Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 12:50:13 GMT
I have noticed that one of my old mates has written something on the site namely Steve Taylor; we knocked about together for a while and we were the long and the short of it – he being about 6’3” and me being about four foot nothing – I’m only 5’8” now although I tell people I’m 5’9” – that one inch counts for a lot in the profession I ended up following.
There were a couple of other wags as tall as Steve – one was Nobby Clark; I think he had the reputation as the maddest of them all and we would meet up if ever we did a Sunday.
When we worked on Sunday in Birmingham we had to go to head office down town which meant we had to take our bikes to Commercial Street Garage on the Saturday beforehand so you could fetch it from there for the Sunday shift. No chance of letting us take the bikes home - that would have made things too easy.
When we finished the Sunday shift – especially if Nobby was taking his bike back at the same time – we would race to Commercial Street Garage. Now I have to state here and now that it is a wonder we weren’t all killed the way we took that short ride.
Pinfold Street was a cobbled street and a bit of rain on there would turn it into a skating rink. This didn’t worry Nobby and because of peer group pressure or just plain stupidity or madness I used to join in the race.
Pete Bryan came back one Monday morning to Selly Oak and described the short trip he’d had with Nobby Clark on the Sunday – he said ‘he didn’t look left or right when he came out of the yard and I followed him; then he turned right at speed into Navigation Street ignoring any traffic or stop signs’ he said ‘and he shot away ahead of me - but there was traffic ahead and I thought it would slow him up; but I was wrong. He just went to the other side of the street and rode against the traffic and ended up going to the right of the keep left sign – I didn’t have a chance.’
So the next Sunday I worked there was Nobby Clark and we were both on the same shift and dismissed together by the PHG. I can’t get over the fact that we had to show the inside of our pouches but that’s another story.
We set out together for Commercial Street and it looked like it would be the same scenario as the ride with Pete but I was ready; I knew he would go against the traffic on Navigation Street so when the time came I went with him against the traffic and had the great thrill of passing the wrong side of the keep left sign – oh bliss! The whip of sound as I passed it on the ‘wrong side’ was almost orgasmic and when we reached Commercial Street we got off our bikes like a couple of heroes – him six feet odd and me four foot nothing.
When you rode behind Nobby or Steve they couldn‘t put their legs next to the bike as they were so long so they would stick their legs out and from behind this is what you would see.
Nobby Clark had loads of accidents but never got hurt – ‘I just step off the bike’ he used to say.
Going back to Steve – we joined the SAS together but that’s another story.
There were a couple of other wags as tall as Steve – one was Nobby Clark; I think he had the reputation as the maddest of them all and we would meet up if ever we did a Sunday.
When we worked on Sunday in Birmingham we had to go to head office down town which meant we had to take our bikes to Commercial Street Garage on the Saturday beforehand so you could fetch it from there for the Sunday shift. No chance of letting us take the bikes home - that would have made things too easy.
When we finished the Sunday shift – especially if Nobby was taking his bike back at the same time – we would race to Commercial Street Garage. Now I have to state here and now that it is a wonder we weren’t all killed the way we took that short ride.
Pinfold Street was a cobbled street and a bit of rain on there would turn it into a skating rink. This didn’t worry Nobby and because of peer group pressure or just plain stupidity or madness I used to join in the race.
Pete Bryan came back one Monday morning to Selly Oak and described the short trip he’d had with Nobby Clark on the Sunday – he said ‘he didn’t look left or right when he came out of the yard and I followed him; then he turned right at speed into Navigation Street ignoring any traffic or stop signs’ he said ‘and he shot away ahead of me - but there was traffic ahead and I thought it would slow him up; but I was wrong. He just went to the other side of the street and rode against the traffic and ended up going to the right of the keep left sign – I didn’t have a chance.’
So the next Sunday I worked there was Nobby Clark and we were both on the same shift and dismissed together by the PHG. I can’t get over the fact that we had to show the inside of our pouches but that’s another story.
We set out together for Commercial Street and it looked like it would be the same scenario as the ride with Pete but I was ready; I knew he would go against the traffic on Navigation Street so when the time came I went with him against the traffic and had the great thrill of passing the wrong side of the keep left sign – oh bliss! The whip of sound as I passed it on the ‘wrong side’ was almost orgasmic and when we reached Commercial Street we got off our bikes like a couple of heroes – him six feet odd and me four foot nothing.
When you rode behind Nobby or Steve they couldn‘t put their legs next to the bike as they were so long so they would stick their legs out and from behind this is what you would see.
Nobby Clark had loads of accidents but never got hurt – ‘I just step off the bike’ he used to say.
Going back to Steve – we joined the SAS together but that’s another story.