Drop of a hat... 2000
If Drop of a Hat ‘99 was spur of the moment
then Drop 2000 is spur of the nanosecond! If you remember last
October I bought a very rare Coyote mini bike in Los
Angeles that various shipping companies refused to ship due to
the fact that it had once contained petrol! I also had a W1
sectioned engine in Orlando that was stuck there with Araldite!
As it happens another Coyote mini bike appeared on EBAY at the
end of June, I was of course very interested and so were many
other people, a call to the vendor revealed that this bike was
just 15 miles from my first Coyote (I guess this was something
to do with the original Kawasaki Importers in California being
in Santa Ana?) Subsequent phone calls had me agreeing to buy the
second mini bike for cash and removing the bike within a week!
After agreeing these terms I suddenly remembered that I had a
rally coming up in Two weeks time
and all the organisation that went along with that!
As this was a VERY busy time for flight
bookings, I was lucky that my friends at Virgin managed to
secure a flight from Gatwick on the 30th June and
returning from San Francisco on 11th July arriving
home jet lagged 36 hours before the annual rally - stupid ? Who
? Me? Why ? Doesn’t everyone turn up at the airport without
knowing if they can get a car or lodgings or connecting flights
? I checked the car rental companies in Orlando and most were
fully booked due to the holidays (independence day!) Finally I
got hold of "Rent a wreck" who had a vehicle. As it happened the
first flight out of Gatwick was delayed by 6 hours which left me
with the prospect of landing at Orlando at midnight with no bed
for the night and to make matters FAR worse it was July 4th
holidays in the U.S. and flights, hotels and transport was
pretty well all used up.
One piece of good news was that I managed to
get in touch with a guy in Atlanta that had a brand new "in the
crate" purple H2c – and he was considering selling it so a few
hundred miles detour from Orlando was in order. Also, another
guy with H2’s in Atlanta dropped me a mail from the bulletin
board and invited me over for as drink. So as I sit typing this
in the Gatwick departure lounge I wonder just what exactly is in
store for me ?
On landing at Orlando (11pm) my worst fears
became reality, the car hire was closed for the night! So, what
do I do? Do I grab a cab to an airport hotel at $150 a night (or
so the taxi drivers tell me) or do I go further afield? As it
happens I chose the latter, the bad part being the taxi fair of
$50 (£30)! Next morning it is another $50 ride back to the car
rental at the airport, I can’t help feeling that I have been
taken for a ride and not in the taxi sense! The car from "rent a
wreck" is not bad and will be pretty cheap to run. I head north
to the other side of Orlando to meet up with a guy that I bought
a sectioned 1966 W1 engine off on the Internet last November.
All goes well he turns up with a well packed but very "fusty"
1966 W1 genuine factory sectioned motor! It turns out that this
guy was the first Kawasaki dealer in Orlando and this sectioned
engine was offered by Kawasaki to a few chosen dealers. He told
me that a kid almost lost his finger in the cylinder, so he took
the engine off display and put it at the back of his garage for
30 years! I am soon heading back to the airport to the Virgin
Cargo depot, the guys there are great and within the hour the
paperwork is done and I am on my way to look at a H2c in Atlanta
Georgia. The 500 mile trip to Atlanta cost less in gas than the
20 minute taxi fare at Orlando airport, Having said that the
Americans are up in arms as gas is now $1.85 a gallon (£1.20)
the further north I travel the cheaper the gas is, and by the
time I am in Atlanta it is down to a pound a gallon.
The new H2c was advertised in "Walnecks" a
couple of years back and the guy turned down $9,000 for it! Once
my trip was planned I spoke to another couple of people in the
U.S. that knew of the bike but had never seen it. The guy
actually bought the bike brand new but never got around to
riding it and it had never been assembled. After a little
searching I found the guys house and there was the bike still in
the opened crate in his garage. The bike was still firmly fixed
to the crate, the bars were clamped to the wooden frame, the
front wheel was exactly where it should have been and the block
of wood holding the headstock in place looked as if it had never
been off. The bike was covered in a deep coating of dust and
once the dust was removed there was . . . . .deep rust!
Dissapointment is an understatement, don’t get me wrong the bike
was in near where as bad as the new bikes I saw in Michigan, but
most of the chrome had green flecks, and where there was no
access the rust was well through the chrome. The front of the
fuel tank also had a couple of small chips where something had
fallen onto it and where whatever had fallen it had also leaked
as there were streaks of something in the paintwork. It’s
difficult to say what the bike was worth, I have several bikes
in better condition, so just how much is a wooden crate worth?
