Wrench'n Ride'n

Trev aka Store not only owns the Mongrel . He also has it's older sister. She is 47 and still going as strong as ever. She is a stunner for her age. She is not afraid to get herself cold in the snow and the slush of a UK winter. Here is his 1962 R69S. ".........had it 16 odd years and its utterly brilliant and reliable. If you realise its only 600cc and a 1955 design and then put it up against modern machinery, today, solo, it will hold its own hour after hour on the motorways fast enough not to be intimidated by the main flow of traffic. Not the fastest accelerating vehicle ever built mind but can stay at 'high' speed for a long time. The brakes are stunners too." Photos from February 2008 Dragon Rally.

Trev aka Store from the BM Riders Club has been building The Mongrel. This BM started life as a humble mild mannered R80/7. Trev can tell us what he has been doing to it on full moon nights.... Style ; Anonymous 70's twin shock road bike. Priorities : Anti rot parts for easy cleaning, riding all seasons. Ridability/drivability, using the best aftermarket components and the best mix of genuine parts to achieve excellent fuel economy, braking and handling. Top speed is not a priority but the ability to happily cruise at 90mph is required. This started out as an 80/7 owned by a friend of mine whom I used to help set up his bikes and advising which parts to use. I'm the workshop and stores manger at Motorworks BMW you see. It was originally built for pulling sidecars as efficiently as possible (which it never ended up doing). Anyway, he sold up to buy a boat to live on and knowing this bike and man well got first refusal on it. It was very scruffy but ran brilliantly. All I'...

Roo River Rally. Held in the very lovely Kangaroo Valley on the banks of the river that flows from Lake Yarruga. Great camping site and about 200 meters of dirt road. The rally was held in May. Mist on the way down into Kangaroo Valley. Every rally must have a local pub. Wonderful rally site. Who says you need a modern bike to go to a rally. Early Brit AJS outfit. Big Yellow Leadwing. We called Goldwings Leadwings back then.

Coastal Rally run by the New Tech MCTC was held at Hawks Nest up on the Central Coast of NSW. This one is a blur in my memory. Too much beer that weekend and it was a long time ago. At least I have some photos from the rally. The touring machine of the 80s. XS1100. Into town to stock up. Beer and food in that order. Maureen's 1920s Rudge. From memory she raced this bike. Took it to rallies. She was Postie back in the 80s. As the Rally was close to Sydney old Brit Iron made the trip. How can you tell there is a Rally in town? Look for the bikes lining the main drag near the pub.

Day 3, and it is 30kms to Omeo to refuel – last available fuel was at Mitta Mitta, 150kms back. The road to Omeo is a cracker, very twisty and well engineered, but soft in the heat. The black streaks on the surface at corners is melting tar. The bike was feeling a bit insecure, and I stopped to investigate. I could push a stick right into the tar. I adjusted my riding accordingly. I refuelled at Omeo and headed for Mt Hotham, another High Fun Area – long high-speed sweepers punctuated by squiggly bits. Wearing a jacket was difficult, so I packed it away and greased up with sunscreen. (I know, I know). I took to just purring along, rather than pushing hard. It’s a great road. Near Hotham. The advice on the sign seemed pretty good. The road from Hotham down towards Harrietville was very black and soft enough to be a worry. I had to go easy, treating the blacker corners like gravel. From Harrietville the road was easier but the heat was insupportable. It was like riding in an oven. I hopp...

This is a long rave, going into some detail, particularly on the available good camping spots on the Omeo Highway in Victoria. This is excellent riding country, and I wanted to investigate and record the best locations. Here goes. On Thursday with the temperature at 42C and with 44C (111F) predicted for the following day, I got it into my head that a ride into the high country would be more comfortable than trying to stay cool at home. I left home at about 6:30pm, heading south along the Omeo Highway – magnificent sweeping bends and sections of tighter twisties - through Mitta Mitta and onto the dirt up into the hills. The road here is very twisty and the gravel is a bit chunky in spots. It requires concentration, but there is a nice river running beside the road and the cooling effect is appreciated. I stopped for a few swims as I went and checked out the campsites. This stretch of river (Lightning Creek) is popular with fisherfolk, and there are many places to camp. I used to fly-fis...