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G4ETZ > BIKE 15.03.99 22:14l 87 Lines 4929 Bytes #-9952 (0) @ WW
BID : 3345_G4ETZ
Read: DJ3YM GUEST DK3EL
Subj: thumb nail sketch of my life.
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Sent: 990315/0013Z @G4ETZ.GB7COV.#29.GBR.EU #:3345 [West Mids] Bid 3345_G4ETZ
Hello Biker's
Just thought you might be interested in hearing about my life and
motor cycling, I am now age 71 and have been there and got the tee shirt to
prove it, I was a very lucky young man in as much I happened to be in the
right spot at the right time.
My father had worked at Veloce all his working life and it followed that I
and my brother would follow in his foot steps, which we both did! in my
case I was in at the ground floor getting the assembly bits and bobs
together to produce the pathetic LE, it was very good experience and stood
me in good stead later on, I was given an LE to take to the I.O.M to thrash
the life out of it, I managed 75mph two up from Kates Cottage to Cregnabaa
and over the two weeks I could not break this machine, and yet when the
bike went into production, it ran into all sorts of problems, too many to
relate here.
One day my father came to talk to me at the works and asked to come and
have a look at a racing Velo, I laughed my socks off at the sight of this
old fashioned racer, the next shock he gave me was to tell me that I had
been chosen to build a batch of them, all hand made, the said bikes where
called Mk 8 KTT 350cc camshaft singles, and in time these funny looking
bikes grew on me and I fell in love with them and would not tolerate anyone
saying a bad word about them.
Again in the right place at the right time, I was offered a works Velo bike
to ride for the works both 350 and a five hundred, I was given the job of
taking a 350 to the MANX in September 1948 to learn the course after the
racers had gone home, I spent eleven weeks buzzing round the Island, I had
the time of my young life, and managed twenty six mins a lap in the finish
with the roads open to milk men and farmers, I was out on the course from
4am each day, to do three laps before the Islanders got out of bed.
January the next year Velocette withdrew from the racing game, the biggest
dispointment of my life.
At the TT in June I was more or less out of work as a racing workshop man,
when again lady luck took a hand in things, we out of work mechanics where
apraoched by a small group of suited Japanese, the question was which of
us was named Frank Webb, thats me! I owned up to the name and they asked me
to come and have a word with them at another table which I did, they
offered me a job looking after the racing shop at Honda, riders would be
Mike the bike, Jim Redman, Tom Philips, and a couple of Japs, what an
offer, I asked for time to give it some thought as I needed to chat to dad
about the move, they agreed to this and we shook hands on the arrangment
and I told my mates what had happened, I told dad about the offer and he
blew his top and told me if you go to work for the japs you will have to
leave home, I'm not having the people at Veloce knowing I have a son who
works for the japs undermining the british motor cycle industry.
I wrote to Honda and turned down the job.
Theres more! another offer came from of all places BSA to work in their
gold star work shop improving the DB32 engines, while another chap worked
on the DB34, again I had a word with dad, this time he had no objections to
me working at the Beeza, the next year BSA knocked the Venoms of their
pedistols at the clubmans TT, my father no longer thought the BSA was a
joke, I went to Daytona with the racers two years running and each year we
trounced the field, then BSA gave up racing or I should say suporting the
sport, out of work again.
My last job in the trade was a wonderful offer of a job at the ARIEL, it
was to be my job to test a new bike for the company called the Leader, and
to pass on my experence setting up the assembly tracks, I enjoyed my years
at Ariel even though it was the end of my life in the motor cycle world,
the only firm making motor bikes after that was Triunph and they soon
folded.
Well that about all I can think of for now, I hope you bike fanatics found
it of some interest, just ask if you would like a question answered and
I'll do my best, but make it soon because I'm running out of life time, my
health at the moment is not too good.
73 and happy motor cycling to you all from Frank Webb....
É» ÜÜÜÜÜ FRANK G4ETZ QRA IO92BJ BIRMINGHAM
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