The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride

[fritz katzenjammer]

Tomorrow is the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. For those unfamiliar with this event it is an annual world wide motorcycle event to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues. For those who are involved with this event I wish you all good weather and a safe and fun day.

For those not involved might I suggested visiting the rides website and considering a donation to this worthy cause.

I’ve dragged the Mouse out for a wash… and even polished the mice!

 

[Slick]

Excellent

 

[Sharky]

I bet my Great Uncle would have taken part ....

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

I bet my Great Uncle would have taken part ....

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Ooooooo…. A Sunbeam… an unbelievably desirable ride.

I find the tax disc amusing, he likely rode it, quite legally, to the track, stripped off a few odds and ends and raced the day away. The problem with this is that if you bust it you’ve buggered your ride home, but it was a pretty common way for the clubman racer to conduct his weekend business.

And then, assuming it wasn’t blown up, you rode it to work on Monday morning. Maybe with a lower compression piston fitted so you didn’t have to run expensive race fuel during the week.

 

[Sharky]

Never met him, but he rode the IOM twice - in 1932 and 1933 and I guess the photo is from one of these two events.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Never met him, but he rode the IOM twice - in 1932 and 1933 and I guess the photo is from one of these two events.

That thing has very little front suspension and exactly none at the rear. Guys who rode the IOM in those days were either made of iron or barking mad, I suspect both. He likely had some stories.

 

[Sharky]

He was a DNF in one of the races (crashed).
https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/events/races?meet_code=ALL&ride_id=5311

Sadly he died from a brain tumour a few years later. His wife believed it to be as a result of the crash, but it was never proved.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

He was a DNF in one of the races (crashed).
https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/events/races?meet_code=ALL&ride_id=5311

Sadly he died from a brain tumour a few years later. His wife believed it to be as a result of the crash, but it was never proved.

It’s cool that you can still look up individual race results for the Manx GP 90 years on. That 68mph average doesn’t sound like much but it was over several laps of a 37 mile “track” made up of crap country roads with villages tossed in regularly to give the riders something to crash into, that on bikes with rotten brakes and little suspension… properly manly stuff!