Just for a laugh

Here's and old one - my first bike - a '55 ish BSA 350 B31. Poured oil in one end and it p*ssed out the other. Knicknamed it the Tory Canyon. No front brake, no primary chaincase (yup - ripped breeks) no footrests and no kickstart. Taught me how to ride a bike properly tho'!!! 13 years old - great days...

Eventually got fed up shredding my breeks so went down to Wullie Pitbladdos in Dunfermline and got a chaincase. Remember Pitbladdo's? What a place...


1955BSAB31Myfirstbike.jpg
 
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900triple said:
Here's and old one - my first bike - a '55 ish BSA 350 B31. Poured oil in one end and it p*ssed out the other. Knicknamed it the Tory Canyon. No front brake, no primary chaincase (yup - ripped breeks) and no kickstart. Taught me how to ride a bike properly tho'!!! 13 years old - great days...

Eventually got fed up shredding my breeks so went down to Wullie Pitbladdos in Dunfermline and got a chaincase. Remember Pitbladdo's? What a place...


[qimg]http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k22/900triple/1955BSAB31Myfirstbike.jpg[/qimg]
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Some breeks to shred though eh !
 
900triple said:
Wullie Pitbladdos in Dunfermline and got a chaincase. Remember Pitbladdo's? What a place...

QUOTE]

I DO!!!! My very first bike was a Bantam rolling chassis bought off a boy in Arbroath and I needed an engine. Goodness knows how, in these pre internet days that I heard of Wullie but off I went on the 'Stagecoach' (early days, when they only had a few buses, gave you homemade sandwiches and tea from a flask) to Halbeath where Wullie picked me up. I remember visiting three places. There was a big 1/2 round 'Anderson Shelter' type place, a bit at his brothers (plumbing?) business and a loft at a private house. Each had rows of frames, shelves of engines, stacks of tinware.. everything was very well organised. Anyway he sent me away with 3 '56'er' poly fert sacks of bits that I took home on the Stagecoach with me. In reality there was probably enough to build two or more engines "those crankcases might not match take another couple", "that barrel has a good bore but chipped fins - take another couple" + a load of service sheets, gasket sets and all. £45 the lot when I was making £14/day casher on a farm so it wasn't too sair as I was living at home and getting my pieces made for me :)

Thanks for that memory!

Right then - Eddie at West Pier. Discuss. :D
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900triple said:
... Remember Pitbladdo's? What a place...
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I mind Willie Pitbladdo fine. I was first there in the late sixties looking for a bit for my Ariel Arrow, then again a few years later to get a BSA Super Rocket cylinder head, he'd changed premises by then. Over the next few years I got a lot of stuff of Willie including a DBD34 rolling chassis for £100. Shame he died prematurely from cancer.
There was also Ross Motors in Glasgow. A great warehouse full of it of old bikes. I was there a couple of times for more obscure things.
And almost on my doorstep was Andra Cochrane of Roondyhill on the Kirrie/Glamis road. Andra had a great pile of bits from all sorts of bikes dating back to nineteen oatcake. The trouble with Andra was that he took everything down to their smallest components and it all ended up in mounds of unidentifiable bits. I spent many a happy hour reenging through his stock for gearbox pinions, selectors, magnetos, and goodness knows what else. Great days :)
 
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Ross Motors in Glasgow

aye,
round the back of D.G. on Napiershall street
my dad took me there in the seventies :)
 
Derek said:
And almost on my doorstep was Andra Cochrane of Roondyhill on the Kirrie/Glamis road. Andra had a great pile of bits from all sorts of bikes dating back to nineteen oatcake. The trouble with Andra was that he took everything down to their smallest components and it all ended up in mounds of unidentifiable bits. I spent many a happy hour reenging through his stock for gearbox pinions, selectors, magnetos, and goodness knows what else. Great days :)
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I remember my old man going on and on about him and when he got his B33 he took me up to Cochranes - probably around 1972. It was long gone by then but we chapped on his sisters(?) house next door and she let us in the "shed" (dont know how to describe the building - garage). It was still full of millions of bits and pieces all lying about in piles. There was I remember a wood burning stove and an Ariel Arrow round the back plus stacks of tanks, gearboxes and frames. Apparently when Andra died someone came up from London with 3 large lorries, spoke to his sister and got the lot for £100. Been up there and passed may times since and wonder if there is anything at all left...even handfulls of nuts and bolts??
 
Aye, that was more or less the story but Andra was still in the shed up until about 1974/5 until he was too old. He died about 1976 or so and as you say some vintage dealer got the lot for a song. I've often wondered too. One of the sheds is still there.
He used to tell us tall stories about his apocryphal Manx Norton. Nobody ever knew if he'd had one or not but Andra wasna letting on.
 
Derek said:
Aye, that was more or less the story but Andra was still in the shed up until about 1974/5 until he was too old. He died about 1976 or so and as you say some vintage dealer got the lot for a song. I've often wondered too. One of the sheds is still there.
He used to tell us tall stories about his apocryphal Manx Norton. Nobody ever knew if he'd had one or not but Andra wasna letting on.
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My old man used to go there in the50's and 60's and he told me at the time about the Manx which was used as a road bike as well. Time flies - when I went up there the first time Andra was gone so maybe it was mid 70's...too long ago. That would fit in with there still being piles of stuff and the odd bike or two lying about.
 
remember Pitblado's well. That's where I got the frame and wheels for my Triton. The place was like a time machine - I'd go in the door and the hours would fly by. More than once I had to tank it back to Leuchars on my wee Royal Oilfeild Continental so's not to be late for my shift. I heard all sorts of stories of collectors coming from all over to get stuff from his estate when he died.
 
A few more old pics I've found;

Me with a Gold Star bitsa, around 1972
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The others below are from Tay Valley MCC runs around 1978/79/80

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This was the first Darmah we'd ever seen. It was early September 1978.
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Scott888 may remember some of the faces/bikes - I've forgotten most of them :D
 
hocus pocus..

Brilliant pics derek,
three weeks time i should be better and rid of me from the forum ..,
for a bit.
that first pic,
Were you the guy that played keys and sung for Focus ? mmm ?
 
molenz said:
Brilliant pics derek,
three weeks time i should be better and rid of me from the forum ..,
for a bit.
that first pic,
Were you the guy that played keys and sung for Focus ? mmm ?
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Unfortuately not. They were Dutch weren't they. I've still got their album somewhere.
 
Seems a high percentage of Ducatis there Derek.
Wee single tucked in the corner as well as the Darmah and Black/Gold SS.

Were you living out there at the time Johnny?
 
239desmo said:
Seems a high percentage of Ducatis there Derek.
Wee single tucked in the corner as well as the Darmah and Black/Gold SS...
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If you look carefully you should be able to spot a 450 Desmo single, an 860GTS, the red Darmah, the Black&Gold SS and a DarmahSS.
 
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