True Samaritans

[Itsme]

Hi Guys

I had to go and see a mate of mine in Derbyshire today necessitating a round trip of about 40 miles which I had to do on my bike as my wife had to go elsewhere in  the car. To be fair it is her car.

I went along some A roads which were not too bad with the snow and then I made a mistake! To get to my mate's there is either a main road which is overhung with trees for about 2 miles or a small country road which goes up a steep hill and then down to my mate's, but it is without many overhanging trees for about 3 miles. I opted for the country lane as I thought it would enable me to go slower and avoid shaded patches which may harbour icy patches. Oh boy what a MISTAKE.

I got about a mile up the hill which was very icy before I realised two things. One I had gone too far to turn back and two I was about to have to go down a long descent covered in ice! After about a quarter mile my bottle went and I got off the bike and resigned myself to walking the bike down hill for a mile and a half as being the safest way down.

A 4x4 pick up drew up next to me and a woman and a bloke wound down the window and asked if they could put the bike in the back and give me a lift. Could they ever!!!! Turns out the chap races KTM's off-road and had a ramp and straps etc in the back of the pick-up. Heaven sent or what?!

I arrived safely at my mate's after thanking them profusely. I did get home along the main roads safely a couple of hours later.

Ian

[Moto63]

Cool story Ian...eerr sorry. Spartacus 😉 nice to know there are still some decent folk out there. Plus I just LOVE a happy ending 🤘

[mthee]

What are the chances?! Talk about jammy! 👍

[iansoady]

Great story.

Many years ago I was doing the Roman Ride (anyone remember it?) on the Commando. The oil pipe from the filter bacame detached, lost all the oil and the engine seized solid (on stripping found the LH big end had locked, breaking the con rod). I pushed it to the nearest roundabout and sat beside it with my thumb out, not expecting anything much but having no alternative, being without breakdown cover.

After about 10 minutes, a Transit stopped, 2 blokes jumped out and we got the Norton in the back. They then took me to Nottingham railway station where I managed to persuade people to let me put it in the guards' van while I went with it - I doubt very much whether it would happen now.

Anyway, the train took me to New Street in Brum and I pushed the bike the 3 miles or so back to my then home in Saltley. To say I was exhausted when I got there would be a complete understatement! While getting the bike over the viaduct I seriously thought I was about to have a heart attack. But again but for the kindness of strangers......

This is a (very poor as photo of a contact print) pic of the Norton on the platform. You can just about see the oil all over the back wheel.

[mthee]

Great that you got a snap to go with yon tale, or I might have doubted it's veracity! 3 miles of pushing that beast? No thank you and well done! 😬😎

[Moto63]

Yes great story Ian. Pushed for three miles fully laden with camping gear no less. Like you say I doubt very much they’d let you pop it in the goods carriage nowadays..... health and safety you know 🤦
Cheers, Michael

[iansoady]

Great that you got a snap to go with yon tale, or I might have doubted it's veracity! 3 miles of pushing that beast? No thank you and well done! 😬😎

I would have doubted it myself! The worst bit was after getting over the viaduct I had to decide whether to go half a mile or so to a friend's house (who may not have been in hence would have to retrace my weary steps) or carry on for the further mile or so home which I knew would be safe. I chose the latter.

Of course I was much younger and fitter then. I would struggle to push it to the end of the road now.......

[Moto63]

Of course I was much younger and fitter then. I would struggle to push it to the end of the road now.......

Unfortunately Ian, I think most of us are being to feel that saying  “getting on a bit” 😢😢👨🏻?🦳. At we are still above ground (so far) and hopefully still have the odd tale to tell 👍
Cheers, Michael

[Itsme]

Lovely story Ian and a reminder of how breakdowns were much more expected in those long ago days of using British bikes as they were intended.

