Proceedings of the Castle Aching Parish Council, 1905

[Edwardian]

19 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Is that one of those Dnieper or Voschkod, or whatever they're called, BMW-alikes? Or, is it an actual BMW? Whichever, I rather like them for their retro-ness. A friend used to have one of the Russian ones, and with me on a CZ, a near-copy of a DKW in that case, we made a sort of East European WW2-derived engineering statement when visiting NG railways.

 

Didn't Giles Whittell bimble about Russia on one of the ersatz Russian ones and write a book about it?

[webbcompound]

3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Is that one of those Dnieper or Voschkod, or whatever they're called, BMW-alikes? Or, is it an actual BMW? Whichever, I rather like them for their retro-ness. A friend used to have one of the Russian ones, and with me on a CZ, a near-copy of a DKW in that case, we made a sort of East European WW2-derived engineering statement when visiting NG railways.

Yep. A Dneipr. BMW look-alike. 650 twin, kick start only, reverse gear to surprise idiots behind you, will travel at 55-60 for ever. I loved them.

 

[Nearholmer]

I just checked the spec: 32hp and a 7:1 compression ratio. No wonder a 650cc engine that modestly rated could go on forever! The only things left of my Eastern Bloc motorbikes are the tool kits that came with them, the spanners being of the crude, but indestructible type.

 

The bikes were very sound in concept, but the execution of the electrics was terrible, complete rewire needed from the outset, and materials control was clearly an issue on some days - one had a gear-change fork thingy in the gearbox that was made of malleable iron or something, so it bent at the slightest provocation, requiring a strip down and replacement.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Nearholmer

[Annie]

After I totally upset my mother by having a motorbike accident and injuring my left knee I took to outfits, - at first with a Jawa and the then with a Honda 350 Twin which became much fettled and rebuilt with such things as a Suzuki GT380 rear wheel (bigger brake and rear sprocket and stronger cush drive), stronger clutch plates from a Honda 350/4 and extra lights with a bigger battery.  Perhaps not in the same class as a Dneipr. BMW look-alike 650 twin, but I rode that outfit just about anywhere when I was living on a off-shore Island here in NZ  and it was utter fun on three wheels.  It was basically the family car as far as I was concerned and my daughter remembers riding in it when she was small.  Unfortunately life happened and my outfit got sold which is something I still regret even now.

[Northroader]

Respect,— I only had a 250cc.

[Compound2632]

On 13/07/2021 at 02:28, Matti8 said:

@Annie Nobody else wants to have any of these conversations either. So please can we all try not to say such provoking things?

 

This thread was set up as a quiet corner where the OP and others could say "provoking things" reasonably harmlessly, at least only running the risk of offending themselves. I suggest that for an antidote you try the main Castle Aching thread:

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Compound2632

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

This thread was set up as a quiet corner where the OP and others could say "provoking things" reasonably harmlessly, at least only running the risk of offending themselves.

 

And in that spirit may I offer the antidote to broken limbs, gravel rash and getting cold and wet in the winter:

 

 

The Reliant Regal 3/25 of 1962.  May I say in my defence that it provided comfortable, reliable transport for the years that I owned one. Admittedly, if you wanted to get anywhere quickly, another mode of transport might be preferable...

 

I must add that the one illustrated above is not mine, but looks exactly like mine did.

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Hroth

[Annie]

2 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

And in that spirit may I offer the antidote to broken limbs, gravel rash and getting cold and wet in the winter:

 

 

The Reliant Regal 3/25 of 1962.  May I say in my defence that it provided comfortable, reliable transport for the years that I owned one. Admittedly, if you wanted to get anywhere quickly, another mode of transport might be preferable...

 

I must add that the one illustrated above is not mine, but looks exactly like mine did.

 

I always wanted one of those.  Various folk have tried to import three wheeled 'trike' type car-like vehicles into NZ, - mainly various types of Asian/Chinese/Indian three wheeled utility vehicles, - but our Transport Dept (or whatever they are called these days) wouldn't certify them for use on our roads.

 

https://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/3_Wheel_Car.html

 

https://www.bookofthrees.com/daihatsu-midget-mp-three-wheel-car/

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Annie
added a link thing

[Hroth]

5 hours ago, Annie said:

I always wanted one of those.  Various folk have tried to import three wheeled 'trike' type car-like vehicles into NZ, - mainly various types of Asian/Chinese/Indian three wheeled utility vehicles, - but our Transport Dept (or whatever they are called these days) wouldn't certify them for use on our roads.

