Saturday September 23rd 2023
September 23rd, 2023Quiz - Name the rider - The bike and the year.
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I did think of posting this pic as a quiz - but nobody would have got it - a wonderful shot of the great Arthur Browning riding the Scottish on a very special Jawa . Big Arthur is likely remembered as one of the best British “All Rounders” he rode everything - Trials,-.MX, - , Speedway, Hill climbs - you name it and Arthur has likely tried it - WE saw him at the 1983 ISDE in Wales, he rode a Yamaha TT 600 for the British Trophy Team - only the Germans, and Canada had a TT 600 on their Trophy Team - Pat Horan was on ours, which we borrowed from Walt Healy!!!
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I was out busy up and down the Valley yesterday on deliveries so missed the phone call from Jacek to tell us the sad news that Jimmy Corkle had passed away some time ago - Jacek had called to visit and found the shop all shuttered up, so he went next door to where Jimmy’s brother lives and received the bad news. - ( We thank Jacek for phoning us on this, as I have been trying to reach Jimmy on his cell phone for some time - in fact the most recent was just the day before.)
Jimmy Corkle was a not only a good friend - he was an excellent mechanic and helped us back in 2005 when we had the first Sherco 320 4T - I would drive the six hours to Jimmy’s and spend a couple of long days & nights trying to solve the starting problem. - We never cured it completely, because it was a design error - but we did come up with a six page diagnosis - which was sent to Andreu Cordina at the Sherco factory - glad to say we got a nice reply and some of these issues were installed in the later 2008 model. -( they didn’t make it in 06 & 07) - we also drank a lot of Coors lite - Jimmy’s favorite.
I first met Jimmy when he worked as a mechanic at the Honda shop in Fernie - I called on them to sell Opti Oil - we got chatting about Trials and although Jimmy looked nothing like a Trials rider ( He was a Harley rider) - He got really interested and together with his buddy Fergie - came to our first Outlaw Trial in Summerland back in 1987.
Jimmy and his buddy had twin shock TY 250’s but the thing I remember most was at the start of the Trial I noticed they both had these long coiled wires stretched from the bike to the front of their shirt. - Jimmy explained that they had been practicing “Walls” and because of all the crashes - decided to utilize this kill switch system which was common on snowmobiles - Well OK I said - but we soon found out that this idea while it was way ahead of it’s time - was flawed in one aspect -as soon as the rider moved back on the bike because of a rock ledge- log etc - the wire would pull off the tether and a big FIVE would be scored.
Naturally it was a case of back to the drawing board - but you get the idea that Jimmy Corkle was a real thinker. - he sure helped me solve some mechanical problems over the years.
The times we spent together and the adventures are too many to record on this short blog - suffice to say Jimmy really was a brilliant guy and a wonderful friend. - I will miss him dearly - I may just have to spend one more night around the campfire to tell some of the stories.
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