As I was up in Atlanta I made a detour to see a guy called Sam
who has recently been posting some messages on the Internet
board, Sam is keen on triples but has only been into them for a
couple of years. He has a nice H1a and a tuned H2c. The "C"
sounded really crisp as he started it up in the quiet
neighbourhood. Thanks to Sam and the Internet I was able to
secure a booking for my onward flight to L.A. later in the week.
There was a severe problem though in that they could not take a
definate reservation as my Credit card had a non U.S. address -
Just something else to worry about.
I head North to South Carolina which is one
of the areas that I have feel could be largely untouched in the
old Kawasaki market. A pile up on the freeway sees me turning
off at a town called Spartanburg. With time on my hands
curiosity finds me following a sign to the BMW factory and
museum. The new BMW factory is stunning, huge and clean looking,
it is where they will build the Z3 roadster and new 4 x 4,
unfortunately it is deserted for a weeks shut down. I peer
through the windows of the museum and see works race bikes and
cars galore. If you are a BMW enthusiast this has to be one of
the best displays in the world.
Back into Spartanburg town and I find a hotel
for the night. The town has a large black population and I am
treated to several surprises
in the evening. Firstly South
Carolina is a "dry" state on a Sunday, which for a confirmed
alcoholic like myself was decidedly worrying! The guy on the
hotel desk hands me a card and says I can get into a local
bar/club as a member. The car park is interesting with half a
dozen Harleys, I walk through a pleasant outside bar that is
starting Karaoke and into another bar that has TV’s with car
racing etc on. I order my drink and suss out that the middle
aged, pot bellied guys on the next table are the Harley owners,
my ears overhear a torrent of F***ing N*gg*r this and N*gg*r
that and just what they could "do" for the girls in the next
bar! I finally see first hand what the term "redneck" relates to
. . . I am not impressed! A look out of the window sees a rare
sight, a gang of maybe a dozen or so black guys, helmetless, T
shirt and short wearing, belting up and down the main street on
plastic fantastic sports bikes, I just wish I was on one myself!
More shock is to come as a few seconds later three black GIRLS
ride by on "Ninjas" again helmetless, wearing sunglasses, vests
and shorts! In truth I call it an early night as overhearing the
tossers on the next table make me feel ashamed to be male and
white.
The next morning I don’t feel too great, I am
lucky to have a day where I can take my time and own pace to
head North, the morning news tells me that South Carolina has
today banned any video gaming machine, tens of thousands of them
are now redundant - Carolina is a strange state!
So it’s a dull and wet (but warm) day in
Spartanburg South Carolina (80 degrees outside though) after a
good breakfast I call a few friends in the U.S. and look forward
to a partial day off checking out the local bike shops. A look
round my hire car reveals a small coil spring embedded in my
front tyre which is looking decidedly soggy, rather than blow it
up I venture to the local tyre shop where they relieve me of
fifteen quid to fix the flat. A new problem is my digital video
camera is now out of film and it seems that nowhere stocks them,
I have tried around 8 places in the last Six hundred miles but a
guy suggests a "Best Buy" store just three miles away. My luck
is in as they sell the tapes at a reasonable Six pounds a piece,
my luck is out however as I go out to the car and see that the
rear tyre is now flat as a H2 on unleaded fuel! Across the
parking lot there is a "Sams Club" tyre store, I limp across to
be told that they can’t fix it as they didn’t supply the tyre! I
am given directions to another tyre shop where due to the 4th
July holiday I have to wait a few hours to have it fixed, still,
gives me time to type up my exploits eh ? So, I have covered 5
miles and had two punctures, not a good start for the day so
fearing a "third" event I do a few miles and head for a motel.
Next morning I wake up VERY ill, not too sure
even now if it was food poisoning but I have to head the 500
miles back to Florida which was in no way a pleasant trip. One
thing that did amuse me however was coming along the freeway at
my normal 85mph to almost run into the back of a Lincoln
continental doing a mere 45MPH! I glared at the driver as I
passed to be met with the sight of a fully grown Leopard in the
passenger seat sitting there large as life licking it’s lips!
Only in America!
I arrive back in Orlando ahead of schedule
and find a motel close to the airport to check into, at $39.95 a
night! I am now convinced that the taxi on arrival well and
truly ripped me off by taking me 10 miles away and charging me
$50 and just to rub salt in the wound I gave him a tip as well!
The flight to Los Angeles was pretty
uneventful, again in hindsight I learn that if I had booked a
return flight it would have cost me less than the one way ticket
– work that one out! I leave the airport and I am stunned by the
volume of traffic, I have been to a few airports in my time, but
none compare to this.
