretch of road we were attacked by a crowd armed with paint brushes on long sticks and carrying great pots of paint (with silver frost the favourite colour). There was little we could do to escape.
We rode on until midday, when we found a shady spot by a buffalo wallow and had a cleanup in the muddy water.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p90
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #56 on: August 05, 2020, 09:59:31 AM »
At 6,000 feet a battered Land Rover came coasting down the range towards us with two Indian boys running alongside, kicking the front wheels every time the vehicle approached a curve. It pulled up in front of us, and a tall, Anglo-Indian chap with an enormous handlebar moustache jumped out.
"Captain Bijanbasi, ex Indian Army. Where the hell do you think you are going on that machine?"
"Darjeeling."
He stroked his moustache. "Got a place to stay there?"
"No. Any suggestions?"
"If I was there you could stay with me, but I won't be. I'll give you the address of a friend. He'll fix you up. While Keith was writing the address on his plaster cast, I asked the Captain where he was off to.
"Oh, yes, I have a broken tie-rod and I am going down to Siliguri to have it fixed. The tricky part about it is that I have absolutely no steering and have to rely on the boys to kick the front wheels around the curves."
The boys had bare feet and, although they all looked pretty happy at the time, I wondered how many pairs of broken feet there would be at the bottom.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p106
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #57 on: August 06, 2020, 10:38:46 PM »
We were cruising along nicely when suddenly the throttle cable snapped. I pulled up in the shade of a big tree to inspect the damage, and discovered that the cable had broken inside the carburettor. As one might expect in a case like this, we were miles from anywhere, on a waterless stage, with no spare cable.
I sat beside the scooter staring at it, trying to get inspiration.
Then an idea hit me - welding wire! Before leaving Brisbane, Neil Gunn of Sear and Gunn, had given me a reel saying, "It's wonderful stuff. You can do anything with it!"
I dug it out and tried it for size. Too thick! Not to be outdone, I got down on the road with two spanners and hammered the wire out into a long, thin strip. After some tricky work with the pliers, and a lot of patience, the cable was mended and even though I did not think so at the time, this repair job was strong enough to take us 3,500 miles before it was replaced.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  pp134-5
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #58 on: August 07, 2020, 05:22:14 PM »
After dinner that evening, we stumbled our way up the dark stairway of our hotel and fumbled our way along a pitch-black hall to our door. When I finally located the keyhole and entered the room, I discovered that our light bulb had been taken out. With the aid of the dim street light, I located a torch and stumbled my way back down the stairs to the manager.
"The light bulb in our room is missing. Could I have another one please?"
"But you had one last night, don't you know we have to share them?" he protested, most upset. However, after a little persuading I managed to get one from him and returned to our room feeling as though I had robbed the place.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p153
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #59 on: August 08, 2020, 09:55:34 AM »
We were on our way out of the city when heavy rain started to fall and we were forced to take shelter. It was not long before the smooth, oil-caked bitumen was greasy, reminding me of a certain stretch of road in Ceylon. When the rain ceased, we got under way again but had not gone very far when I felt the wheels starting to skid.
"Hang on," I yelled to Keith. "It's on again."
I had hardly got the words out when the wheels slipped from underneath us and we were deposited bottoms first on the bitumen. We retained our sitting attitudes and slid gracefully along on our seats, travelling parallel with the scooter until we came to rest twenty yards further along the road. Unscathed we got to our feet. I switched the motor off, then wheeled Mirrabooka to the side of the road under a hail of applause from a group of onlookers who were nearly splitting their sides laughing.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p202
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Bodø

  • Guest
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #60 on: August 08, 2020, 10:06:25 AM »
Ceylon is not a name you hear very often anymore.
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #61 on: August 08, 2020, 10:10:55 PM »
Ceylon is not a name you hear very often anymore.

You'll find a lot of aspects of this story from the sixties that a Millennial wouldn't understand or believe.
