Toy Run
 

3 Amigos Toy Run in aid of the Children's Unit, Withybush Hospital, Pembrokeshire, 12 Dec 2009.

I am pleased to say that there was an XT600E representing proper motorbikes at this event. There was me (filthy tatty XT), a very ratty XT660R and also a nicely-restored Yamaha DT400 owned by a friend. That, and a load of choppers, ratbikes, trikes, cruisers, Harleys, sportsbikes, streetfighters, BMW tourers, Brit classics, learnerbikes, twist'n'goes, and even a Morgan-style three-wheeler powered by a Moto Guzzi V-twin (which broke down within half a mile). 450 bikes in all - quite a ride-out.

A great day out, and a lot of money raised for a good cause. And what a change to have people waving at you from goodwill, instead of two fingers :)

My son was born in Withybush Hospital ,many moons ago .

Good on you for raising funds .:clap:

[What a pity that you have to though - it's the same story the world over ]

Wow, small world!

The Toy Run has been going for about ten years now, but this is the first year I have been able to do it. I plan to make it a regular thing from now on.

Did you live round here, then?

Yes , I lived near Goodwick .:palm::Beach::palm: :lol2:
See you've got an old Landie ,do you ever go to any West Wales 4X4 events ?

PHOTO's...........????

When Bikers organise these toy runs to the local Hospital, what happens to the toys they bring ?

@Panzer: they go to the children's unit. What happens to them after that, I don't know, but I suspect the children do.

@Dodger: I'm between Goodwick and H/West, and Withybush is my local too. The old S2a is the last of my Landies. I used to have a dedicated V8 trialler (Malcolm Whitbread frame, if you have heard of him) and I used to compete a lot with West Wales 4x4. I even set a trial out in a 4.6 Rangie once (it coped). But I now realise that I only got into off-roading as a substitute for bikes. I gave up bikes about 15 years ago because of illness, and now I have been back on two wheels for a few years I've let the Land Rovers go, one by one. I even have a good offer on the S2a, and I am seriously considering it. Great vehicles, but I never use it now. It deserves better than a slow death by rust on my driveway.

small world
 

Yes it's a small world ,I was one of the founding members of the WW4x4 and was chairman until I emigrated in 94.
I still miss it and wish we had something like it here ,I have a 1958 S1 and a 1965 2A waiting patiently for me to rebuild them , - one of these days !
I sold my old trialler just before I left Blighty to a useless git who never finished paying for it before he sold it on again ,I have seen it's still in action on the website ,you live and learn eh!.:no:

All the best .
Dodger

That wouldn't be Wild Thing, would it? That's been through nearly eveyone's hands at some point, a bit like the 'village bike'.

Could well be !

Nigel Smith built it ,it was called The Mathry Mauler , then when I had it it was Caerau Clodhopper .
I think Keith Kelso and another fella bought it at some point , then I lost track of it .
Good fun machine ,loved those dumper tyres and fiddle brakes !!!:clap:

That must have been it. It was owned by KK when I started in that game, and called 'Wild Thing', painted black and purple, dumper tyres, tall and ungainly, but won everything it entered. I have some photos somewhere; I'll dig them out. I bought it off KK, but it was a bit too far gone for me, and needed a lot of work. Not to be competitive, which it was, but to be in the slightest bit comfortable, and to have everything working. I ended up putting it on eBay, and it was bought by a previous owner, who wanted to make it road legal, for a laugh.

Happy days.

(Sorry to go so far off-topic, everyone.)

Hi Richard,

It's been interesting following the thread. I bought a new LR in the mid 70s when working in Iran for a couple of years. Travelled all over that country and Afghanistan in it. The best 4 wheeled vehicle I've owned, certainly the most fun.

Coincidentally, my bike 'stable' is identical to yours.

Cheers.

Yep apols for hijacking !Here we go again .

That old landie will never be comfortable in a million years !
I had a great time with it ,even did a couple of comp safaris , ha ha .Shook myself to bits .I can't think why anydody would want it road legal ,although I did take it on the road a few times around the lanes meself .Always had to run with two wheels on the grass verge 'cos she was usually stuck in 4wd .
I always had this plan of making it front and rear steering .
I remember that Nigel changed the wheelbase a couple of times before he was happy with it , that machine was a complete bitsa and I don't think it ever was built from any ONE vehicle .
The brakes were never any good and I had to have a navigator to haul on one fiddle brake whilst I hauled on the other in order to stop .Sometimes we didn't get it quite right and the results were quite funny I'm told .
Usually I was chasing Nigel or John Davies for the championship and the rivalry was quite close .
Great comradeship ;when / if you broke down ,your main rival would lend you his machine and very often navigate for you to show you round the tricky parts of a section that had caused him grief .
Happy times .

Roger

Hehe. Make a nice pair, don't they? (The Pan hardly gets used except for long journeys in a hurry, but then it is unbeatable. The XT is the one I like the best, the one I would save if the garage was on fire.)

Yes, it was a complete bitsa. The engine was a Rover V8, but the chassis was (I think) from a BMW, as was the gearbox. I remember clearly that the steering wheel was from a Triumph Dolomite. The fiddles were a two-man job, and the seats were held down by gravity. Scrutineering was always touch and go. But it could climb anything.

I've remembered who I sold it to - a guy called Lyndon Camidge, who had owned it in the past. Did you know him? I've searched all my photo discs, but I can't find a picture of Wild Thing. I must have done some, as I put it on eBay. Shame really, as it would make a kind of sense for all these good and tolerant people who are reading this without the slightest clue of what we are on about.

I think we should stop! If I ever find a pic, I'll PM you.