5 White Horses Laverda Ride-Out

Sunday, the 18th March, 2001

A report by the organisor, Nick Alcock:
24 Hours to go before the ride and the Jota has a burned out alternator and shim appearing from a bodged rear wheel bearing - I'm down but a call to Tony secures the offer of an alternator and RGS wheel with marginal tyre, game on!
Sunday morning and the Jota coughs in to life running straight off the battery but still no good reason to be on 2 cylinders. Limp to the 10:00 meet and wait.....Dominic appears on his Jarama and soon Tony on his RGS with Dave (on Tony's BMW). We head off to Avebury wondering if John Steele is push starting his RGS somewhere in Reading. The Jota continues to misfire and I decide attack is the best form of defense and so we roll along at 85mph with me trying to overtake at the last minute and put cars between myself and the following pack. Going into 'Great Shefford' I feel my foot slide on the peg and look down to see the right side of the Jota awash with oil - bugger this isn't a Brit bike rally what's going on? We pull in to a pub car park and decide it's because I haven't put the alternator bung back in and so oil is coming out from underneath the starter. Tony suggests we fit the alternator he has in his bag and 15 minutes later we're rolling.
Arriving at Avebury we see Jan's 750 Formula a rare 668 Cafe Racer a couple of RGS's and a red Jota. Getting in the pub John Steele introduces himself along with a story about a plank of wood and some steps...I think he just wanted another hour in bed! Still great to put a face to a name and everyone has a natter waiting for the off. Now England in March is not pleasant but although it's cold and grey it's not raining. We head off and again I misfire up to 85ish. As we pull out of Marlborough we see Chris Bazire on his RGS coming the other way and he falls in to line. For the next 40 miles or so we weave along the country lanes with me pointing to White Horses as we go - but I don't think anyone was bothering to look.
Anyhow we get to the final stretch a beautiful road between Avebury and Swindon and Paul on his Jota thunders by and for a while there's two Jota's in harmony sweeping through some bends - what a feeling, what a sound then the spell is broken by the 668 Cafe Racer zipping by, Tony responds on his RGS, like a big cat stalking it's prey who in turn is followed by Dave Botting on the BM. The next 10 miles fly by we're all in God's country now.
By the time we hit the motorway services for a coffee the weather is miserable but everyone has a smile on their face and the talk is of bends, straights and Dan's amazing overtaking manouever on the 668 which must have put quite a lot of business in to the local laundrette (pooh!).
Time to head home, the sleet that started in the cafe has given way to drizzle and we all head separate ways - twins, triples 180, 120, Breganze, Zane what the f**k it all flys under one flag LAVERDA!!!!!

Nick :)
email: alcock.didcot@virgin.net
p.s. The misfire cleared on the way home, next year I'll be up at the front all the way I promise..........