Hiya,
At one time as an oh’ young coalminer my les mode transportes was a BSA (I think 125)
and my “protective clothing” consisted of a WW2 greatcoat and the obligatory “ratter”
with the peak facing rearwards and of course my underground steel toe-capped boots
and a pair of “obtained” coal cutters goggles well safety was paramount, wasn’t it. ■■
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
Hiya,
At one time as an oh’ young coalminer my les mode transportes was a BSA (I think 125)
and my “protective clothing” consisted of a WW2 greatcoat and the obligatory “ratter”
with the peak facing rearwards and of course my underground steel toe-capped boots
and a pair of “obtained” coal cutters goggles well safety was paramount, wasn’t it. ■■
thanks harry, long retired.
There was an old boy this way Harry, who had a 600cc Panther motorbike with a sidecar. He used to turn his cap back to front and wear a pair of goggles.
He looked like ‘’ toad of toad hall’'.
Cheers Dave.
Dave the Renegade:
harry_gill:
Hiya,
At one time as an oh’ young coalminer my les mode transportes was a BSA (I think 125)
and my “protective clothing” consisted of a WW2 greatcoat and the obligatory “ratter”
with the peak facing rearwards and of course my underground steel toe-capped boots
and a pair of “obtained” coal cutters goggles well safety was paramount, wasn’t it. ■■
thanks harry, long retired.There was an old boy this way Harry, who had a 600cc Panther motorbike with a sidecar. He used to turn his cap back to front and wear a pair of goggles.
He looked like ‘’ toad of toad hall’'.
Cheers Dave.
De-rigueur in those days Dave…Well before my time of course, being a youngster , but well after Harry’s and R.O.F’s, in fact wouldn’t mind betting that the pair of them thought that up…flat caps and all that, and an extra 2 mph…! 
Fergie47:
Dave the Renegade:
harry_gill:
Hiya,
At one time as an oh’ young coalminer my les mode transportes was a BSA (I think 125)
and my “protective clothing” consisted of a WW2 greatcoat and the obligatory “ratter”
with the peak facing rearwards and of course my underground steel toe-capped boots
and a pair of “obtained” coal cutters goggles well safety was paramount, wasn’t it. ■■
thanks harry, long retired.There was an old boy this way Harry, who had a 600cc Panther motorbike with a sidecar. He used to turn his cap back to front and wear a pair of goggles.
He looked like ‘’ toad of toad hall’'.
Cheers Dave.De-rigueur in those days Dave…Well before my time of course, being a youngster , but well after Harry’s and R.O.F’s, in fact wouldn’t mind betting that the pair of them thought that up…flat caps and all that, and an extra 2 mph…!
Hiya
Alas, “Fergie47” I’m afraid the “wrong way round” cap was my only headgear not
coming into contact with a sturdier hat until I had another go at “bikering” age
mid 50s with a gifted Honda again I think a 125 when of course a “skid lid” was
compulsory and I only invested in a drop of Barbour gear after a couple of wet
fun rides which didn’t bond well with my ageing arthritic joints, my motorcycling
days were short lived, If you don’t get rid of that infernal machine I’m off, I often
wonder would I have really missed her, she is warmer than the bike though.
thanks harry, long retired.
“She’s warmer than the bike” looks like your romantic side is showing Harry. 
Regards Kev.
Sadly, Fergie, no more- I did have an interest in a Fireblade for a while but my partner in crime (step-son) decided he would rather grow up, get himself married and buy a house. Totally wrong priorities in my view. I sometime used to sneak off on brother-in-law’s Suzi 1000 just to keep my hand in over the Cat & Fiddle but that came to an end when he decided he was too old to be a biker. He’s two years younger than me!
Reading the other posts reminded me of my first bikes all those years ago. As a 15-year old, just left school and existing on trainee spanner-thrower’s thirty bob a week, I had half shares in an ex-WD BSA which we rode around a local farmer’s field. I managed to save up the princely sum of £8 to buy an ex-GPO telegrams BSA Bantam D1, complete with speed restrictor and steel leg guards. The local dealer wouldn’t give any guarantee but generously threw in a spare spark plug. It was nine miles from home to work and I managed to get just over half way before having to change the plug. The first job every morning was to blast the muck and carbon from the two plugs in readiness for the return journey.
kevmac47:
“She’s warmer than the bike” looks like your romantic side is showing Harry.
Probably warmer Harry but can you get your leg across her on a daily basis like you did with the bike?
Pete.
windrush:
kevmac47:
“She’s warmer than the bike” looks like your romantic side is showing Harry.Probably warmer Harry but can you get your leg across her on a daily basis like you did with the bike?
Pete.
Hiya,
I doubt I could it very much indeed but I am retired.
thanks harry, long retired.
Evening all,
Ah we were al young once…
My daily ride to work at the Watchmakers Bench was a £6 Ariel Colt…ran ever so well, except for an occasional misfire…but on 30 bob a week one was just grateful to avoid the pleasures of a 3 mile walk, to wait, (in the rain), for one of Wolverhampton Corporation Guy Arabs, (with utility body), and the high level of comfort that gave!