A call at the local "rent a wreck" sees me
driving off in a sort of Escort type hatchback, it’s battered
and old but goes well. Once on the freeway it is apparent that
you either keep up the pace or suffer the consequences. A huge
percentage of cars have battle scars, wheelnut marks and rubber
burns down bodywork are common, and if you don’t start moving as
soon as a light turns green you will get a nudge, driving in
L.A. is not for the faint hearted! Within a few miles I have
seen half a dozen Z1000P cop bikes, there are also a few new
BMW’s and I guess this is due to the new BMW plant being set up
in the U.S. no doubt this was part of the deal. Like most major
cities L.A. is largely scruffy and manic. I find my first
destination without too much trouble, the coyote is not quite as
good as I hoped but it is largely original and apparently it
runs! The owner bought it in a yard sale for a tenth of what I
am paying him, however I think it will be the only one in the
U.K. and it’s a part of Kawasaki’s history so I am still a happy
chappy. The Coyote was produced in 1968 and is basically a
Kawasaki 125cc lawnmower engine on a frame with wheels and a
huge drive sprocket! A 15 mile drive finds me at the home of the
second mini bike, rather than leave both bikes in the back of
the car in a motel car park I unload the first bike and arrange
to fetch it in the morning. While I am in LA I head the 30 miles
out to Camarillo where Fran Golden who runs the American triples
club lives, unfortunately Fran is working late so we don’t get
to meet up.
Next morning I head back to fetch the mini
bikes and end up in Beverly Hills! Even after all these miles in
the U.S. I still struggle with their road maps! The two bikes
are eventually loaded in the back of my little "rent a wreck"
Fiesta hatch and I head onto the busy freeway back to the
airport. The guys at Virgin cargo are again very helpful, the
only obstacle is the fact that there is no "title" (log books)
to the bikes, I have to travel to customs and try to get some
form of clearance to take them out of the country. They are
sympathetic and seem to agree that as the bikes have no frame
number and cannot be used on the road then they should clear
O.K. but no one is prepared to sign any forms to that effect so
I wrap them and keep my fingers crossed.
The "rent a wreck" lot is in a very dodgy
area and I am rather worried about staying in a motel around
there the night. However, a short ride up the road and the whole
scene changes, the streets are clean, the people are smart and I
see a "travel lodge" I enquire at the desk and they have a room
. . . $160 plus tax! I get the price down to $110 plus tax but
even this works out at eighty quid for the 11 hours rest! I take
a drive out at night and as the sun goes down on the Santa
Monica boulevard I start to change my mind about LA, some parts
of it really are nice. Busy, but nice! A good nights sleep, an
early start, and I am heading for the airport on the way to San
Francisco.
After a pretty good nights sleep in Santa
Monica I have a lie in until 7.30am, I take my jalopy back to
Rent A Wreck ( $75 (£50.00) for two days) and at 9am I am at the
airport for my 9.45 flight. A look of horror comes on my face as
the lady explains it is a 9.45 PM flight! It suddenly becomes
VERY apparent why we in Europe use the 24 hour clock! I am
pretty certain that when I booked I was given two choices, an
8.30 flight and a 9.45 flight, no mention of PM. But, the lady
on the counter was great, she booked me a flight on another
airline, which would fly at 10.30am . . . If it hadn’t been
delayed by fog at San Francisco! So, another few hours sitting
in an airport lounge, the only highlight of which was when all
the alarms started sounding, doors automatically locked,
security came running with guns drawn to find . . . some
Japanese guy who had sneaked out onto a balcony for a cigarette,
was he terrified ! (LA Is a non smoking airport).
Once down in San Fran I am impressed by the
huge construction of the new concrete metro system for the
shuttle to the rental car outlets. But I am far from impressed
when we reach the rental desks to see that the queue for HERTZ
stretches a hell of a way. . In fact it takes longer to get a
hire car than it took for the flight from L.A. to San Fran!
(Seriously). Once in the car I hit the freeway and a dead stop .
. . So? I just turn the stereo up - guess I am getting use to
the U.S. freeways?
