Anyone know what happened to Steve Hawkins?

[Tony Smith]

He's not posted for a long time, according to YABB last online in lat dec 2015.

I tried to email him but it bounced "unknown user".


I'd like to find out how his NC750X is going (and of course the latest updates on his brother's rebuild of the r65)

[Lucky_Lou]

He is still on Facebook...post now and again
Lou

[steve hawkins]

Yaw shucks! did you miss me?

Been distracted from all my other hobbies.

The R100 is currently resting up, as you mentioned the R65 is now my brother's property.

With the worst of the winter behind us, its time to break cover.

I have recently bought a new 'hole' into which to poor my money.  An old British Sports Car....A Reliant Scimitar SE5a, and she is a right bag of spanners.  Ford Essex V6, and an overdrive gearbox that doesn't.

The login email that I use is no longer valid as I was made redundant.  Didn't even manage to stay out of work for two weeks.

Hey ho.

Rev Light

[steve hawkins]

The NC 750X is working well.  Wheeled it out the garage after ignoring it for 5 months, overwinter, and it started first push of the button.  So back on two wheels.

Very frugal, but not as comfortable as one might expect over very long trips.

Cheers all,


Rev Light

[clonmore1]

Princess Ann's favourite mode of transport back in the day...

The Essex v6 is a relaxed motor, I had one in a Ford Capri mated up to an automatic, fast is was not and it didn't like bends too much either...

Enjoy the new money pit Steve!

[Tony Smith]

Yaw shucks! did you miss me?



I have recently bought a new 'hole' into which to poor my money.  An old British Sports Car....A Reliant Scimitar SE5a, and she is a right bag of spanners.  Ford Essex V6, and an overdrive gearbox that doesn't.

SE5A ?

Probably only other boyhood Biggles fans will know why I am chortling..... Obviously the Reliant company had people with a strong sense of humor somewhere in the mix.

Were these the same people who inflicted the Robin upon an unsuspecting world?

Your new toy looks interesting, I read up on the breed courtesy of Wikipedia - interesting.


As you will have probably seen elsewhere, I have the KLE running and registered. Probably to your disgust it is bog stock standard. I am also deciding that I don't like it much.

What it is good for is riding exuberantly, it is quite "chuckable", courtesy of the mods I made it has decent brakes and I managed to tame the front forks a lot. The engine is an absolute honey for a "sports bike" it has no torque to speak of at all, but with a redline north of 10k  it goes places rapidly if you rev the ring out of it. I have done a few very enjoyable runs on it

On the minus side, it drinks like a Tory politician, riding in "tight" circumstances is painful given that the engine has no torque. It is as heavy as lead, and a little uncomfortable.

Worse, beloved wife has bought herself a G650GS. I want one, well preferably a G700GS.

I will persevere with the KLE because it owes me so little - I am revisiting my original plan to graft a set of ER6N barrels and pistons into it in the interests of more bottom end power. An auxiliary tank will solve the pitiful fuel range and I am in discussions with my local motor trimmer looking at completely redoing the seating arrangements.

[steve hawkins]

Yes, Royal Aircraft Facotry SE5a - the very successful WW1 fighter plane, overshadowed by the Camel for some reason, similar performance but none of the vices of the Camel (discuss) and its rotary engine - who thought that was a good idea?  Seems mad these days.

Cheers

Steve

[Tony Smith]

Yes, Royal Aircraft Facotry SE5a - the very successful WW1 fighter plane, overshadowed by the Camel for some reason, similar performance but none of the vices of the Camel (discuss) and its rotary engine - who thought that was a good idea?  Seems mad these days.

Steve

Agree that the entire concept of rotary engines of that ilk now seem bizarre. But they worked sort of.

I think you will find that the enthusiasm of the crew for their SE5a depended on whether it had a genuine Hispano-Suiza engine or a Wolseley  built licenced copy. The genuine one tended to keep its water in, the copy did not.

Or at least that is how i remember the stories, Wikipedia has it the other way round.  

A friend long ago had a Wolseley car, I am inclined to think I have remembered the story the right way round.

[montmil]

I have recently bought a new 'hole' into which to poor my money.  An old British Sports Car...

Memories of old English cars awakened. Not really pleasant ones.

I graduated high school, which I believe the British may still refer to as "college", in 1965. For the last three years and a bit prior, my late father went through his middle age "Car Stage". As a result, I was permitted to drive to school and enjoy social activities while steering a variety of then-considered exotic automobiles.

The absolute worst of the lot was a toss up between an MGA coupe and an XKE Jaguar. Dear Dog, if it weren't the windmill it was the hogs. Sexy looking but total crap for reliability.

My most successful outings were enjoyed with a 1962 Corvette roadster, a 1964 Corvette coupe, and my favorite, the little Porsche coupe that my younger brother successfully wrecked.

After the old man was weaned off his mind-alerting, doctor-prescribed drugs, I was left to my own transportation plans: a sorta reliable 1953 Triumph T100c. I refer to that as "closing the loop".

 

[Tony Smith]

And there I was thinking I was an "old guy" - you got at least 7 and possibly more years on me.