So there I am, cruising down the lane towards the metropolis, sounding like a flatulent Yorkshire Terrier, when one of my pals whooooshed past, at subsonic, (well at least 40 mph), on his Francis Barnett Fulmar…well he was a trainee Quantity Surveyor…and was soon gone from sight…
But not for long…rounding a corner I was confronted by the 0700 bus from Wolverhampton, and the 07.25 from our village, side by side, and wedged, still upright, about halfway down each green bus body was my pal…still upright…the end of each handlebar neatly performing the task of tin opener, on the aged alloy!
Took quite a bit of extracation to get him out…those “Fanny Bs” never had good brakes…
Were we not all lucky to have made it through our youth?
Cheerio for now.
I had a BSA C11 250cc , on the fields at 15, bought for £5.00 and sold after 12 months for £7.00. I then bought an immaculate Lambretta 150cc scooter off a bloke who worked with my Dad, who was getting married and needed the money. I didn’t like the thing even though it was good on fuel, and thrashed the living daylights out of it, but it never let me down. In hindsight they were a good machine, but a macho idiot like me still wanted a motorbike. I traded the Lambretta in for a Greeves 325cc with a Vlliers two stroke twin which sounded great and went well for a short while, but with my style of riding it flat out, cost a fortune in fuel and repairs. I was going to buy a Matchless 650, but decided that as I had passed my car test 6 months previously I would be better off with a Austin A35 van which I bought. If I had bought the Matchless I would have ended up in boot hill. 
Cheers Dave.
About 1965 I had a pal who had a Simca Monteray, that was a proper hooligans car!!! It was bloody scary to be sitting as a passenger, the ■■■■■■■■■■■ was a must in the days before seatbelts. 
Regards Kev.
kevmac47:
About 1965 I had a pal who had a Simca Monteray, that was a proper hooligans car!!! It was bloody scary to be sitting as a passenger, the ■■■■■■■■■■■ was a must in the days before seatbelts.
Hi Kev, I had two of these Simca Monteleary Flash Specials, I raced them at Brough Park when the Hell driving was popular, Flying machines I loved driving them , Happy days, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
kevmac47:
About 1965 I had a pal who had a Simca Monteray, that was a proper hooligans car!!! It was bloody scary to be sitting as a passenger, the ■■■■■■■■■■■ was a must in the days before seatbelts.Hi Kev, I had two of these Simca Monteleary Flash Specials, I raced them at Brough Park when the Hell driving was popular, Flying machines I loved driving them , Happy days, Regards Larry.
Another photo taken some time earlier, Less battle scard Eh, Regards Larry.
Larry, not much has changed around the east end of Newcastle, you can still see motors like that on the streets in Byker! 
Regards Kev.
Well good evening Saviem and all, delivered a dozen of my free range egg’s to a regular customer who happens to be a retired motor engineer, he has a passion for motorcycles and as he has plenty of spare time on his hands he spends this doing nut and bolt restorations of said machines. So I asked if I may take some pictures as I know lots of you were into these bikes of the day, he has three in his already done section and is working on a Triumph Bonneville which his son acquired for him from the USA. Tizz a pleasure to see the finished article and of course they only get ridden when it’s dry cheers Buzzer.
Beautiful John, what paitience to do a job like that, nice collection, he might do a deal on one of them, a dozen eggs per week for life ? Worth a try ?.. 
So it’s not a French truck, but it defines driving in France in the '60’s and '70’s, they were a popular wagon in those days.
Evening all,
Fergie, you find some really evocative pictures. Somehow bonneted lorries, (even if it is a Scania supplied by Sameyns), were so typical of the French haulage scene. But sadly the European legislation proposals gave the cab over precidence. That trailer looks to be a Coder. When I was in Suresnes in the `70s, there was a"black oil" tank of similar size always around Paris pulled by a venerable Mack B61, never did find out who ran her, but I remember , in conversation, with one of my Mack colleagues, remarking about her, and all he said was, “only halfway through her first life”!!!
Buzzer, what a collection your egg client has! I just cannot get my head around the current value of these things…are they still as unreliable as we found out? Whenever I went for a “distance” ride, I always carried a length of washing line so at the very worst I could get a tow home!..and some of those were B hairy…My pal on a BSA Road Rocket, once pulled me, (on my sprung hub Triumph…without a bottom end…that was somewhere in the verge between Barmouth, and Welshpool), back to Shropshire in virtually the same time that I had travelled to the point of my mechanical destruction…
Oh the joys of youth!
Larry, you would be sent to Madame Guilotine for using such a thoroughbred French bolide as a Simca Monthlery, for such a purpose…One went through an auction in Paris for 33000 Euros last year…a few bottles of Malt in that investment!
I shall fall into the arms of Mdme Bollinger, and reflect upon vehicles and motorcycles long gone…
Cheerio for now.
