thanks for all the fish ;-)

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:26 am

Well fellas, I’m afraid the time has come to pack away the riding gear in favour of a more user-friendly mode of transport. I find I can no longer manouvre these large beasts comfortably, and I’m not interested in lighter/faster modern offerings. I get the same buzz now from my recently acquired Triumph TR6 - something I’ve wanted since they were released all those years ago.

I joined this forum in 2003 because I had acquired a 900F I was restoring and I needed to gather ideas and information. I had one new in 1980, but of course back then I never had to do any work to it! Since that successful rebuild and then a restoration I built up quite a stable of similar vintage superbikes, and enjoyed riding and working on them, while all the time sharing my trials and successes with members of this wonderful forum. I’ve never met any of you in person, but I have spoken to some of the other Aussie members by phone, and of all the forums (bike and car) I participate in, this by far is the most helpful and friendly group of guys doing the rounds. I feel very privileged to have participated in the knowledge (and parts) sharing that make this group so great. With the help and advice from the good folk here, I managed to put the original 900 back into regular service for going on 15 years. As well as that bike, I rebuilt a ’74 CB400F, a VF750F, and an 1100F (and a ’78 GS1000 for a friend!), and was pleased to discover a fair amount of knowledge cross-over here that also came in handy. I also bought myself a VF1000R after being exposed to these marvellous bikes here, and eventually managed to snag my holy grail - a 1983 CB1100RD. I took advantage of many of the upgraded components produced and offered by some extremely clever members, and all of my rebuilds were better for it.

I’ve now divested myself of all these fabulous bikes. I returned the original 900F to my brother who initially donated it to the cause. At the time he himself was bike-less, so it was a natural decision. I donated the VF750 to a bike charity to raise some funds for their work with men’s depression issues. I sold the 1100F before it had turned a wheel in anger. I did alright on both the VF1000R and the 1100R, and just about broke even with the 400F.

I’d just like to sincerely thank all those who have helped me on the way by providing great advice, fantastic information, and (mostly) above average humour along the way, which has made a great past-time even more enjoyable. I still have a soft-spot for these bikes, and there’s some guys on here doing fantastic work that I want to keep up with, but from this point on, for better or worse, I’ll be a non-riding member of this fine forum.

cheers fellas, and thanks for all the fish.

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:58 am

Congrats on achieving "Member Emeritus" status! Now you get to tell the young pups, "When I did my builds, we didn't have 3-d printed parts!", and other witticisms!

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 11:45 am

bikeboy wrote:

I get the same buzz now from my recently acquired Triumph TR6 - something I’ve wanted since they were released all those years ago.

I'm moving in the same direction - I still have a 'need for speed' but I'm going to scratch that itch with a dedicated track car - I'm looking forward to lots of Autocross and HPDE events next year. Thanks for sharing all of your builds over the years and providing inspiration for many.

Enjoy the TR6 (and post a photo or two of it for us).

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 11:55 am

pontiacstogo wrote:

Enjoy the TR6 (and post a photo or two of it for us).

cheers Peter. Always enjoyed reading about your bikes too.

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 12:09 pm

Thats a nice one. Best of luck to you!

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 12:55 pm

bikeboy, thanks for your input and encouragement on the site all these years.

Congrats on the TR6, i see you got one of the faster red ones.

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 1:52 pm

"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory mentioned, which states that this has already happened"

Don't panic and carry your towel, maybe number your new jalopy 42 Wink

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 2:28 pm

THAT's it, I'm F'n out of here! Razz

Ian, you have some of the most creative artistic color combinations I've ever witnessed on these classics that always just seem to work. I'll miss seeing that from you but can fully appreciate your need / desire to move on. All the best mate.

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:53 pm

Ian, hope you stick around for the laughs and the wealth of knowledge you've gained about these bikes will help out the new guys coming on.
You've had more bikes in the past few years than I could ever hope to have in a lifetime.
That red TR6 looks like a cop magnet....keep it between the ditches...or whatever they call them in Aussieland!

Cheers!
Chris

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 8:55 pm

Hi Ian, that will make it harder to even spot an F in Melb I haven't been able to ride, can hardly walk these days for over 12 months. Have fun with the new toy, it looks beautiful

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:10 pm

Thanks for your input to the forums over the years. Just because you are not riding does not mean you can't still participate in the conversation here Wink

Yes, your car looks great!

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 4:14 am

Hello Ian, Congratulations on finding and pursuing your new passion she is a beauty.

Unfortunately we never did get to meet up and organise a southern F,ing get together. I always enjoyed your builds, they always had your own personal touches and
your attention to detail was top notch. On a personal note I want to thank you for the help that you have given me, and want you to know that its been a huge help.
Hope to see you here from time to time, and all the very best for the future mate.

Cheers Mark.

Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:17 pm

I learned to drive a manual transmission 40+ years ago on a friend's TR6 almost exactly like yours. As its the only one I've ever driven, I don't know if it was his car or what, but that clutch really had a hair trigger. Took me what seemed like forever to get 'er going without spinning the tires or stalling it. He wound up wrapping it around a concrete pole one night.

Congrats on the car. She looks great!