Like Michael said we are all marching on through time and I certainly wouldn't want to push the Mighty Midget very far let alone a Commando for 3 miles! Makes me wonder how I had the nerve to go all over with my '52 A10 outfit with my children in it and no mobile phone or breakdown service on tap. What do they say about youth being wasted on the young........

Spartacus (back by popular demand from Michael).

[BrendanO]

Good memories (even if not so at the time)

When v young, I once or twice put bike (125 or 200) on train from Edinburgh to Peterborough as my parents had moved south to Bedfordshire. I once made the error of getting the train to their nearest station, which dumped me an bike on a central platform, rails both sides. Station staff helped me carry it ACROSS THE MAIN LINE as it was a bugger to get up the footbridge. Of course, one of them ride a bike so that helped.

[Moto63]

Cool story Brendan. Especially the bit where you had to carry over the foot bridge 😲

[xbally]

I once pushed a knackered CB77 I had bought off a school friend about 2 miles across town. I was 19 at the time and some of it was uphill-even a slight uphill gradient is a killer. Recently I have got my KZ440 US import registered. Took it out for its first run and it stopped 5 miles from home. I tried everything I could think of and was on the phone to those helpful? people at Carole Nash when I thought I would try it again  and it started. I got a couple of miles back and it stopped again. Fortunately it was on the downhill run back home. There's a gully between the main road and our bungalow so I avoided a further one mile push. Since then I have been taking it round the block regularly where it cuts out after a few miles so I have to push it back home again! I have changed the fuel checked the tap for flow, checked the tank breather etc. (Carbs have been rebuilt and set up). On a couple of occasions I've checked and it's sparking at the plugs. I'm now awaiting a s/h ignition pick up so we shall see if that's the problem?
Best rescue I can recall was in 1978 when 3 of us went from Birmingham area to the Earls Court bike show.I was on a new GS1000,my mate on his T150 and another chap on an elderly Super Six.Well the Suzuki packed up in Aylesbury on the way down.IIRC we couldn't use the motorway as the chap on the Super 6 hadn't passed his test. We went into London on the 2 running bikes and returned to the Super 6 which had been left on a pun car park. A washing line was then "borrowed " from the pub and my mate towed the Suzuki with his Trident!I think they got about a mile before the line broke. The ignition was then fiddled with and we got it running on one pot and proceeded all the way home at no more than 45 mph which took forever. Even though it was August I was freezing cold!Of course no one had breakdown cover then. Even if we could have afforded it-it wasn't generally available to the average biker. It was the points or a condenser in the end!

[Moto63]

The best tale I have isn’t unfortunately a recovery one but quite amusing tho. I was 17 years old and riding a Honda XL125 at the time. Being a decent sort of chap I stopped to help a lad at the top of a pretty big hill who was obviously struggling to kickstart his kwak KE250 (might have a 125). I parked my bike up and put my helmet on my seat, keys still in the ignition.  We both tried in vain for about 4 to 5 mins to kick it up with no luck. I had just got off “his” bike feeling pretty knackered after all the kicking over. When a pooleece car came screeching up along us. Said pooleece man got out and started ranting at the lad. At which point the lad jumped over the wall at the side of us, being at the top of the hill the wall had about a 20 to 25 ft drop on the other side to where we were standing. He landed with a thud, picked himself up and proceeded to leg off over a field. At this point the pooleece man tells me to get in the passenger seat of his car, he’s asking me all kinds of questions about this here lad, clearly non of which I could answer as he was a complete stranger. At this point his radio crackled into life as the lad had been spotted on a near by estate. He shouts at me “close the door and buckle your seatbelt” he then races off at great speed in true starsky and Hutch style, tyres a squealing the business. We race to said estate and charge up and down for approx 10mins. All the while my bike is sat at the side of the road with a helmet on the seat and keys in the ignition 🤦🤦
Anyway the hoodlum is nowhere to be found so he takes me back. Luckily my bike was still there, along with helmet and keys. Turned out the lad had knicked the bike a couple of hours earlier.I never heard anything else about it after that. 🤷