paralell Lines » Transport

Ena Has Got Wet

Mark — Wed, 24 May 2006 11:38:00 +0000

It might sound like a strange title, but all it is, is that my Rib is called Ena. Ena wasn’t the first name I thought of, but when I decided to register it on the small ships register and with the MCA, the original name I though of was a bit of a mouthfull, excuse the pun, but the original name was (more…)

Road Angel vs Drive-smart

Mark — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:53:29 +0000

Just thought I’d let you know about my latest toy.

I have had a road angel now for 18 months, the database has been out of date for the last 12 months, but it is still ok for most of my trips. I originally got it for the GTO, kph speedo, but have used it when I travel up country in my other vehicles. This Saturday I am off to the dive show in London, I had been looking at getting a second road angel rather than swopping all the time between the GTO and now the Delica, and thought if I could get a combined update service it would be worth it (£99.99 for a lifetime of updates). I contacted road angel and they said that the updates were unit specific and I would have to buy 2 lifetime contracts. SCREW THAT!!

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My Ultimate Dive Truck.

Mark — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:56:49 +0000

I’ve been looking around for a vehicle that is practical for everyday use and for diving use.

My criteria was

4×4 with low ratio for launching the boat
Should be useable for everyday use
Should be able to carry 4 divers and their kit
It would be nice to sleep in it
It would be nice to have lots of space
My parents could get in it
Comfortable

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Bent Car? Nissan Primera DCI.

Mark — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:07:52 +0000

I was in my local filling station today and the car in front of me just struck me as funny. A brand new Nissan Primera DCI, it was bent before it was anywhere near the water

Actually on that subject, ok, I am no diesel engine specialist, but I have no knowledge of any diesel car that is not injected, is there one? If not, then why do all diesel have the ‘i’ at the end, is it to make them sound more sporty than they actually are?

Just another of one of those little things that I don’t understand.

Audi Coupe - unbelievable

Mark — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 11:50:32 +0000

Just had to shout out about my trusted Audi. It has now done over 240,000 miles, always starts, always gets there. It has loads of little things wrong with it, including the cold start system which has been disconnected.

It is used regularily to launch my RIB, where the exhaust will bubble in the water, it carries soaking salty wet dive equipment. It recently took 4 of us from Cornwall to Heathrow with all our luggage and back, no problem and returning around 30mpg.

The reason I had to shout about it, is that this 16 year old car has just gone straight through its MOT with only 2 advisary comments - unbelievable - and I was thinking I would have to find a replacement this year.

Vehicle History, cars, the early (3 wheeled) years.

Mark — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 17:34:52 +0000

I remember my first car very well. A Reliant Supervan mk III, exactly the same as Del boys 3 wheeler, except it was aqua marine (faded green). I only had a motorcycle licence, so I didn’t have a choice of 4 wheels.

1st gear was a little noisy, but apart from that it was fine. The wind caught it once as I went round a corner and it clipped the hedge, cracking the fibreglass, nothing a bit of parcel tape wouldn’t repair I put a loud music system in, lined the rear with carpet and fur, my mates loved it as it was a laugh. I remember one lunch time carrying a total of nine people through Newquay, just in 1st gear to get attention. Luckily I was a member of the AA at the time, driving through Newquay, with only me this time there was a loud knocking noise, I called the AA and they recovered me. My Dad was an engineer, and had played with cars and said he would he me. I only worked evenings at the time, so the next day I took the sump off, that evening I told my Dad what I had found. The big bendy thing in the bottom was in 2 pieces, was this normal? No, apparently, cranshafts should be one piece, bugger. I managed to find a couple of cheap engines in the local paper and my Dad took me to collect them. The following day I was going to remove the engine and make a good one out of the 3, after my Dad had come home and showed me. I decided to have a go myself, by the time my Dad arrived home from work, I had removed the engine, rebuilt it, reinstalled it, and test driven it. His comments were, we’ll see how long it lasts.

10,000 miles later the noisy gearbox was getting very loud and clunky, the local paper again, and found one, went to go and get it. As I arrived I saw a Bond Bug parked outside, when I was talking to the guy selling the gearbox I asked who owned the Bug, it was his brothers, and it was going in the paper for sale the next day. Dad can you lend me 400 quid, he did, I bought it. I repaired the van, but it failed its m.o.t. test miserably. I sold a few bits off of it and the body was used as a guy on bonfire night. Glad I wasn’t in it when it caught fire, strewth.

It wasn’t my last Supervan III, I did have another for a while, I had to do some work on the Bug, a motorcycle had crashed into the rear of it and bent the chassis, and bought another van to run around in. That vans last trip was a round trip to London, I got as far a Launceston when there was a huge bang and a violent shaking from the engine, it sounded just like the time the crank broke before, it wasn’t though. As I got out of the car I could see something sticking out of the wing, it was a fan blade, looking under the bonnet I only had 3 left!! I snapped off the opposite one and continued my journey. A few months later a similar thing happened and I had to snap off the last fan blade.

Vehicle history, motorbikes, the early (2 stroke) years.

Mark — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:44:30 +0000

My first ever vehicle was a Raliegh Runabout, I think, it wasn’t a whisp for sure, CCV 556C was the registration, I remember it well. I was offered it foc if I could get it running, I took it home stripped the carb, cleaned out the fuel and fuel lines, new spark plug and got it going. It was transport. My best memory was when the throttle cable snapped at the twist grip, on my way to work, what do you do. I decided to remove the inner cable from its outer sheaf and tied it to the bottom of my helmet, simple, I look up and I accelerated, looked down and I decelerated. It got me to work and home and to a bike shop to get a new cable. I was young.

After owning the Raliegh for 6 months a mate had an MZ 50 that he wanted to swop for my portable stereo, sounded a good deal to me. This had gears though, so would make a change, it was also faster, I think I once managed 55mph down hill after I had de-resticted it and tuned it a little.

Now it was time to join the big boys, say an advert for a reasonably priced YB100, a big FS1E. Bought it on the spot and took it home, the power was unbelievable compared to the MZ, WOW.

6 months later I was far too slow, whilst on a visit to a bike breakers I saw a Yamaha YCS5E that was being sold as a complete bike. It was an early version of the RD200, it was smooth, fast, handled better and looked really good with its white and purple tank, the paintwork was a similar design to the Bonneville.

Time marches on, and I pass my test, on the YCS5E. Time to get something bigger, especially after I holed both pistons on the YCS. I had my eye on an Yamaha RD350A, another ‘M’ reg (1973) bike as the YCS, big, bold and beautifull in red. It came up for sale, I snatched it up. Time to play. I modified the front end to an XS650 front end, twin discs and a larger diameter wheel, expansion pipes, different bars, modded exhaust ports, new front mudguard and sprayed a nice metallic blue colour. It looked wicked, it went great, I ran it on synthetic oil, until one day away from home it ran out of oil, all I could get was ordinary oil. It would be better than nothing, wrong, the oils do not mix, they congealed, and the engine seised. Put an RD250 engine in for a while, but that was already knackered, time for a 4 stroke.