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Late July 2004
February 15, 2010 by mike.cox
HISTORIC MOTORCYCLE GROUP
P.O. BOX 4201
HALFWAY HOUSE.
1685.
Tel: 011 314-2427.
Fax: 011 314-1152.
End July newsletter.
Well, we’re over half way through the year and we’ve had some good safe track riding.
Not a single incident, apart from the Greeves sliding into the kitty litter at the bottom of the mineshaft at Kyalami.
Hands up who loves the Esses?
The Kyalami event went off very well with many spectators cheering us on, and TV coverage to boot.
There were crowds around the bikes all day long.
With Jim Redman leading the way, the scene was set for excellent tuition, if you could keep up, and spectator enjoyment I heard was overwhelming. Mike Fogg an ex South African champion also enjoyed himself on John’s triple.
Obviously you’ve read in the papers Jim, Mike Fogg and Dave McGregor have a share in AA Kyalami. There is plenty afoot with the far away fences being taken away, allowing spectators to get closer to the action.
Jim Redman day.
Jim has been travelling the world since January giving bike parades at most of the tracks he originally rode on. This will be Jim’s 50th year of racing. To honour Jim’s achievements, Kyalami are in negotiation with Honda Japan to bring the Honda 6 out as well as overseas riders. This is planned for around November this year. We have been invited to participate. Looking forward to this!
Jim told us an anecdote about a wealthy Englishman who paid 1,000 pounds just to operate the Honda’s throttle and warm the 6’s engine up.
Anybody want to warm my Ducati up?
The possibility of a British bike museum bringing out a large range of bikes is also on the cards.
Another possibility is debentures being put together for well-heeled overseas enthusiasts, allowing them to buy into a race machine. This will allow the debenture holder to ride the bike on Kyalami when he comes out on holiday. Some Bomas could be converted into 5-star accommodation as well as a still to be built 250-room hotel located next to the Castle.
Watch this space.
The caps, which were handed out to those present at Kyalami make us, together with the golf shirt, a very professional looking group, so if you received a free cap, please wear it! If you didn’t, get one at our next meeting.
Bike preparation.
We still occasionally see bikes at events which have obviously had insufficient effort put into preparation. For the sake of your own and our safety it’s very important to meticulously go over the obvious things. It will also save you spending on the starting money and end up as a spectator! Not to mention the sponsor getting some bad publicity if you have a coming off!
Restricted licenses.
Mick Oosthuizen issued restricted licenses to those present. Now you can show your kids, their dad or granddad is a full-blown racer! Cost is R25.00 per annum.
If you are not in possession of any form of racing license, it is important for yourself to get this restricted license as soon as possible. There are benefits to us all if you are in possession of this license and something happens whilst you are riding.
Now that MSA have given Mick authority to issue restricted licenses to HMG, MSA will very soon require conformation we all have this licence, plus you need to put your license number down when filling in the application at the various tracks prior to going out on the track.
Practise day.
Midvaal practise was also worthwhile for those trying to get the bike running reliably and carburetting properly with the exception of a certain Ducati, which let go big time toward the end of the day.
The weather was clear but the cold wind. Brrrrr.
So nice to have a chinwag with fellow riders, a cup of coffee, a sandwich, out again giving it your best.
Hair drenched with sweat after a practise, dirty oily hands, there’s nothing better?
The cost was R150.00 for the day, and that was from 10am when the track warmed up to 4pm. Out as many times as you liked. No groups, classes’ etc. We even did plug chops at the end of the back straight!
We may put another practise day together again prior to GosforthPark. If we do, I’ll send out an email to let you know.
Next meeting.
It’s 99% tied up; GosforthPark is our next venue. Will be on Saturday 4th September.
R120.00 gets you 4 entrance tickets per rider. Pay Charmaine.
Early morning practise. First event around 10am, second just after lunch.
Then its braai time and a beer or two. Bring an umbrella, chair etc. We will be in the main paddock.
So if you received this newsletter, you’re invited, so let us know in good time if you can make it.
Starting aid.
I’ve found John Boswell’s starting rollers a great aid to my Duc when the 50-weight oil is like syrupy treacle first thing in the morning.
I just cannot kick this engine over fast enough to get her to start first time out. This bike definitely needs a dry sump?
Rest of the day it’s fine.
I believe we all have to thank John for bringing this starting aid to our meetings.
Just as a by and by, if you use the rollers to get the bike running, move away from the bakkie. This stops all the fumes choking the operator in the van.
We have some HMG members who are looking for a track machine, or parts to upgrade a road machine to a track bike. So if you have a bike or parts languishing in your garage and you don’t intend to use it/them in anger anymore, give me a ring or email and we’ll advertise it for you and put some money in your pocket. See free adds.
