RUST magazine: RUST#42

tRAIL
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RIGHT Looking spiffily like new, JB not
impressed BELOW: Presumably the extra
length on the header pipe denotes ‘works’
spec (tape measure reads in metric and
imperial to help our American readers)
doing something together. The Fantic
therefore was the perfect pretext. Did I
mention he is an excellent mechanic?
The first thing Mr Hall asked me
once we’d got the bike out of the van
and into his garage was, ‘what do
you want it to be, a reliable runner or
a show-pony?’ This wasn’t actually
a question I’d asked myself. I mean
obviously it needs to run, but since
I’d criticised Mr Bentman in virtual
print for slinging his Honda trials
bike together with scant regard for
aesthetics it obviously needs to look a
million dollars as well. Plus, as Mr Hall
pointed out, it won’t be nearly as nice
to ride as my reliable-runner Montesa
315.
So we were already erring to the
side of show pony when a few photos
I posted on a Fantic restoration
Facebook page elicited a certain
amount of excitement. Apparently
the top mounts on the rear shocks
are ‘factory’, as is my exhaust pipe –
which would explain why it was such
a bastard to get off. Current opinion
is either it’s a factory bike, a bike
modified to factory spec by the UK
importers or a privateer bike modified
by someone using factory specs. I have
a hunch the latter is probably the most
likely scenario but whatever the case
might be it has clearly pushed us in the
show pony direction.
A direction very much aided and
abetted by Mr Hall’s incredible network
of blokes in sheds spread across the
south of England providing the most
amazing services. There’s a chap
near Virginia Water doing the most
incredible things with a vapour blaster
who can ceramic coat things at very
reasonable prices. There’s someone
in the South West (confusingly called
Bradford Ignitions) who can rewind
your stator, there’s a shop in Surrey
52
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