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[Desperate]

I'd definately use the Jag! Steering won't be that heavy. Are you using a rack or steering box?

[Borgy]

My kind of Moggie Thou, I approve

[Desperate]

Built it for the missus a couple of years ago.

[Manky Monkey]

Fabulous piccies Chris!
I'd forgotten the NSU. What a beast that was -how did it handle? Looks very top heavy. Coupled with the long forks that must've been an interesting ride!
Yup, still think Lowlife was a classic. You've set a few trends in your time haven't you. Wonder how many Beach Bastard copies there are bimbling about now.
What was the motor in the Moggy? I used to run a matt black Minor pick up with fibreglass flip front, steel roll top pick up bed, fat Weller 8 spokes, coil over shocks, discs, beer barrel petrol tank, bench seat, paisley print interior & a 1600 twin cam SuperMirafiori with 5 speed box. Most unreliable car I've ever owned but went like a rocket & never failed to make me grin. Wish I had some piccies of it.
The rod will use the Sherpa steering box. I've loved classic 50s hotrods since I was a schoolboy in the late 70s & also harboured a penchant for custom vans, but got into bikes cos I needed transport to do my printing apprenticeship when I left school & I could ride a 250 on L plates without taking a test. Started with a CB200 Honda then moved up to a 650 Bonny after a year or so. Happy memories! So never really built an entire car from scratch. I'm trusting to my older brother Steve's greater experience & guidance but I know what I like! The Ruffrodders link on our links page gets mentioned a lot here, but they're running exactly the kind of machinery I'm into.

[Manky Monkey]

Chris can we have a little featurette on the pick up? Check the Motors section for what's needed. A dozen piccies & as many words as you feel like scribbling & wizz 'em off to Yodie. Good to see some interesting stuff in the forum but I'd like to show 'em off a bit more in the relevant Motors pages please. As I said before, feel free to send in anything you want. We'll find room for it somewhere! -Ooh, Yodie's gonna hate me for volunteering him!
You asked about the site's history. Well, not much to tell really. We've only been up & running for 6 months or so. I own the site & would love to take the credit for it but it's all down to Yoda, the Wheeled Wonder. If you attend a show anywhere in the country this year or open a bike mag you're bound to see him. He's the nutter with the maniacal grin in the wheelchair. I think he's planning World media domination. He handles all the clever techy bits of the site, which is why I direct any contributors to his address. I write & take piccies but haven't got a clue how to actually manage my own site. Very keen to learn, but hampered by inate stupidity I'm afraid. Sorting out photos for the new Merchandise page at the moment so I hope to be visiting Yodie Mansions in Birmingham for some hands on tuition, (!!), when we set the page up.
I've always been creative -not necessarily talented, but creative. At school it was art, then it was bike building & now it's triketeering, photography & writing. Once all the present projects are out of the way I'd really like to try my hand at metal sculpture too. As a teenager I belonged to a local MCC. The Fox & Hounds MCC in Newbury, Berks, (guess which pub we met in). I was a member for 10 years or so before moving out of the area & losing touch. The Club's now long since gone but a couple of years ago the secretary started a website to reunite old faces. I got involved, started writing little show reports & posting piccies & found I got a real buzz from it. That site's now closed down but some of the pieces I wrote are hereabouts, including the trike frame building chapters, which need editing to remove references to club members actually. I've also written articles for various bike magazines over the years.
So this little site is an outlet for an overactive creative streak, &, I hope, somewhere for others to show off their own talents. I'm constantly badgering people to add their two pennys worth. The more variety of machinery & writing styles the better -& it'll stop me from whittering on too much!
Oh, & the name? My mate Darren, ("Flap" -his little girls' nickname for his canvas roofed Landrover), & I have been messing about putting a bright orange trike together for him for what seems like several lifetimes now. He kept calling me Manky instead of Andy. I retalliated with Manky Monkey & we eventually became Manky Monkey Motors, builders of motor tricycles to discerning gentlefolk.
As the Homepage says, we're not a business or even a club, just a little band of mates setting fire to things in various lock up garages.
How's that? Anything else you'd like to know?!

[Borgy]

And I post here

[Manky Monkey]

 
Borgy, man of few words!

