PUB TALK
This time last year PUB was disappointed to announce that the New Year’s Day Vintage Stony (Buckinghamshire) on which she reported was to be the last one. The organiser had run ten of them, and was unsuccessful in soliciting new and additional help, so proposed ending the event. Not for the first time, PUB was wrong, although perhaps her plea for it to continue added a little weight to all the other similar voices. The result is that Vintage Stony was back on for 1st January 2020, although sadly with few new volunteers so its continuance remains uncertain.
The issue of what she should take was not resolved until the day itself. The Bollée had not been used since last year, so would it go? The answer (eventually) was yes, but not for long. Unfortunately upon opening the gates to the road the machine took fright and stopped. Much swinging of the crank achieved nothing except sore arms. Further investigation revealed a broken exhaust valve link (a device that Leon Bollée used to keep the spring away from the hot cylinder head).
The run-and-jump Triumph is now too hard, and although the ‘new’ Invicta insurance is paid up, it would not take effect until the next day (pretty poor planning there). That was all veterans hors-de-combat, so it looked as if the oldest available bike would have to do – the faithful 1926 HRD which would comply with ‘vintage’ of the event title