Just over an hour later and I arrive at Dave
C’s place, a few of you will remember Dave when he was an
impoverished triple owner back in the early Eighties. . Well,
hard work and determination has changed a lot of that, Dave is
now a successful company boss in the U.S. And as the door to his
splendid house is opened I can only look on in awe as a H2b and
a ’69 H1 stare me in the face! A couple of ’70 H1’s are in the
dining room to my right, and as I move on into the lounge? I am
faced with three H2 road bikes and five GENUINE works race
bikes! Just total and utter awe and admiration are my only
sensations as I struggle to take it all in! (O.K. so maybe just
a snippet of jealousy as well J )
A dazed climb up the stairs reveals THREE Denco bikes in the
master bedroom. Who says money cannot buy happiness ? How
many more things could be better in life than waking up and
looking at a H2? (I suppose Cindy Crawford would be close - but
no cigar!). A wander out to the garage finds another stash of
Kawasaki’s. A H2c, a Nitrous H2, A Four cylinder H2, H1c, a Z1r
Turbo, A couple more "R"’s under restoration plus Dave's
regularly used H1r & H2r.
The Saturday afternoon was spent chewing the
cud and all credit to Dave he hasn’t changed a bit, work and
play are different ball games and as we wander down to the
savour the local hostelries and am pleased to report that he
would still be hanging in there with the best of us at the
annual bash! Unlike myself who merely sniffed at the first Two
pints! Let me explain, I am very partial to a nice cider (Stowford
Press is nectar!) so, always willing to try something new I
plump for "Pear Cider". UGH! Is my only word for it, I have to
say I didn’t get half way down the glass, I am just glad we
don’t grow enough pears in the U.K. to make that particular
brew! So, what else is on offer ? Razz Berri Pale ale . . .
Razz? As in "going out on the razz" getting drunk, enjoying
yourself? I’ll have some of that! Nope, Razz Berri as in
Raspberry UGH! sickly and putrid are being kind to these
alcoholic beverages (I am reluctant to use the word BEER!) Three
sips and I was finished I can only relate it to pouring a pint
of lager into a bag of red jelly babies and drinking the
resulting syrup!
But, after a wander to another pub we find a
lot of life and a very nice 7% pale ale which after consuming
several pints saw a couple of old prats mucking about like
teenagers again! After a night on the town I am happy to report
that Dave C would still stay up with the best of us at the
annual bash! (Which was in fact was to be proven at the Southern
Rally!)
A boozy bleary bloodshot Sunday morning saw
Dave persuading me that I really ought to try his race bikes on
the local road . . . stupidity gave way to common sense and I
found myself sat aboard his race H1r and heading off down the
road in my shorts, sandals and my special "safety" NIKE hat!
Luckily I was sober enough to have a little common sense left
and doubt if I hit 60mph. I then had the race H2r forced on me.
Oh god! Few bikes have stunned me like this one did, I wound it
up to 7,500 it was fast, it hit 8,000 - my hat flew off and I
hung on for grim death! This bike is a rocket, coupled with a
raise in the road and I was pointing at the sun! I can only
thank my lucky stars that I was still hung over ‘cos if I was
sober then that bike would have been heading for the gas station
and then to downtown San Francisco!
I sat aboard the bike stunned. Can life ever get any better?
I have to say it did! A ride later in the day over to an old
acquaintance saw a line up of race bikes equally stunning as
Dave’s - but with a bonus – in the next room were certainly the
most perfect collection of low mileage H2’s in the world! I am
talking of a handful of 1971-1972 H2’s, several of which showed
less than a thousand miles on the clocks. One bike in particular
was being "disposed" of on EBAY that week, going over it with a
fine toothcomb revealed a couple of minor faults, how these had
occurred in such a short road time was the subject of some
serious detective work! Those of you that follow the EBAY sales
will know that this 880 original mile bike was sold to another
collector in the U.S. for $10,500 (£7,000) A bargain! That bike
will double in value in the next few years. It has been said
before but I stick by my guns that a bike can be restored many
times but it is original just once! I can count on one hand the
happier hours in my life than spending that afternoon with a
trio of true Kawasaki experts talking H2’s! An early night saw
me devoting some time to rally planning.
Monday morning and it is head for home time.
I head towards San Francisco with the intention of doing the
"tourist" stuff for a couple of hours, strange thing is that I
see the road to Dan's place and turn off, luckily for me he is
in and far more to the point he is pleased to see me! We wander
over to his other location where he has another eleven bikes
that are also in stunning condition, over the next hour I
photograph Dan's "original" bikes for reference and am totally
convinced that Dan really is the foremost authority in the world
on Kawasaki bikes from the 60’s and 70’s, whilst I may just have
the edge on the H2 marque Dan is the Oracle on the whole
Kawasaki field. After dropping the new Hertz Rent a car off ($95
(£63) for Two days). I head for the flight home a very happy
camper….. Until I land in the rain and realise I have the Coyote
bikes in customs (which will be closed when I land) and the
annual rally going ahead in 36 hours jetlagged time... funny old
life innit ?
 
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