Date Posted:Sat, Jun 21 2008, 23:54:17 Author: Graham Haynes Subject: Blast from the past
A month or so ago, my other half and I (Watford registry office, 1969. Now living in Portsmouth), were hopelessly lost and hungry, on our way out of London. We had spent the day at the RAF museum at Hendon and were skirting around London to get to the M4 and the Hammersmith Apollo, to see Willie Nelson. Anyway, we ended up on the Watford By-Pass and I recognised the Toby Inn as the site of the Busy Bee, which I had ventured into a couple of times, in my yoof. We pulled in for hunger and old times sake and wish we hadn't!
In 1966/7, I was riding a 250cc BSA C12 (with ace bars and a Goldie silencer!). Most of my RR apprentice mates had bigger twins and the like. Believe me, when you parked up, at the Busy Bee, with a 250cc C12, size is everything, which is probably why I didn’t venture in there too much!
It was with two of those RR mates that we were pulled over by PC Mahone. I was struggling to keep up with my speeding mates, when PC Mahone thundered past, before overtaking my mates and pulling them in. They were being done for speeding when I arrived. When it was my turn to be interrogated, his first words were "What's up with you.......chicken?". Then he looked at my bike and just grinned.
Anyway, 40 years on and I simply could not live with my penis complex any more, so last week I bought myself a ’62 Triton and while Googling Cafe Racers, came across this web site. There seems to be a bit of synchronicity going on here? I suppose, as therapy, I could ride up from Pompey and park it amongst the Beamers, Honda Civics and VW Golfs at the Toby Inn but what are chances of somebody arriving on a C12?
Cheers
Graham
PS Any 1966 - 1970 RR Leavesden apprentices out there?
