January is usually a slow month,
though no excuse for coasting. Having chased a few leads, sourced products and
responded to an aspiring model’s photographic request, I headed out for some
serious reflection. Speeding through the winter sunlight, alert to black ice
skulking beneath a thick, steaming carpet of freshly lain equine arse fruit, I
contemplated braking.
Temptation to remove the Ilpompino’s
rear stopper has been tempered by memories of my worn shoe cleat disengaging
while hurtling down one of Surrey’s delightful 1 in 4s…One thing lead to
another culminating in a barrage of ill-timed profanity as we passed a convoy
of well-heeled grand/parents herding little henry/etta’s into awaiting Lexus,
BMW and elderly Mercedes…
Six years and several thousand
miles hence, I’m still inclined to leave this configuration completely stock
given the left lever’s a convenient resting point/means of carrying a spare
cable. Then of course there’s the occasional trailer coupling, necessitating a
little extra prowess than afforded by cantilever and transmission alone.
However, while perfectly capable of hauling Moto Guzzi motorcycle clutches
fully home, I am right hand dominant and see no reason why people with reduced
dexterity shouldn’t enjoy equal standards of performance/safety.
At £35 Dia Compe’s Siamese 287(T
denoting tandem) seems an obvious choice, the left substituted for a composite
stoker unit, shaving unwanted weight and overcoming chatter while providing useful
parking for my corresponding palm. The Flat bar faithful are similarly well
served by its Tech 77 siblings; although both are non-starters with integrated
Sti/Ergo systems.
Mercifully Problem Solvers offer
an aesthetically pleasing, CNC machined cable doubler for a very reasonable
£20, though as the ride progressed I became convinced there must be a thrifty,
discrete and moreover bodge free alternative… Said Eureka moment arrived in the
cry of “Clutch cable junction box!!!” while overtaking a sports moped at 29mph.
Perhaps unsurprisingly its pilot took such as a challenge, though no amount of
wheel sucking could save his blushes.
Taking full advantage of a lofty,
eighty one inch gear, I entered the descent, nudging 108rpm and 37mph.
Windblast had long since muted the unmistakable two-stroke banshee howl,
replaced by thoughts of upgrading the Ilpompino’s OEM 25.4 diameter cockpit in
favour of its oversized and theoretically stiffer successor.
Twelve chill but uneventful miles
later man and machine were safely ensconced, one rewarded with a few shots of
PTFE maintenance spray, the other diesel strength coffee while purchasing this
NOS (New Old Stock) Yamaha unit on ebay for the sum of £3. Now, my next project
necessitates an illustrator who’ll bring some visual pizazz to my series of
children’s stories, oh and best I procure a wheel jig to tame the effects of
worsening local infrastructure (!)
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