I have a ½ fairing master female mould, which John Boswell and I made for the Ducati, but I’m sure it could be modified to fit other larger machines.
All you need to do is make a copy from this master and adapt to your machine. The screen I use by the way comes from Silverline in Pretoria East.
This newsletter is also a forum for your comments and letters. If you have anything you would like to pass on, how we can do things better for you, technical information to less knowledgeable riders, where spares can be obtained at a good price etc, please send me an email and we will include your letter.
While I’m on the technical aspect, if you need racing plugs, you can go directly to the importer of NGK in Spartan. They have all the conversion charts from different makes to NGK and are really helpful.
They won’t sell you normal over the counter plugs which you can buy anywhere, but if its for racing use, not a problem. Company is called L’Ectrolite. 011 397-4070.
I paid R87.00 each for Platinum tip plugs.
Keeping in touch.
If you change your contact details, please let us know, otherwise emails bounce back and faxes go un-answered. We still have the odd person saying they didn’t get these newsletters?
Please respond timeously to your event invitations and final instructions. Charmaine is under a lot of pressure to get riders names and bike details to the organisers for printing prior to an event.
(Irish thought process.) If you didn’t get this newsletter, please tell me.
Pictures.
Many riders have spouses or girlfriends along who take digital pictures.
If we combine these pics, we can build-up a portfolio of HMG riders, which if you are interested, you can purchase.
I personally took of a bike run I went on a while back, over 110 pictures in 3,2 Mega pixel high-resolution format.
The 110 pics took up one tenth of a 700Mb CD Rom’s capacity. So the capacity of a Cd Rom is over 1,000 pictures.
I can do the formatting and stringing together, as well as supplying the disc.
I charge R10.00 per disc with the pics inserted.
No reason why I cannot add in future, more pictures to your original disc.
I took some digital pics at Kyalami of the bike paddock areas and some of the day practise at MidVaal.
While I’m on this topic, an associate company in our group is an importer of the memory sticks for digital cameras. (Remember LEXAR, our sponsor). I can certainly get you camera memory sticks at trade prices, and save you some money.
Sponsorship.
Can you believe it? we are over ½ way through the 2004 season, and the need to have funds available for further development of HMG for 2005 requires attention.
It looks like we have resolved the 2005 sponsorship issue. Lexar have provisionally agreed to renew their sponsorship with us. This to be confirmed later this year.
No reason why we cannot have a second or joint sponsor though?
We see the sponsorship as a two way street, with the sponsor getting as much coverage as we can possibly accrue for them. In return any monies left over from sponsor advertising will go towards assisting us as a group. This present year’s advertising budget took every cent the sponsor gave us, and more!
As you know we have given excellent coverage of the sponsor’s name at every opportunity. There were over 30,000 people at Swartkops alone at one meeting. Plus the TV coverage here and overseas. Magazine inserts etc. Very good value for money. Next year will be even better especially if some of Jim’s ideas come to fruition, with more and more track owners asking us to come, display and ride our historic machines.
We are looking into having HMG car stickers made. Format is Circular, with the same picture at per our letterhead and ‘Historic Motorcycle Group’ in bold letters around the edge. We will try and have two types. One for holding your car license to the screen and the other to put in your back window.
Cannot get enough of free advertising?
High-octane fuel.
If the present lack of racing fuel continues, it may pay you to keep your old empty 20-litre racing fuel cans and when you or somebody next goes to the Lowveldt / coast, to get them to fill up with 97 Octane. Van Reenen is about the closest I know of. Plus it’s much cheaper than 102 Octane!
If you need, Kyalami are selling 102 Octane racing fuel for R7.00 litre, but it is non-leaded.
Generally only available on Wednesdays, between certain hours.
I keep one or two empty cans anyway. They make a nice seat in the garage when working on the bike. I also use them for storing old oil and other fluids prior to taking the can to the dump, plus draining the road classics petroltanks of old smelly 40 Octane fuel, which I use for cleaning purposes.
Free adds.
1. I’m looking for 2 Dellortos. 32-34mm. Pumper carbs for the 750 Ducati.
2. Roy Reaney has a Matchless 500 single with a documented Rhodesian racing history. Unfortunately it was converted back to a road machine years ago and a plate put under the cylinder to bring the compression down. He wants to make a written application to join us, so anything like a single seat, fly-screen, maybe a racing style tank would be appreciated and obviously paid for. Contact Roy on 082 334-2585.
3. Rob Godwin has a BSA A65 for sale. 70% assembled. No papers. Ideal for converting to a track bike.
4. Contact details. 083 256-2257. Rob’s also is looking for 2 x Honda CB750 K0 front callipers.
That’s about it; try to keep the black roundy bits down and the shiny bits up. See you at the next meeting.
Mike