NN203 - Flipbook - Page 34
with the bike following close behind. l got there before the dust had
settled. He landed in a pile of rocks
l thought the worst but amazingly he wasn9t badly hurt, that
morning his back was hurting so he somehow put his sleeping bag
inside the back of his leathers for support, which unknowingly
probably saved him from seriously injuring himself, he did have a
habit of wearing 昀ngerless gloves which made his hands look a
bloody mess, but again he still had ten 昀ngers intact, he lost one of
his nine lives that day, although he had to suffer an ambulance ride
and the indignity of having to catch a bus back to Vancouver, his
bike followed later. BMOC members had a collection to help him
pay for parts and l rebuilt it for him.
The next time l rebuilt the bike he had just left my place and was
heading south. He stopped at a gas station and when he was
starting the bike it spat a 昀ame through the air box and it caught 昀re,
which was promptly put out with an extinguisher, but not before the
cables and wiring was fried. l drove out in my truck and picked it up.
l told him that this time it was a frame off restoration.
It had everything stripped completely. Even the crank was
dismantled to inspect the sludge trap which was amazingly almost
clear. it was rebuilt with new big end shells, super blend mains, new
premier concentrics, 昀anged alloy rims, basically a no expense
spared rebuild. This gave him a perfectly restored commando to
ride for his 昀nal years on the road. He did manage to destroy the
back wheel on another rally which we had at Kaslo in the
Kootenays.
When he arrived he had a broken spoke on the back wheel, he
had apparently been riding some distance on logging roads, then
on his trip home he rode until the bike was unridable, he ended up
knocking a strangers door and somehow he knocked the right door
because he got the bike trailered back home. l had the wheel in my
shop, he had broken twenty spokes, this must be a world record. It
must have been a sight to see him riding on the Trans-Canada
Highway with a very wobbly rear wheel, ridden to destruction.
This was Grant. Only he could do these things, his story9s
around a camp昀re were always amazing. We aren9t all master
Norton mechanics, but that doesn9t mean that he didn9t get out
there and live the dream regardless. I9m sure that we will talk about
him for hopefully many years to come, especially around a rally
camp昀re, over some anesthetic. His spirit will stay with us forever
probably in a Scotch bottle, we will let him out so he can join us.
RIP brother you were unique.
I hope you enjoyed that story of true friendship. Colin.
Number 203
30
Norton News