 

To be honest, when they were in production they weren't that much smaller or slower than the average 4-wheeled car. Changes in licencing requirements (they originally could be driven on a motorcycle licence) and the increasing weight and speed of "real" cars drove them off the roads.

 

Nowadays the only series produced "trike" on British roads is the Morgan 3-wheeler, and even that is now going out of production for the present. The P101 Edition below is the last of the current line and is sold out, mainly to "collectors".

 

 

An occasional runaround for wealthy folk...

 

Morgan themselves are not the same, they've been bought out by an Italian private equity firm and moved from the factory site that they occupied since 1910.

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Another of my weird-vehicle-owning friends had a three-wheeler, known as The Wheelbarrow, really just to go to/from work a few miles, but that got stretched, and it was used to transport his excellent portable 009 layout to exhibitions quite far away. Said layout was called Weald Barrow in honour of its transporter. It was truly horrible riding in the three-wheeler!

[Annie]

3 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Morgan themselves are not the same, they've been bought out by an Italian private equity firm and moved from the factory site that they occupied since 1910.

Nooooooooooooo the last family owned traditional cyclecar/sportscar works in Britain sold to corporate investors.  This is a sad day for me, the Dark Lords of the Modern Error have extinguished one of the few remaining bright lights in the world.

[Regularity]

28 minutes ago, Annie said:

Nooooooooooooo the last family owned traditional cyclecar/sportscar works in Britain sold to corporate investors.  This is a sad day for me, the Dark Lords of the Modern Error have extinguished one of the few remaining bright lights in the world.

Welcome to modern “Great” Britain: if the puppet masters can’t make you frightened of it, or sell it to you, then they will sell it to someone else.

[alastairq]

 

Weekly shopping trip down in Cornwall, as done by proper road users...

[alastairq]

 

Wot you lookin' at?   Teenagers at play on the public roads of the west country.......

[alastairq]

 

In Cornwall, local council refused to put in kerb edge cutaway on local's drive...

[alastairq]

 

This is a Reliant....undressed!  And altered a bit....both driver and [compulsory] passenger are well over their 70's! Passenger is a young lady who used to do this with her own outfits...or resorted to a motorcycle when she ran out of unwilling volunteer passengers...

 

These are from the recent big Classic Reliability Trial run by the MCC [no, not those silly buugahs who stand around  in white trousers]....since their normal big trials had to be cancelled this & last year due to covid restrictions making the running of such a tad awkward.

All conducted with full covid protocols as laid down by the MSuk.....run this last month.  Hundreds of competitors....literally. Mileages competitive were around the  200 mark, plus getting to  & from start and finish.

These photos taken on Blue Hill 2 observed section. Ths more or less starts in a valley, and climbs up to the top of a cliff...marvellous sea views. The whole area here is actually owned by the MCC, and is a really old  section used for decades and decades [MCCs first trial was in somewhere around before this council meeting was held too]. A long time MCC member and enthusiast left the MCC the money in his will, so that the club could purchase the land...and prevent the unorganised 4x4 weekenders from ripping the whole route apart.  

Edited July 15, 2021 by alastairq

[rocor]

59 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 

Weekly shopping trip down in Cornwall, as done by proper road users...

 

With the deteriorating state of road maintenance, that will soon be regarded as the typical surface of a proper road.

[alastairq]

Indeed! Not that I'd have any issue with it.....I really feel annoyed that my [road?] tax contributions are all soaked up by Councils having to make billiard-table-smoothe roads for Audi owners who haven't cottoned on to the fact, one doesn't bring a knife to a gunfight!

I have zero issues with the presence of potholes....personally...I understand how they occur, and how difficult it is for LAs to keep on top of keeping Audi owners happy by filling them in. Also, how costly to the rest of us who bother to use sensible aspect ratio tyres, and proper suspensions. [And make do with less power to do the exact same job as an Audi does?}

 

One of my local motor car garages has a sideline doing aluminium welding fabrication [started with bike carb conversions for those who couldn't afford to fix injection systems]

TAlking to them a while ago, he reckoned the easiest way he's been making money is weld repairing damaged , huge diameter & width, alloy wheels off all sorts of high end super motorcars ['super' is how the hoi polloi would have us believe?} Jagwars and stuffs.

 

I would have been out on that trial too, using my Dellow [if I could have found some sucker to passenger?], but it was the day of Dearest DAughter's wedding [covid rules as well, kept all the hangers-on away].....and it fell to me to cart the happy couple to & from the Registrar's Office...using my Mustang, which I had to clean & polish, which I find...difficult.

