Res 122

[KevinLS]

Hi Tony, Good to hear you're starting from the ground up. Your flatpack should look something like this. Mine had forty years of following me around the country from leaky shed to leakier lean-to and is shown after a preliminary clean to get some of the crud off.

[tonyed27]

Mine looks shinier and the 'lumps' are more complete.

[tonyed27]

Getting there. It's on its' wheels now, engine in, minus cylinder. I am having to wait until the weather gets warmer so I can spray the cylinder and head and exhaust heat resistant black, plus a few odds and sods I missed sending the painter. Fit the new ignition and mount the refurbished fairing.

[tonyed27]

All bar finished now - must say it myself quite pleased with the result.
Still some patina left as I am not a fan of the over polished 'never was like that' bikes.
I see MotoGp, WSB, BSB etc where a midge squashes itself on the fairing and a new body kit is fitted.
Surely the most exotic two strokes of all time - the RD05 V4 Yamaha was often bought to the grid with a few battle scars, and our slightly less exotic examples such as the Greeves often showed the results of somewhat over enthusiastic use.
Mind you, when I was restoring the TZ250A I know own for it's previous long standing owner/rider his brother did such a good job of polishing the top alloy fork crown that he threatened to leave it in the garden over winter to 'weather'. I talked him out of it, although it does have a slight gouge in the clamp area care of his last get off at Corum curve in 1978 which finished his racing career.
Still just a 'basic user' so I can't post photos yet.

[John Wakefield]

So what are the plans for the finished bike? Race it,parade it, or just display it in your living room. Being a racing bike there are few places you can take it to run it, used to be lots of ex WW2 airfields around Cambridgeshire where you could run up a race bike, but not any more.

[tonyed27]

Well display it for a start and possibly do some parades on it.
I bought new racing boots and helmet last year but then things started to deteriorate on the health side again, but hopefully with the aid of Addenbrookes things are on the mend again.
With my spine in the condition it's in (wedge fractures in 3 places) a very arthritic left ankle (raced for 10 days in the 1982 Manx with a very freshly broken ankle) arthritic thumbs (again racing with broken bones) and now 13 months on from the death of my wife and working 4 days a week still I have to fend for myself so falling off even parading wouldn't be too clever an idea.
Normally the only injury one sustains from displaying is a hangover. Know your limitations is my new motto, not one that was particularly to the forefront back in my racing days.
As you say the places to run a bike round here used to be available but many are now trading estates.

[PeterJGreig]

Come and parade with BHR, very friendly and falling off is not allowed (not with my Greeves!) Peter

[tonyed27]

As it stands at the moment.

[IanCordes]

It is looking good, Tony! It would be good to give it the occasional gallop; or perhaps canter or even a trot(!) around a track from time to time, rather than it being a static display only. We are the Greeves Riders Association after all! Having said that, these things are not always possible, I know.

I look forward to seeing it; maybe at Shepton Mallet, or Stafford?

[tonyed27]

I hope to be at Stafford in April. I usually am but it depends on the availability of my cat sitter.
Since the loss of my wife 15 months ago my Grandson has been doing the duties as I helped his uni costs, however he has now graduated and works full time, but hopefully can still stand in.
I've been 'doing' Stafford both April and October for many years first with the TZ owners club showing everything from my present 1974 TZ250, to a Frepin framed TZ 350 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyXpfiGJ3M) and originally a DTR 1998 Spondon TZ 4TW3 ex-TT second place for Bob Jackson.
Hope to have both the TZ and Silverstone there in April.
I have ridden occasionally from time to time but quite severe health problems and race injuries inhibit these outings so 'showing' is more my thing these days.
I did have stands at Stafford in the past selling TZ parts but recently sold the lot as I can no longer 'hump' big heavy boxes of engine parts around curtesy of spinal injuries sustained enjoying myself in the 'good old days', CoPD from a lifetime of inhaling lung damaging substances and chronic anemia from an internal bleed that so far (in 7 years) has managed to avoid detection.
Apart from that am in perfect health and trips to Stafford etc help spiritually , if not physically to keep me going to a point I still want to continue.
Next, it seems, I am restoring another TZ,a 350 E from back when the current owner and I took it to Daytona in 1981. It has some parts from my old TZ350 E on it so I feel partially responsible for its' well being.

[tonyed27]

At last I have sourced the Heidenau tyres I have been after from Kurt Busenius at Road Race Services in Germany, on their way via DHL but won't have them until after Stafford but showing the bike should not tax the Conti shopping tyres on it at present.

[IanCordes]

Will your Silverstone be on the GRA stand, Tony?

[tonyed27]

Yes Ian it will be - are we in the Competition Hall?
I will have my TZ Yamaha outside in the GP Paddock

[IanCordes]

Yes, in the Competition Hall, as I understand it. See you there.

I saw a paddock fuill of TZs at Goodwood this weekend, 250s and 350s from across the model range. They competed in the same races as Formula 750 big bangers, Triumph Tridents, Norton Commandos etc. The TZs won.....

[tonyed27]

The TZ was, in my opinion the greatest racing tool made available to all us plebs 'wot raced 'em'.
Cheap, well relatively in the road racing world, easy to work on, easily available, reliable and insanely, for the era, fast what more could you want?
I remember talking to Dave Croxford in his Norton JPS days saying he knew he was wasting his time when Trevor Elliot (ex Oulton campaigner) past him down the Norwich Straight at Snetters like he was in second gear. Yes, Trev was on a TZ350 A, at the beginning of the TZ era.
With one of them and a Transit van the world was your oyster. I had both but never got beyond the 'fish cake starter'.
However I have real soft spot for the Silverstone which apart from its big brother the Oulton in 68 was, I think, the last ALL British REAL racer offered to the PBI. (not the 'tuned' road bikes of today like the 675 Triumph)
I think that all others post 1968 had foreign engines, either Japanese or Austrian.
We had notions, like the KRM Superstreak and other such fantasies, but they never got over the horizon.