[Desperate]

"Nasty Nasty" (title of a 999 punk record) was powered by a 1200cc air-cooled NSU car engine. If you look closely, all the weight is actually low down, and the handling was SUPERB! It'd leave CB750 Hondas standing! I built another one with a blower on it, "Mad Dog".  My next project is also NSU powered, took 18 months just to find an engine.
The Minor had a tuned 1100 engine, lowered, discs, servo, 7" Alleycats and far too many mods to mention. It was totally rotten and took 10 months to rebuild. I'm currently helping my mate with a Moggy pickup. From the ground to the top of the roof....48". My fastest vehicle ever was a trike. Not the Merc, but "Captain Penis", a Preying Mantis with a full-race 2-litre Fiat twincam in the back.
I realise "Desperates" had a lot to answer for when we built the first "Beach Bastard". The first one, featured in BSH, with the Stars'n'Stripes paintwork, took 3 days to build from being a car to riding out of the workshop.
Many thanks for the history. No need to tell me what it's like to have a creative streak, mate. Sometimes it hurts 'cause there's not enough time (or money).
I've been looking for a car site for ages. Most seem too serious, and I'm a very unserious person. This one seems to tick all the boxes. I've been on Chopperbuilder for a while, now. It's an excellent site, with no stupid prats on it.
I'll do something on my Morris-8. Have to do some more pics. The only standard bit left is the beam axle and chassis. It's only got a little engine, Suzuki Santana 1000cc OHC and five-speed, but it's had an aweful lot done to it. It's my only form of transport, my daily drive, hence the small motor.
Here's that pic of my lawnmower, the Morris flip-front behind it is my compressor house. Also, another of the pickup.
Give me a ring sometime & I'll let you know what I'm up to.
Chris

[Borgy]

I remember many moons ago walking into your shop in Layton Buzzard I think it was then when you where building Low Life.[1] I still remember how friendly you all where to my Trike virgin questions that you must have answered a thousand times before.

In fact you got me into Trikes, well the longing for one. So now I own 2


[1] Think also you was building something for a Doctor as well called the Tradis

[2] Ther past may be confused with other parts of my life and realities from other worlds though

[Plainy Janie]

Hey Desperate,

You're the man I have only ever heard about, but never met.  A legend in your own garage I believe.   My dad (Jacko), bought a trike off you about 8/9 years ago and oddly enough it is stamped near the passenger seat "captain penis".    He's accessorised it since you last saw it, but takes it to all the local shows, I used to hang off the back of it, recording our outings until I passed my bike test.  Glad to have met you honourable Sir.  The trike generates interest whereever Jacko takes it.  Thanks very much for making my old pop a happy one.  A toast to you!!!

Janie_postie

[Desperate]

Hi Jane. Are you another postperson? My best mate's a postman! Your Dad looks younger than me!
Well, it's definately not "Captain Penis", that was BANANA yellow and had a Fiat TwinCam in the back, and telescopic forks. But it had the same chassis. It's a Preying Mantis. And that looks to be an exceptional example. I think I made the Girders too. It seems to ring a bell, especially the paint. Is it powder-coated? That louvred box should contain the battery. They were a really nice-handling VW trike, took us several years to develop, and that's quite a late model, a Mk111. No unexpected wheelies with those babies! The first one I ever built (for myself) was supercharged!
These were the first VW trikes on the market with no bodyshell. Why cover up a bloody nice chassis? If you look at the frame number, it'll tell you when it was built, and how many we had already done that year. If you post it, I'll tell you. Also, if it has castors on the back, we used to nick Tesco trolleys for them.

Borgy, the reason we were nice and friendly to you was, basically, because we are. No room for attitudes. The only reason I started the shop was to have the facilities and money to build my own machines.

Andy....That yellow trike I sent you a pic of (5 wheels) had bunches of banana's painted on the back, and underneath them, this legend...."Fresh Ripe Bananas Delivered to your Door". Across the mudguards was signwritten ..."Express Banana Delivery Service". It was called "LongLife", it's smaller brother was, of course, LowLife. Funny how we're both into Bananas. I was out on it one day and an old lady stopped me and asked if I could deliver 2lb to her house.

[Plainy Janie]

Yes, rumour has it I am a postie.  Funny.... thought there was a lot of letters around the office each day when I go to work.   Thinks.... shall have to ask someone at work what I'm supposed to do with them.

As for the trike, next time I see Jacko I'll get him to take some closeups for you.  I've been asking him for ages to write something for Andy.   By the way, don't get confused - I tend to call my dad by his nickname.

Janie_postie (fleet, hampshire branch).

[yoda]

...........................

[Manky Monkey]

 
Haven't checked my email yet today but no piccies from you last night Chris. A banana fetish? You sure you're on the right site? Glad you like it here. We're not a big site -I've been checking the counter this week -about 30 hits a day -but hopefully there's enough variety for you to find something you like. If not, get on your keyboard & write something!
Janie, go find a nice photogenic spot & take a few snaps of Jacko's beloved trike & scribble some words & we'll selotape it all in the Motors section for you. Same goes for the rest of you -if you want to show off your machinery this is the very place. The more the merrier. Bikes, trikes, cars, traction engines...lawn mowers. No anti mower attitudes here! Can we have a piece on the chopped Moggy too please Chris? If you PM me your phone number I'll give you a bell.

[Desperate]

Hold a piece of paper over the back wheel. What do you see? Lowlife, of course!