Kawi2strokes.com Forum

WOW!!..................I was only 21 years old then and it was my second race season.

Thanks for the post, that was indeed a long long time ago. .

I still see, and am good friends with quite a number of those blokes although James Watt has sadly passed away many years ago from natural causes. That race took place in front of the house where I now live, you'll possibly remember the Ballavaran straight which is just a few yards down the road from me and is just over a mile long with virtually no traffic on it whatsoever, an ideal place for conducting plug chops. Weather permitting I sometimes still attain 150mph + down there on my 1000 MV as its a pretty safe bit of road (and here on the IOM its also legal to do so)

Form that field there were quite a few up and coming stars 'stars' who later went on to make quite a name for themselves not only on the TT course but at national and international level..

Chris Fargher (Double Manx Grand Prix winner 1983 and future TT star and travelling marshal for many years)
Roger Hurst (Went on to ride factory Kawasaki's competing successfully in many TT's and British championship rounds) 'Still Racing'
John Mc Bride (Went on to compete in the Manx Grand Prix and the TT and travelling marshal)
Graham Cannell (Went on to become Yamaha pro-am champion and held lap records on nearly every circuit in the UK and TT star)
Chris Grose (Was a terrifically fast bloke who went on to compete in many TT races and British championship rounds on a a TZ 500 and 125 Honda)
Roger Luckman I believe won the Manx Grand Prix (Newcomers in 79, TT racer Junior and Senior)

Pic is of my old 750 Kwack in the OW31 chassis with lower removed, with Andy brew in red overalls and Peter Craig with the Jamie Garrett TZ 350F whilst going through scrutineering for the 81 Manx Grand Prix. I lapped that bike at just under 100mph (98.6) that year.

Oh Happy Daze!!

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'You don't stop riding because your getting old, you get old because you stop riding'

71 Kawasaki H1A
2005 MV Agusta 1000s
1990 TZ 250A (Reverse Cylinder)
1996 RS 250R Honda
1996 RS 250 Aprilia

great picture and the race program is nice too

I really love this old stuff, good to see! What happened to that bike, ade, it looks the goods! (Note to Moo, notice the rear brake!)

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Thanx boys!!

I competed in 3 Manx Grand Prix on that bike and it evolved into quite an animal on its last reincarnation (In the Pic), sadly I had a slight 'Faux Pas' during the 83 Manx when I ground out the pipes out on the very fast left hander called 'Bungalow Bridge' up on the mountain.

I slung it into the bend and the pipes lifted the wheel slightly and I ended up missing the apex!! Consequently I fired up the side of Snaefell at about 140mph. I was very lucky to get away with my life as that was the fastest 'off' I had ever had and the chances of EVER surviving that a second time would indeed be very remote. Anyhow the bike traveled hundreds of yards under its own momentum eventually ending up down the Laxey valley on the opposite side of the road!! The police found it 2 days later after thinking it had been stolen.

The damage wasn't too bad in fact, engine was untouched but the frame and the pipes were completely bolloxed. Lorraine (My still very understanding wife) made me promise to give up racing at that time as we had a 6 year old daughter and it frightened the life out of her as she was in fact on the helicopter reception team when they flew me into Noble's hospital with a suspected broken back (Turned out to only be ruptured kidneys and a few minor fractures in the end.)

The engine was sold together with a whole bunch of spares for peanuts to a bloke in Suffolk here in the UK. As a point of interest I fitted a 3 cylinder Femsa ignition on that bike too!!

This pic is the very last lap I ever did on that bike back in 83, LOL................couldn't afford new boots in those days so wrapped them with duct tape as my toes as were bleeding.

I did all the work myself on that machine, even built the mold for the seat and fairings, I was employed as a professional paint sprayer at that time.

_________________
'You don't stop riding because your getting old, you get old because you stop riding'

71 Kawasaki H1A
2005 MV Agusta 1000s
1990 TZ 250A (Reverse Cylinder)
1996 RS 250R Honda
1996 RS 250 Aprilia

Thanks, good to read - I am a spraypainter by trade , and used to race a bone stock H2 in production racing back in the '70's . 'Couldn't afford new boots, duct-tape, bleeding toes', I know where you are coming from! I always thought that the early Kawasakis handled "O.K." relative to what was around at the time! Cheers!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Did you notice who no 89 was in the progamme JP??

Great pictures Ade,
OK if I use them and your story in the UK Kawasaki triples club magazine? Im the editor!)
I remember Dave Broadhead racing a Red H2C on Jurby road with just ace bars and rearsets the only modifications!

You facking bastard!
how I would come back on the earlies 80s and racing on the TT, and I could have do it as I have enough points to get an international racing licence on 1982

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

Jurby airfield 1980 and im afraid i had joined the "boot" duct tape gang too

I had a great pic somewhere of a row of my racing boots with the sides worn off and the toes would stick out. .............OWCH!

_________________
Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........