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #62 on: August 09, 2020, 09:05:37 PM »
The boys' uncle owned a carpet factory and with the boys acting as interpreters we were shown over the factory, a high, narrow, mud building. Two rows of workers were busy working on their own designs, chanting as they worked. The average time for one person to make a rug, we were told, was about four months, and that is working from daylight till dark, sometimes seven days a week. I remarked on the youth of the workers and was told that rug makers start when they are very young and are usually finished at twenty-five because they go blind. This was easy to understand, for this place relied only on the sun to provide the light through the high, narrow windows. The swift hands astounded me as they slipped along the rug, weaving another row and then beating it down tight with shaped wooden mallets. Most of the workers had deformed fingers through constant use in this manner.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  pp239-240
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #63 on: August 10, 2020, 12:50:23 PM »
About a hundred yards away from the camp on the banks of the stream, I found a big pile of driftwood, just what I wanted. I stuck the machete in the ground and started to drag some of the heavier timber free. I had just reefed a big branch away when I almost froze to the spot, for no more than five feet away from me lying coiled up amongst the timber was a great two-toned grey snake. It instantly unravelled itself and struck a menacing pose with an arched neck and head waving to and fro, waiting its chance to make a strike. At the same instant as this happened, I whipped off my crash helmet and, holding it by the inside webbing, held it in front of me so that if it struck it would have bite on the fibreglass first.
I was not sure what type of snake it was but I was not going to take any chances as it looked very big and healthy. It made several feints at me as I edged back towards the machete which was about six feet away - all the time keeping my eyes on the swaying reptile. Reaching for the knife, I flicked my eyes towards it and the snake struck. It fell just short of my crash helmet as I had moved a little out of range. Sensing that I was armed, it turned and made for the water. For the first time I could see all of it - a good seven feet and very thick. When I had recovered, I cautiously finished gathering the wood.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p268
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #64 on: August 11, 2020, 09:29:29 AM »
Next morning we got away to an early start and set out for Gumusane and the long climb up over the 8,000 feet pass by Mount Kopdagi. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road and not the alpine scenery. This road is closed for eight months of the year and even though now it was mid spring, the snow was still piled up to twelve feet thick by the side of the road, making a white gorge for us to drive through. A snowplough had just cleared the track and the road was a quagmire.
The descent to Gumusane was breathtaking, particularly when our brake drums ran hot and I found the scooter coasting down the steep winding gravel road at forty miles per hour with no hope of stopping. How we reached the bottom intact, I will never know. When I eventually stopped, it would have been possible to grill a steak on the brake drums. We had been over a lot of grades, but this was by far the steepest. At the time I do not think Keith knew what was happening for he told me afterwards that he thought I had gone crazy, trying to take Mirrabooka down such a grade at that speed. We still had a lot of mountain ranges to cross and I was now feeling very wary about long, downhill grades.
Scooter Nomads  Edsel Ward  p282
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #65 on: August 12, 2020, 12:53:37 PM »
In Yugoslavia
We were in mountainous southern Yugoslavia on a rough, gravel-corrugated, pot-holed road, when I heard a noise which sounded like a semi-trailer coming up fast behind us. I looked to my right and was startled to see a thumping great tank with a red star on the turret, crashing through the timber, about twenty yards away and parallel to the road.
Keith screamed out over the noise, "Crikey, they are on to us - and I haven't got my anti-tank gun."
Keith had been in an anti-tank platoon in Korea. He had shot at these tanks before, and now wanted his gun.
I screamed back at him, "Remember, we are on a scooter and we don't have room for an anti-tank gun. You will just have to wait until we get home."
The tank got ahead of us, then slewed across the road in front, blocking our path. I braked heavily and stopped just short of the monster.
The turret lid opened and an officer climbed out, followed by a crew member with a sub-machine gun. The officer greeted us with a grave, unblinking stare, then went through the language list and decided we spoke English.
Holding his hand out, he said, "Passport? Visa?"
We got our papers and handed them to him. He thumbed through them, snorted, handed them back and then in broken English said, "You have ridden into a Russian tank firing-range. We are about to start night exercises. You can go no further. You will camp the night right here. You will not move until daylight."
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  pp16-17
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #66 on: August 14, 2020, 12:06:41 PM »
It was only then, that I saw what was on the road ahead: it was lined with small tanks, troops, people in national dress, and lots of bunting.  I started the
motor and moved out. Immediately, people started cheering and waving flags at us. As we rode, the troops stood to attention; some saluted, with Keith returning the salute.
Then the penny dropped - all of the looking at the watches bit, meant someone was running late and we were being sent through as a distraction, until the main cavalcade arrived. Someone in that tent had a sense of humour! I thought, "Right, this is something we had never done," so I decided to give them a good show and rode slowly, giving people plenty of time to wave their flags and cheer... and we even received some flowers in return.
