Picture from the web

Vince said:
It's very odd but I feel more vulnerable the older I get, I used to do test laps around the block in shorts and a T-shirt, but now it's track dacks and a very expensive armoured mesh Kevlar jacket. Probably not too smart the day I was checking the main jet in those shorts and suddenly discovered that had me doing 140ks on the local expressway. What does get my senses reeling and feeling alive are those rare rides when camping at race tracks to the toilet block helmetless, it brings back floods of past memories from years back of doing similar stuff.
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When you're young, you bounce, when you're old, you go "splat".
Paul
 
andre g said:
me too, but knee protectors should have been a must
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Nah André. Look at this picture of the 1984 24h race in Spa:
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They'd not been invented at that time.
:D

Bike shown finished podium by the way. Represented the highest build level of air cooled Ducs IIRC. Was replaced by the water cooled developments shortly after.
 
Jo said:
Nah André. Look at this picture of the 1984 24h race in Spa:
11310286444_91942faee3_b.jpg


They'd not been invented at that time.
:D

Bike shown finished podium by the way. Represented the highest build level of air cooled Ducs IIRC. Was replaced by the water cooled developments shortly after.
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Marc Granie, CMPN (club motocycliste de la police nationale)
He did the IOM TT quite a few times.
Soured when ageing and espoused fascist conspiracy theories. Last heard of, he was locked up in a psychiatric hospital. He must have been right about the conspiracy.
Paul
(Jo, it's not called Spa, but Francorchamps, or Spa Francorchamps if you must. The locals call it "le pisspot", because it's often very wet)
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Intended to link to the youtube vid but it is just poxy advertising all the way.
"Nico Cereghini, former world championship rider, journalist and overall motorbike legend, tells the evolution of the sliders from the Dainese Archive, DAR. In the late 70s, riders like Kenny Roberts and Marco Lucchinelli started to lean the bike more and more and felt the need for a third point of contact with the track. They started to tape old helmet visors to the suit, so that they could slide on the asphalt properly. Dainese introduced the first actual slider in 1981 and it was called istrice (porcupine) for its characteristic shape. In the next ten years the evolution took place until the current slider arrived, at the beginning of the 90s. Twenty years later, after another revolution of the riding style, the elbow slider was integrated on racing suits too."
 
My Dainese leathers that I bought in early ‘85 had the ‘porcupine’ style slider fitted, and certainly I recall other riders wearing them earlier than that. However, I guess the photos Dave posted predate 1981.
 
Lots photos from the Moto Thome Ducati. 👍😄 I met Helmut Thome first time in the late 70th at Peter Heusers shop in Troisdorf..That time he rode a 500 twin Duc, which was not running as well as our 250 Suzuki and Benelli but later for some time he became the Duc man in Germany.
 
martymoose said:
Great photos Jo! Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Marty!

andre g said:
Lots photos from the Moto Thome Ducati. 👍😄 I met Helmut Thome first time in the late 70th at Peter Heusers shop in Troisdorf..That time he rode a 500 twin Duc, which was not running as well as our 250 Suzuki and Benelli but later for some time he became the Duc man in Germany.
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I remember you mentioned Heuser's motorcycle shop some time ago! There I saw him rolling the first Benelli 750 Sei out of his van when I was on the way to vocational school on my 50cc Hercules. I bought my first motorcycle from him, a used Yamaha DT 250 in 1977.

From Helmut Thomé I bought my first new motorcycle, a 900SS in 1996.

As far as the races in Spa-Francorchamps were concerned, we’d been there every year since 1980 - until international 24-hour races were no longer held there. We weren't interested in four-cylinder bikes; my friends and I always had a heart for 2- and 3-cylinder motorcycles.

And yes, Helmut had a good reputation back then. As far as I remember, he overextended himself by opening a second store and had to go bankrupt. As a result, he also lost his parents' house. After the millennium, Uwe Witt briefly offered him asylum in his workshop, after which I lost sight of him...



Those were the days – fond memories!
 
Helmut Thome simply vanished about 12 years ago. I don't know anybody that knows of his whereabouts.

Helmut also dealt briefly in Zane Laverdas at the turn of the century.

piet
 
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somebody please post a picture of Massimo riding around the factory "test track" on the V6 with no helmet and then lets hear the comments.

Hamish does seem to think he is in charge of all aspects of his destiny when he is riding his 1000, he is not! let me tell you I was rear ended whilst sat on TOG, stationary, in a lay by, parked paralell to the kerb and in the middle of the space, I was flipped into a somersault by contact with my right leg, which was (of course) got broken, the impact of the road on my helmet meant a new one was needed, the injuries would have been much worse had I not been wearing hand made (to measure) leather trousers, armoured jacket and an AGV "Ago" helmet. The engine was off and I did not feel vulnerable being some metre+ from the roads edge, no helmet and no prtective gear??????? shudder shudder shudder
CLEM
 
Following on from Clem
March 17th, rear ended.
Still limping. Foot protected by excellent Daytona boots.
Luckily, sort of, it's the insurers paying out rather than me for medical costs.
Paul
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