Pre Rally Preparations

www.london-motorcycle-museum.org 

The Paul Fynn Rally

Part One.

2013.

My planned journey home of a pleasant ride on the Valiant after leaving Brooklands was not to be. Not long after leaving the engine started to lose power and was running rough on the left cylinder. I thought it was a blocked jet and would clear quickly. I passed through Chertsey and on to Sunbury and coming up Windmill road the engine started to tighten. I arrived at the A308 traffic lights and pulled over. The engine slowed to a stop. Time to give it a little rest at a safe spot. The pavements are particularly wide here. While I was stopped a man on a Gold Star stopped to give me assistance. It was the owner of the AKD. While he was there I kicked over the engine. It was tight and squeaked a little. I pulled the plugs out and the engine turned over easily with no sound. I put the right plug in no sound. I put the left plug in and it squeaked. Not a big end problem but a left cylinder partial seizure. At this point I phoned the RAC to come and get me. I have two phones and at this time of the day not much charge left. The one I have from Orange had no money left on it and when I tried to top it up the credit card was not recognised and the system did not then revert to an operator for assistance only to top up on-line! With the other phone I passed on all the necessary details to the RAC control and wait for assistance. About an hour and a half later I receive a call from the RAC man asking me what car I had. I said it was a motorcycle and I wanted someone to get me home. He said he had not been given the information I had passed on to control. He said he would see what he could do. While I waited I took the float bowl cover off the carb and cleaned out the chamber. The engine no longer squeaked and felt quite free. When the RAC man arrived he was not happy about the situation. He had not been advised about anything. I was not happy either at the prospect of another one and a half hour wait for a truck. As his van was not able to take my bike. I made him aware of my displeasure about the RAC and that for my fee I get a very second rate service and I wonder why I still belong. My experience is that even just a few miles from home I would expect to wait for about 3 hours. I am to write to the RAC asking for my money back! The young man was very patient and with a re-gapping of a plug that had fallen on the ground the bike ran reasonably well. He liked the bike as it was simple and that you could work on it easily. He agreed to follow me home as the reliability was in question. He kept close behind and used his amber warning lights to help cover my back as I progressed at a mere 30mph. At this speed you don’t have to brake much for anything so I kept up a good momentum all the way home just getting a little wet coming up the A312 a mile or two from home. I did the questionnaire and gave him a glowing report but the rest were very poor. It was raining hard now as I put the bike in the garage to be looked at another day.  I had left Brooklands around 5:15 and got home at 8:15 not the best of an end to a very good day.

Monday morning I was not able to get to the Museum. I desperately needed to get the stair carpet fitted as Gita’s sister from India had already arrived and we were expecting more of the family to arrive later in the week.  Fortune smiled on me and the fitters were done by 1:15 and I was able to get to the Museum to help out on a very busy day. Some 25 people had come through the doors during the day and it was the second busiest for the year so far.  28 had been the tops. I used the Valiant and other than being a little more rattley seemed OK. I would still need to check it over before next Saturday. Tuesday evening I was out to the LE owners club meeting on the LE this time and find when I arrive our usual supply of sandwiches was not going to happen. I would have to starve tonight. The LE got me there and back running near to boiling but didn’t and only lost water from expansion. The fix from Stafford had worked.  More work on the handrail and more varnish required and to be bought on the B&Q card on Wednesday. 

Unfortunately for me there was none at my local B&Q and I spent half the day at a retired union members meeting at Heathrow. My back was playing me up so my plan to get to the Honda owners club in Sunbury was postponed. Thursday I have almost finished varnishing the handrail and find the gear change is just a bit tight and find a spacing washer to move the outer bracket away from the pedal boss a little and now I have a functioning gear change. One job done. I can’t find my supply of LE gaskits so I have ordered more from the club. The Valiant inspection must wait.  I only have to check all the oil levels and give it a wash ready for Saturday. Friday comes damp and I have to wait for a break in the rain to get all the little jobs on the Valiant done. I have now put the last coat of varnish on the handrail and go to the museum in the car to pick up more fliers. In between showers of rain I have washed the Valiant and given it a polish. All is now ready for an early start in the morning.

Up early and on my way to Ascot race course and the car park by the cafe and miniature railway. The Valiant runs well until a few miles from Ascot when it begins to miss a little. I have been running it slow after last Sunday and it feels the tick-over mixture is a bit rich. I sign in and park up to wait for the briefing and start. I talk to a good many people, some who know of the Museum and were at Brooklands and others who now do. The bike line-up is a bit meagre but the cars fill the field with an impressive line up of Veteran cars. 

The oldest vehicle there is a De Dion Buton of 1899 and it does run and sound very good. People were crowding round when it arrived and I was not able to take a picture then but did a bit later.

 In the briefing we are warned there is a horse event going on this weekend and polo and to be extra vigilant anywhere in the park. The start is a bit late and the bikes are to go off in fives behind the exhibition of Morris cars. The bikes fire up at the instruction of the marshal and we move off in clouds of smoke and dust with brilliant sunshine to herald the start.