Classic Car Night at the Ace Cafe. Who has a bike too?

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Wallace
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Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:11 pm
Location: Staines, Middlesex

Classic Car Night at the Ace Cafe. Who has a bike too?

Post by Wallace »

I eventually made it to the Ace Cafe after waiting for a friend of mine who ended up stuck in the Airport on Business. Met up with Steve Payne, Tim Mealing & co-pilot (sorry, can't remember his name) and I did see Steve Hodder's car at last, only briefly as I went inside for a pint and he'd gone. I must see it in the daylight sometime to appreciate the paintwork.

Sitting chatting with Tim, his Co-pilot and Steve, the subject came around to bikes, only natural at the home of Cafe Racing, and it transpires that we all owned bikes. Unfortunately, Steve Payne was the odd one out when it came to bikes, his bike is complete AND running! Both of mine are in bits, Tim has parts of the last one and carries a permanent reminder of it too unfortunately. I was wondering on the way home how many JOC members had bikes too?
I was also thinking about replacing a bit of my car to bring it up to the standard of the three Interceptor's I had just seen; the bit between the number plates!

Alan Smith did not make it to the Ace in person but did so in spirit. How? Steve won tickets to this weekends Classic Car show show, when they were handed to him there was a watermark of an Interceptor on them and guess who's car it was? Answers on a postcard...............

Mike

PS. There were a couple of other nice cars there too, only the Alvis, Sebring Sprite and the Camaro stick out in my memory. The Ford GT was too new and too quiet.
Timterceptor
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Location: In my armchair with snacks

Post by Timterceptor »

Mike
Surely you also remember the Porsche 911, you know the one that sounded like a bag of very old rusty spanners when the guy moved it, makes me glad I chose to own a well made, quality, reliable motor not some old Jerry build bit of kit hey?
Tim Mealing
Interceptor III: 136/8060
JOC Member 8793
Wallace
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Post by Wallace »

Rattly bag of rusty old spanner's...........let me think..............No, sorry, I let my car at home!

Mike
Patric
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Location: Hull/Berlin

Post by Patric »

Well not exactly what you may have had in mind but I have a bike too. A bicycle sort of bike. Classical late 1930s design cheeply copied for Mao's red guards. Its got one gear for moving forward (though not uphill) and it has brakes. Obviously for stopping. That's it.
Called 'flying pigeon'

Image
Wallace
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Post by Wallace »

That's a sturdy looking bit of kit with a proper stand, not one of those girly sidestands. Is the double top tube designed for improved off road performance or load bearing ability?

Mike
Patric
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Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 9:45 am
Location: Hull/Berlin

Post by Patric »

Ahm yes, that's called a 'teng ma' (does it hurt?) and was originally used for self defence or hitting counter revolutionaries and imperialistic gwailos (foreigners) trying to steal your iron rice bowl. Therefore it can be easily screwed of. Never seen 'the swift shaolin boxer'? Should give you an idea!
At least that's how it used to be in the old days- now it's welded in place so I can't teng-ma you for asking!
Alan Smith1
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Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:45 am
Location: Devizes, Wiltshire. UK

Post by Alan Smith1 »

Sorry I didn't make it to the Ace I still hadn't done a complete job on the Interceptor.
I would like to add my name to those that have or had bikes. Here are two I had: -

Image
Image

I've taken the photos off at the moment to try and get them smaller!

For those that knew these type of 'Bikes' the standard is an Arthur Francis 'S' Type and the combination is a Lambretta cut down.
This was in the mid 60s and my claim to fame was to go into the Ace Cafe when 'Terry' was playing on the juke box (He said to me he wanted to be close by my side....) and kick it to tilt and reject it, I then ran out mounted my scooter and roared off down the North Circular.
P.S. I am still alive.
P.S.S. I'm No. 1 and 72.
Last edited by Alan Smith1 on Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:21 am, edited 3 times in total.
Cheerio for now, Alan.
Wallace
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Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:11 pm
Location: Staines, Middlesex

Post by Wallace »

Nice one Alan. Was it a dare, bravery or stupidity that took you in the Ace Cafe that night? Ever get surrounded by Bikes on the road and get abused?

Now where's that copy of March Of The Mods? Rock on..............

Mike
1chw
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Location: Cuffley, Hertfordshire UK

Post by 1chw »

Nice pics Alan, you're not looking too cheerful though!
Charles Wheaton,
Interceptor Mk III, '73
136/8512
Alan Smith1
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Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:45 am
Location: Devizes, Wiltshire. UK

Post by Alan Smith1 »

We used to hire the race tracks off season due to the cost so it is probably winter and I wasn't wearing mouth or chin protection and my jaw is frozen. I'm very cheerful; I'm in the lead. Yes 'March of the Mods' played by Joe Loss and his Orchestra in 1964 down the 'Pally', that’s The Palace of Dance in Hammersmith. We confused the 'Rockers' because we wore leathers or trials Barbour jackets so could get away with stunts like walking into the Ace. When I was talking to Mark, who now owns the cafe, we reminisced about a lorry driver who got annoyed by one of the bikers, when he left he nudged a bike with the lorry and it fell on to the next one and all went over like dominoes. Because of our close relationship with the "˜Ace’ now, Jean will write an article on it’s history and Keith willing it will go in the magazine.
Cheerio for now, Alan.
BigRedOne
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Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:03 pm
Location: South Coast, UK

Post by BigRedOne »

Is that really the Alan Smith that we know in 2006, or is there some mistake?
breeze
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Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:36 pm

Ace Cafe

Post by breeze »

No bike, but I was there with my Jag - it would have been the S-V8 but 1. at the last minute 2 extra passengers showed up and 2. the SV probably wouldn't have made it that far anyway. Nice to see the trio of Interceptors tho.
one time Interceptor 3 & S-V8 owner
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