January 2012 - Issue 319
The Basement
Happy New Year to all our readers from all of us at Old Bike Mart and we hope the festive season went well for you all. Unfortunately for me this festive season has been tinged with a little sadness as my mother passed away in December. At times like this it comes home to you the strain motorcycling activities can put on close family members.
In clearing the house out there were a goodly number of pictures involving motorcycles – with ether me or my dad on them. My mam admitted a few months ago that she’d never really liked me riding motorcycles but accepted it matter-of-factly as I disappeared off to events here, there and everywhere each weekend. Her views on the odd broken bit of her son after an ‘off’ here and there were never made public, at least not to me. Though her views on the hot-melt chain wax incident in the kitchen were made public… very loudly. Sorry mam.
Okay, like most people I’ve had a bit of time off over the past few days and that is always a dangerous thing as it gives time to reflect, review and actually think about things.
Well, I’ve been thinking big… saving the planet no less! The catalyst for this thought train was David Davies’ column in December issue where he bemoaned technology and its lack of compatibility with those of us who like to work on our own vehicles. As vehicles become ever more complicated and owner input is restricted to filling with fuel and maybe adjusting tyre pressures, the costs for repairs are likely to be horrendous.
Now it is a fairly well known fact that the energy expended to produce a new vehicle these days is way over any energy saved by having all sorts of fancy management systems and eco devices built in to the vehicle. It also means that if the vehicle comes into that ‘beyond economic repair’ zone then it is likely to be scrapped... which doesn’t do the environment much good either.
Think, if you will, on the much simpler older vehicles which were ‘owner service friendly’ – a phrase I made up just now and claim copyright on.
Once the initial environmental upheaval of their manufacture was over, these vehicles would be a negligible drain on the planet’s resources for their life while encouraging enterprise for restorers – practical skills for those of us not blessed with academic brains, and a load of fun learning too.
Tim Britton
Editor
