IN
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114 | 100% Biker | issue 250 | http://www.100-biker.com
I
n my garage there is a
new item and one which,
hopefully not too far into the
future, will get me out and
about a lot more. It’s a trike
back end for my Kawasaki.
Bikes have always been a
massive part of my life. Ever since
I saw Barry Sheene giving Kenny
Roberts the two fingered salute
at Silverstone I had wanted one
(a bike that is, not the rude twin
fingered gesture, though I would
get a few of those over the years!).
Cars never really grabbed my
attention or interest and, despite
my parent’s protestations, I got
a motorcycle on my seventeenth
birthday and I haven’t looked
back. Well, maybe once or twice
on my test – ‘lifesavers’ are
obligatory, I believe. It’s not been
an easy road to travel. I have had
my ups and downs and the odd
kerfuffle with the law, but all I
ever wanted to do was ride a bike.
Having enjoyed a variety
of machines over the years, I
eventually acquired a Kawasaki
GT750 and, as my health hasn’t
been great over the last few years,
I had bought it with the intention
of triking it should my old bones
finally give in one day. That
happened rather sooner than
I would have liked and, after a
spirited battle against the heinous
bad health gremlins, I began
looking for a suitable set of parts
and materials. As chance would
have it, a fellow NABD member had
built a trike back end for his GT. So,
after a chat, a deal was struck and
the rather heavy bit of fabricated
metal around the arse end of a
Beemer was delivered. I now haveno excuses; I have to spend time
getting to know this new-fangled
geometry involving three wheels and
independent rear suspension.
Having done some initial maths
and a bit of scribbling on the back
of an old fag packet with no hint
of a salad anywhere, I have been
getting my head round what I am
embarking upon. I shall, of course,
make mistakes along the way and
perhaps even have to take things
off and put them back on again
several times before it’s finally
done, but that’s all part of the fun.
I have a couple of helpers – they
have been volunteered to do the
heavy lifting whilst I supervise –
and I have access to some of the
finest minds in the art of bodge
it and scarper to call upon if and
when I find the limits of my talent
before the task is complete. Let’s
get this out in the open from the
start: I’m alright with spanners,
but I can’t weld for toffee. Good
thing our George can, isn’t it!
The next few weeks will be
interesting as we take this thing to
bits, clean and paint it and put it all
back together again. It will never be
the nicest looking contraption ever
built, but it will be mine. This is an
exciting time for me and I know
it will help me enjoy life again on
my terms, enable me to go where
I want to go and take the scenic
route when I feel like it without
actually being lost. (Unless, of
course, you’re Bosun.) That is what
biking is all about, freedom and
independence, the ability to get out
for a ride and feel the wind. You
can’t beat that, it’s the best feeling
in the world and one day soon I
will be doing it again.Grav is well-
known to
many as one of
the stalwarts
of the rally
scene, keen
advocate of
the NABD and
now a 100%
freelancer
sneaking up on
you at rallies.
He’s also an
all-round good
bloke, and,
in his role as
indefatigable
admin, he
now helps to
keep both the
100% Biker
Facebook page
and forum in
order. He likes
custard.I shall, of course, make mistakes along
the way and perhaps even have to take
things off and put them back on again
several times before it’s finally done