As some Club members enjoyed a nosh up at Axedale Pub I was doing some “boring old fart” bonding at Winton. I travelled up the Hume on Saturday in a convoy of Hillman Huskys, well 2 of Rootes Group's finest anyway, to watch a mixture of historic cars and bikes being punted around the short track at Winton. The two Hillmans probably make less power combined than my R1. There was no risk of police interest. A bigger problem was keeping out of truck’s way. Weather was puurfect both days, so, at a very different pace to a Club activity, I whiled away a rather pleasant weekend.
The youngest vehicles are thirty years old and the oldest pre-vintage. So the range of bikes went from 1920 type singles, side and overhead valve equipped, to the T-Rex Hondas of 1972 vintage which have been developed about as far as possible by Rex Wolfenden and have been cleaning up for a number of years. Rex was suffering from some earlier injuries and was a little off his usual pace.
The entry this year of two Triumph, three cylinder, race replicas from England showed the way home to the Hondas in all their races. The Triumphs were a delight to the eyes and ears. Attention to detail meant you just stood and stared, trying to take in all the special parts and clever application of "cause and effect" engineering. Both bikes looked the same but one was a 750cc and the other 1000cc. Included in the well equipped trailer with the two bikes was a spare engine, mounted in a special cradle, ready for a swap if required. Starting was by electric rollers providing us with an opportunity to hear the three cylinder music. YUM.Most of the other bikes and riders had a more laid back feel: bits and pieces here and there, much greasy hands-on work being done, and lots of good natured banter flying around. People were never too busy for a chat.
The pit wander was a real treat. There was always something to interest the watcher. You never knew what little gem you may see next. For instance, I will now consider an improvement of the R1's crankcase breathing system. And so the dreaded Jones' tinkering begins, inspired by all those large diameter breather tubes with their attendant catch tanks.Group N touring cars, which were of much interest to me before my bike period began, put on some spirited dicing over the two days. Good to see them being used in the environment they were designed for, and not just as a static display. Synthetic engine oils seem to have replaced castor oil as the lubricant of choice. I only noticed the occasional sniff of Castrol R, bringing back long lost memories. Some of the older engines are still running on methanol and castor oil, generating that distinctive sweet/sickly odour. You need a few years on you to remember that smell.
Trust the Axedale Pub run was as enjoyable as my little wander down memory lane.
Geoff Jones, passenger, 1954 Hillman Husky