DD actually got her MIL slewed by forgetting to tell her how much gin was in what passed for fake vimto...

[DonB]

That Roll-over Bar on the chopped down Reliant looks a bit flimsy!

 

Brother-in law never had a car driving licence, drove a Reliant Robin Van with no reverse gear until his (natural) death a couple of years ago. (My Sister hated that vehicle)

A friend was working  for Reliant when they were making the Bond Bug. He tells the tale of an experimental  4-wheel version using the front suspension (IIRC) from the Reliant Kitten four-wheel car.

A prototype was driven from Tamworth to Liverpool and back in a morning and seemed to meet with the test drivers approval, but the project  never went further

 

I went with the local Engineering Society to the Morgan Factory and saw the latest 3-wheel sportster in production, a pleasure to see some old-fashioned methods in use , particularly the forming of the Ash  wooden frames. The factory had a large grassed area behind it where the cars were given their trial run prior to delivery. Fascinating visit! 

The asset strippers would have noted the Factory's prime building site near to the town centre !

 

 

 

 

[wagonman]

3 hours ago, alastairq said:

Indeed! Not that I'd have any issue with it.....I really feel annoyed that my [road?] tax contributions are all soaked up by Councils having to make billiard-table-smoothe roads for Audi owners who haven't cottoned on to the fact, one doesn't bring a knife to a gunfight!

I have zero issues with the presence of potholes....personally...I understand how they occur, and how difficult it is for LAs to keep on top of keeping Audi owners happy by filling them in. Also, how costly to the rest of us who bother to use sensible aspect ratio tyres, and proper suspensions. [And make do with less power to do the exact same job as an Audi does?}

 

 

Oi! My wife drives an Audi A3 Sport – it's like an ordinary Audi except they seem to have thrown away the springs...

 

In practice it's no faster than my Passat though it is rather more frugal. Both have turbo-petrol engines BTW.

[alastairq]

2 hours ago, DonB said:

That Roll-over Bar on the chopped down Reliant looks a bit flimsy!

 It isn't meant to function as a rollbar, in the generally accepted sense...this being a non-speed form of motorsport.

It is there to support the vehicle and give room for the occupants' heads should the vehicle actually topple over.

Which it will do quite adequately, thank you.

There are no scantlings [dimensions, specific structural rules] governing the fitment of a ''roll-over bar'' for a vehicle not engaging in speed events. It is not intended to act as protection in the event of a [high] speed rollover.

 

I have a similar rollover bar [with better support, but not much better] on my Cannon trials car. Put there at the request of one of my passengers' wives. Top protect her hubby's head should the car topple.Whilst welded strongly to the upper chassis cross member, it is merely supported on the angle steel I used to create mounts for the rear lights, in the correct position to meet C&U regs of the time.

 

Not to be confused with vehicles belonging to the zoomie brigade, of course...the objective of a trial is to completed the observed section non-stop.

Speed is relative, sometimes observers could walk up the hill quicker than some of the vehicles climb...

 

Which is ok, as long as forward motion does not cease.

 

As ana side, the Marlin kit car was originally designed to compete in Classic Reliability Trials.....[and they still do so]...[originally made in Plymouth]...one feature of the Marlin's design was, the windscreen frame/surround was made of a box section of structural steel, to act as a roll over bar...

 

A vehicle on a trial is most likely to be in a roll over position when being reversed back down off a section.

 

Although the odd Austin Seven has been known to topple going forwards...usually resulting in a couple of Marshalls helping the crew pick it back up again...

 

Sometimes the sideways angles can get a bit extreme.....and in a Ford Escort it might well be up to the passenger positioning themselves properly on the rear seat which keeps the wheels in contact with the ground in such cases.  Knowing which side to sit & when is a passenger skill when bouncing.

 

As an aside, the creator of the Reliant has built many such vehicles over the years...to comply with one particular class...and is a retired{?} engineer of some repute, so hs welding isn't of the chewing gum variety...unlike mine.

[alastairq]

The Reliant took a silver medal...

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, alastairq said:

The Reliant took a silver medal...

…but the police easily caught up with it and took it back…

[webbcompound]

Of course all that fossil fuel we have been burning hasn't done the world any good. People hear "flooding" and think, that is terrible but at least it can be cleared up. Not if your entire landscape washes away though, like here in Europe, now.. When it happens in North Norfolk Castle Aching might be the only reminder of what was once there (even though strictly speaking it wasn't)

Edited July 16, 2021 by webbcompound

[Regularity]

All roads lead to “Castle Aaaargh”?

(Apologies to M. Python.)