Leek.. Your mum is lucky, great place. All pubs and churches. Its even in the Doomsday book. My son was up there a few nights ago at a Jazz fest. You do now it well. I bet you've been Grindon, Hartington, Wetton Mill and all around there. . Tideswell is nice village for a stop and something to eat. Got a friend there who is into old Rover cars. Like you we end up in The Lazy Trout on the way back. Good food and drinks. More Piccies from the same spot. Sadly in colour.. Just shows how bike sizes av changed..
Bikes and cars have got bigger over the decades. Even the new Classic Triumphs dwarf their ancestors from the 60's. I've been through Hartington numerous times and it always seems popular with bikers. If I'm going to Leek on the bike it'll be Baslow, Ashford, Monyash, Longnor, then up over past the MOD range and down Thorncliffe bank. I call Leek the land that time forgot as I always joke with my Mum that it looks exactly the same as I remember it in the 60's/70's but she'll say "my, how it's changed"!
Yes that pic really shows the difference as like ones a serious pie eater and the other is a greyhound
Yes they have all got bigger and the roads and traffic have got worse. Before you go down Thorncliffe bank all them views along the top are great arnt they. The Knights table next to Flash is closed now. That had a good view out the back "when" the weather is good enough to eat out. Leek is the place that time forgot. If its not pubs and churches it full of antique shops with no customers in there...
Or one is a motorway/continent muncher and the other (I do know its owner) manages to go the MOT station every year and that's it...
I like Sheffield.. Iv been many times, Nice people. I used to get about a bit in the past. My area covered everywhere below Aberdeen.. I went a custom shop there (carnt remember its name) but helped no end on Cafe racer project.
They've been around a while. They used to break bikes and sell new and used spares but now specialise in custom stuff. I bought quite a few, mainly new, bits from them when I built a Harris Magnum 2 in 1985.
Wow quite a thing. Iv just found a photo of one... Slobber.. Have you any photoes. Also do you still have the 1200x????
That's built in the street fighter style with a lengthened swingarm, possibly for drag racing. Mine was built in the F1/endurance racer mould with Harris's own bodywork. I fetched the rolling chassis (frame, WP & Marzzochi suspension, Dymag wheels/tyres, Brembo brakes, bodywork with lights and exhaust) from the Harris factory for £3003. Then sourced a used Z1000A1 engine, rebuilt it with welded crank, Wiseco 1105 HC pistons, ported head with oversize valves with titanium retainers, Jim Wells cams, 33mm smoothbore Mikuni carbs, new Z1000 gauges and wiring loom (from Wizard) and a few other bits and pieces which all added up to another £2500. A new GPZ1100 was around £3000 at the time so the Harris was an expensive bike to build, plus you then had to get it inspected by a vehicle examiner to get it registered for the road on a Q plate, as most were. Very light compared to 1000cc+ bikes of the time with faultless handling but not the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden which I expected as they were really race bikes. This is the only photo I have to hand but I have others somewhere. I still have the 1200x which is the garage favourite at the moment!
Hi, Christ you must have better eyes than me.. Can you make it bigger at your end?? But were is parked up??
Thanks for that very informative write up. You've done grand job there and i obversesly like the twin lamps. I bet it took a while.