European free speech

Following up to Martin

My Bond qualified on weight as a trike,

and because it had three wheels.

I thought it fairly obvious a trike would have to have three
wheels.

It wasn't a car because there was no
reverse gear, because there was a gate to block reverse. Without the
gate and with reverse you needed a car licence to drive it.

Some had electrical reverse IIRC by runing the engine backwards,
is that possible or have I gone mad? There was no mechanical
reverse to block off as it was a bike engine/gearbox. You went
backwards by turning on the spot, the engine/gearbox/wheel being
on a post that rotated more than 180 degrees under the bonnet.
You could spin on the spot for a laugh or turn round in traffic
and drive off the other way which usually got an open mouth
reaction from the car behind. (or a big bloke could pick up the
front end) It was a bit like a dodgum car for the street, an
experienced driver could corner on two wheels and the front
bumper, which tended to frighten passengers, of course all this
happened at about 20mph. Worst features were the scooter tryes
with split rims that made punctures a pain, the auto convertible
top, came off when it felt like it, no fuel gauge, only one door,
no electric start on many (kickstart under bonnet) only one
wiper, (I fitted another), brakes that hardly worked and no
heater and the fact it was totally crap, I did get to Brighton
once, with only one puncture, the carb falling off and the drive
chain coming off a few times, BMW it wasnt. But then when youre
stil at school in the 60s it was sort of cool. Two of us had them
and a good ruse was for the passenger to get into the boot space
and open the back flap, the driver then braked, making the one
behind hit the back, the passenger then lunged out and pulled off
the HT lead through the air intake and you were away.

It all ended with the front wheel coming off at "speed". I
remember seeing the missing wheel overtake me after rolling
underneath, taking the "brakes" with it and destroying the
floorpan. Steering with the crankcase as a plough worked quite
well for a while and got me over to the kerb but it did for the
engine, I was very proud that a E type (or something similar)
stopped to ask if I needed any help, fellow 2 seat convertible
driver, hah!
I told a dustman it was made of aluminium and they broke it in
half and chucked it on the cart for scrap.
Still, it only ever caught fire the once.
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to Martin

I'm not even sure if the Basildon Bond had a
reverse gear. Some of the bubble cars had some hadn't.

If you drove an Isetta (front opening door) without reverse up to
a wall or another car how would you ever get out without calling
the police?
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to The Reid :

Following up to Martin

I'm not even sure if the Basildon Bond had a
reverse gear. Some of the bubble cars had some hadn't.

If you drove an Isetta (front opening door) without reverse up to
a wall or another car how would you ever get out without calling
the police?

:-)
And in those days there were no mobile phones, so how could you call the
police without getting out first?
--
Tim C.

Following up to Tim C.

If you drove an Isetta (front opening door) without reverse up to
a wall or another car how would you ever get out without calling
the police?

:-)
And in those days there were no mobile phones, so how could you call the
police without getting out first?

my friend has an Isetta, complete with BMW engine, cant remember
if it had reverse, I *think* it did. I know it had a massive
airhorn he got from a boatyard, so he sounded like the QE2..They
had a great game on the radio this week, "hooter poker", two
people ring in and compete for best hooter, it could have been
crap but interesting people took part. There was a child's
trike, then an old bomb disposal vehicle with an "arugah" horn
like the crash dive alarm on a submarine, then a crane, a Merc 44
tonner sounded like a bubble car and then a policecar came on
with its "twos and blues", but the winner was, wait for it, the
Woolwich ferry!!!! I swear you could hear it via the radio and
through the window (I don't think they faked the whole thing).

Is a bike with reverse a car?
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to The Reid

my friend *had*
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to The Reid :

Is a bike with reverse a car?

:-) There are some with a reverse gear. The Honda Goldwing and I believe some of the big BMW tourers do. They're as heavy as a car.
--
Tim C.