1: Ducati M900 Il Mostro.
904cc air cooled, 90 degree V twin engine. Dry clutch and lots and lots of character, as most of the Ducati range has. She was built in 1993, one of the first off production line, and (possibly) the oldest Ducati M900 in the UK.
I've owned here since 23rd December 2006, and we have had our ups and downs. Knocked off the bike twice on the same road, at different ends, and a week apart between each off. Two complete engine rebuilds, a few niggling electrical problems, worn out Brembo rear wheel, paint peeling off of the front wheel, but she has covered over 60k miles in the last 20 years, and approximately 35k of those miles have been covered by me!
Not too shabby for a 20 year old
2: MINI One 1.4
The changing faces of Dinky
The Dinky one. A car that I didn't think I would want, but now I've got one, I love it! I bought her on the 11th September 2011. One month later she was reversed into, and a bill for over £2000 was sent to the third party. After I collected the car from the repair workshop, it has been a slippery slop since!
The engine is still standard, not that there is a lot you can do to tune the 1.4ltr engine in the MINI One. Maybe a change of air filter for a K&N system, but unlike the 1.6 Cooper, you can't really do much else.
The interior is still standard (just about), apart from the addition of Union Jack interior mirror cover, Union Jack centre consol, Union Jack door handles and glove box opening button and a Union Jack parcel shelf cover from Go Badges. The stereo has been fully upgraded by NewMINIStuff in February 2012, and it does kick out one of the best sounds from the speakers I have heard from a car.
The exterior has been altered slightly. It's still a Lightning Blue MINI. The bonnet and front bumper were replaced by Cooper Tadworth workshop after the shunt. So far I've added the Union Jack (can you see a theme here!) mirror covers, DM wheel caps, and a Cooper S rear spoiler. The wipers have been changed to the flat aero design, Cooper S grille, genuine MINI spot lights and Cooper S fuel cap.
All of the above have been completed since October 2011, just to make the car stand out a bit more.
3: Suzuki GSF600n, the Bandit
It has become the one we do not speak of. The forgotten vehicle of my little fleet, and since 2006 I've been saying "yes I will rebuild the Bandit" on New Years Day, but it just seems to be put in more boxes.
Back in 2006, it was a 72k mile, 1999 Suzuki GSF600N. I have owned the bike since new. Nothing was really modified on the bike. Standard engine, just an aftermarket can was fitted (and fell off one bike ride). A few stickers were added to the tank, the wheels have been different colours, and the gear was changed from 15 tooth front sprocket to 14 tooth, to give it a little bit more acceleration.
The old Suzuki Bandit on her last ride out.
Well, that was a brief rundown on the vehicles under my current ownership. All three need a slight bit of repair, well one of them needs a lot of repairing and a miracle!!
I'll go off and start planing the restoration.
No comments:
Post a Comment