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Available on Amazon. Tips on riding motorcycles from Larry lifesaver. |
HOW WE MET OLD LARRY LIFESAVER This here is the story of how we met Old Larry Lifesaver as we call him. I say ‘we’ because I would like you to just sit back, let your imagination run for a while and maybe pick up a few tips on how to keep safe as Larry would say, “On them Ole Moto-Sickles.” I want you to try to picture yourself out for a ride one sunny summer's afternoon with me, some buddies and a few of the girls. We stop at a little wayside motorcycle cafe for a break and a coffee. Seems, if I remember rightly, the sign out the front read ‘The Sidecar Cafe, All Motorcyclists Welcome.’ As we walked away from the bikes toward the cafe door, I remember looking down at my watch; the time was 2.05pm. Once inside and coffee cups full, we are all seated around a table by the window generally chatting about the usual things motorcyclists talk about. Through the window, we see outside a rider. We watch as he pulls off the road and into the parking area. He's riding an early 1950’s pre-unit Triumph Thunderbird 650, one of those with the sprung hub rear suspension. He's wearing an old corker helmet and a set of full leathers that look like they date back to the sixties, over which he seems to be wearing what looks like a worn-out and faded old hi-viz of some kind. His kit is topped off with a pair of fisherman's socks turned over at the top of his calf-length leather riding boots. As it ticks over, the engine of his old bike sounds as sweet as a nut. We watch as he slowly removes his helmet to reveal what we can clearly see now is an older man. He has everyone's attention now. He reaches down, turns off the petrol tap, and gives the throttle a quick blip before he turns off the small spade key on the headlight nacelle and the ancient engine rumbles to a stop. We continue to watch as he kicks down the side stand and nimbly swings his leg off the old bike. He stands there for a moment with a smile, looking fondly down at his old machine, shrugs his shoulders, turns, and casually walks toward the cafe door with the contented look of a satisfied man. Once inside the cafe, he orders himself a mug of coffee with extra sugar and looks around for a place to sit. His eyes immediately catch sight of our group of riders seated by the window. We invite him over and he pulls out a chair, turns it round backwards and sits down with his arms crossed on the backrest. He introduces himself as Larry. He smiles, nods his head to one side as if stretching his neck, then announces that he is going to tell us all about riding motorcycles - “Safely that is,” he says. I remember thinking to myself at the time, "Who does this old man think he is?" just plonking himself down at our table and proceeding to tell us what we know, or rather don't know, about riding motorcycles. Well, I guess we were all about to find out. Turns out old Larry has been riding motorcycles on a full license for more than half a century and has nigh on two million miles of riding behind him over three continents. As the conversation rolls on, we discover that Larry, in his retirement, has been working as a motorcycle instructor, one of those guys who train you to pass your bike test and do basic training for as he puts it, "Them young'uns on L plates.” We never do get to know his last name. So in the future when we refer to that day, we all just call him, “Old Larry Lifesaver." What follows are some of our questions and Larry's Lifesaving Tips. He starts out by asking a question. The story then goes on with Old Larry giving his new friends some sage advice on riding motorcycles. |
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