Then I wondered about the real cavalcade: if there would be any cheering and bunting left for them? I hoped there was some left for them, as we now seemed to be using it all up. We had been told to expect the unexpected, and it had happened.
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  p19
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #67 on: August 15, 2020, 05:14:49 PM »
Next morning, I left Keith with 'Mirra' and walked to the town, which I found wasn't far if I took a ferry ride across the inlet which divided the town. I found the workshop and arranged for their truck to pick up the scooter and bring it back the workshop. I went with the truck, which had given us five men to lift the scooter onto the truck. Before leaving, the owner gave us a bottle of local wine, telling us how good it was - "It will make you strong." It looked like kerosene to me.
With neither Keith nor I being drinkers, Keith said to me, "What are you going to do with it? We don't have much room."
I said to him, "I think it could work well in our metho burner," and it did. In fact we cooked our porridge on it every morning, to Norway and back.
With 'Mirra' loaded, we set off to the workshop. On inspection, we found that the spline had been stripped, which meant a new axle. The mechanic said, "We can make one but it will take two or three days."
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  p43
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #68 on: August 16, 2020, 11:09:02 AM »
In Austria
We were cruising along nicely when two motorcycle policemen came upon us, one on each side as they escorted us for about three hundred yards. They then moved off, to be replaced by two police cars who pulled us over.
"Where are you going?" they asked.
"The camping place," we replied.
They said "Follow us." So now there was one in front and one behind us. The blue blinking lights went on, then the sirens and the pace picked up. I was hoping they wouldn't stop in a hurry, because I didn't want to finish up on their bonnet- they were pushing us.
We eventually came to what looked like a park - it was the camping place.   It was huge - well laid-out, with masses of gardens. The police guided us to reception and booked us in. They apologised for hurrying us along but it was necessary, as we had been holding up traffic and had created a big traffic jam on the autobahn.
People had been slowing down to get a good look at us and the end of the line was at a crawl, even though there were two and three lanes.
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  p54
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #69 on: August 17, 2020, 12:33:25 PM »
In West Berlin
The next three days, we spent with reporters and newsmen who bought new tyres and film for us in return for our story and photos. They also passed us a handful of cash - I can't remember how much it was - but we were also given another handful after our TV interview two days later.
Keith bought flowers for our hosts, while I worked on the scooter. We had TV staff descend on our unit in order to set up for the following morning. The place was strewn with cables, flood lights and tripods. We had to be care moving around as the unit wasn't large.
Next morning, it was action time. We were filmed eating breakfast, packing our rucksacks, going down to the scooter, loading up, saying goodbye and then, riding off into the distance. It was Take 1, Take 2... and so on. Going up and down the steps with our gear, loading and unloading the scooter - all this took up the whole morning. They finally packed up and left, passing us another lot of cash, telling us they had enjoyed themselves. We had a lot of fun but were pleased to see them go... it had all been full-on. What we weren't aware of at the time was that the whole thing had been screened all over Europe. We only found that out later when people began waving at us and bringing us food.
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  pp70-1
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Online Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14028
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Re: Motorcycle Book Excerpts
« Reply #70 on: August 20, 2020, 12:07:40 AM »
In Sweden
At Storuman, we were back into logging country with sawmills and timber jinkers, which for us were a menace, as they would take up the whole road; and to them, two blokes on a motor scooter looked like a speck on the landscape.  On one occasion, I saw one coming and got over as far as I could to let him pass but he only got half his length past us when he moved over, almost putting us under the jinker. That didn't worry me as much as the rear wheels of the jinker, which seemed to be lining up with the scooter.
I yelled out to Keith, "Hang on, were going over into the bog!"
The road was flat and at the same level as the bog. Over we went and were pleasantly surprised to find we were on a giant mattress of moss. As we hit the moss, the rear wheels screamed past us. They would have only needed to clip us and we would have gone over anyway. Doing it this way, we had some control over our fall. We were both in one piece and still sitting on the scooter but slowly sinking into the moss, which brought us back to reality. We had to take everything off the scooter, including us, then drag the machine back to the road, which wasn't far away.
When the scooter was back on the road, we spoke for the first time - and it was brief, "That was close."
Scooter Nomads Book 2  Edsel Ward  pp86-7
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927