My most treasured possessionWhat's your most treasured possession? What would you rescue from a fire (be it for sentimental or purely financial reasons)?
My Great-Uncle left me his visitors book which along with boring people like the Queen and Harold Wilson has Spike Milligan's signature in it. It's all loopy.
Either that or my Grandfather's swords.
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chthonic, Thu 8 May 2008, 12:38)
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My dad's motorbikeMy dad built a motorbike from scratch, last year he died and left it to me in his will. It's amazing.
The frame is based on a loop of tube from
Mole Valley Farmers sheep rack range of products, plus other bits -
the geometry is based loosely on Sammy
Miller's works Ariel bike from the museum. He threw my dad out of his museum when he caught him doing a bit of espionage with a tape
measure.
Things get more interesting when you look at the engine. It is a 498cc four stroke based on 1955 Ariel Red Hunter crankcases with steel
flywheels which don't explode at high revs unlike the cast iron road bike versions. It's got a 85mm stroke and Triumph high capacity oil
pump instead of pathetic Ariel version which wouldn't fill the cistern in a doll's house loo. That last part is a direct quote from my dad.
A home ground trials type camshaft (with gentle valve opening) to give good low speed torque is combined with a Piston is from a Toyota car
engine, much machined, which cost about £20 instead of the £90 odd for a proper bike one. The Barrel is from a Lister stationary diesel
engine - my dad smashed the fins off, cleaned it up in the lathe, got a foundry to pour aluminium around it and machined the fins on, plus the recess for the cylinder head.
It would be a great bike to escape to Switzerland on, except it would make the jump.
(, Fri 9 May 2008, 9:41, 4 replies)
your dad sounds like he was a truly interesting manI imagine you riding that out of the top floor window of a burning building, just before it explodes.
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willenium Fist bump for verification, Fri 9 May 2008, 10:11,
closed)
:)That's really cool! It awesome that you have it now to remember your dad by.
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enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Fri 9 May 2008, 10:28,
closed)
wowThats one amazing bike man, hats off to your dad he sounds like some dude!
(, Fri 9 May 2008, 11:37, closed)
Undoubtedly!Now THAT is something you'd go back into a burning building for.
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difficultchild, Fri 9 May 2008, 12:00,
closed)
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