Celebrating 40 years 1977 / 2017, (Spark of interest, motor college saved me. Part 2)

Where did it start.

My first spark of interest in building engines started circa 1973. It began with my brother George, when one day he brought me home an old blue Yamaha 80. I watched, with great amusement and interest, as he carefully cleaned the engine to get it to start.

I was hooked. That’s me. I want to be able to do that. My first solo run was with a Honda 50 around 1979. I built this bike from many scraped parts, salvaged from scrap yards around Dublin, and armed with a new Honda 50 manual, I purchased in Eason’s on O’Connell Street in Dublin. In later years this piece of art I created from many bike parts would be one of my life’s big regrets. After I got married in 1984 our family quickly grew to 4, money was very tight. We needed a holiday in the sun for the new children, money was just not there, and so one day I decided to sell my creation “My beautiful Honda 50”. Many years later I tried to buy the bike back, only to find out it was sold back to a scrap yard and was now lost forever.

Fast track on to 1977, I was only 15 and a bit. It was my brother George who organized this opportunity for me to develop my education with engine building. The law stated that you could not start a motor apprenticeship until you were 16 years of age, but I was only 15 and a bit, so Smithfield Motor Company decided to send me straight away to Mechanical College, full time for one year. In those days it was called ANCO, now we refer to it in in Ireland as FAS. My new home for the next year would be ANCO in Ballyfermot and it’s there where the seeds that had been sown in my mind with that Yamaha 80, and later Honda 50, were now getting the fresh air and water they needed to grow.

I loved it, every minute of it. My time in primary school and later secondary school were not very good to me, I was behind everyone in knowledge, and I felt demotivated, lacked inspiration and direction, so I left school at 15 years of age with just a basic grasp of education. My entry into Smithfield Motor Company (FORD) and more importantly FAS (Mechanical College), gave me a second chance at learning. I was now driven, motivated, inspired and more importantly learning. I was like a sponge I just sucked up all they threw at me, once it concerned an engine. From feeling inferior to my siblings and school friends, I was now developing a new self-worth. It gave me confidence. Motor college saved me, and it gave me back my self-esteem.

After a year in FAS, it was 1978, and I was now 16 years old, and feeling confident about going to work in Smithfield Motor Company to start my apprenticeship for real. FAS had given me a new found self-worth and the confidence to take on FORD Trucks. The Truck Shop Manager (Tom Gaffney) was a good man from Co Meath. He liked Gaelic football, as did I, so we both got on very well together.

I was now earning a weekly salary of Eu10 per week. I felt to start my apprenticeship in Smithfield, I would require a new motor bike and it had to be a Honda 50, so I went about the process of purchasing a new motor bike. I acquired a very good second hand bike for Eu40. My family were amazed as the then price was Eu250 not Eu40 for this bike, but we all love a bargain. So the day arrived and I took my new shining red Honda 50 to work. My Dad was very clear, “Do you have a license”, "yes" I replied, but no mention of insurance or tax, I will get that next month? Enough money was spent on the new bike, jacket and helmet. Armed with my St Christopher prayer my mother insisted be on the bike, mandatory in Ireland them and now. Well as luck goes my journey was close to my last journey, as I got near to Smithfield Motor Company on the Kylemore Rd Ballyfermot, I was knocked off my new bike and cut my two knees very badly, but I was still alive (thank you St Christopher). I remember being in total shock, my new bike was only with me days and already it was snatched from hand. I left it on the side of the road and went into Smithfield and took a small panic attack. Nobody knew what was wrong with me as my two knees were bleeding heavily and I had no Honda 50. After a while my brother came to the rescue as I recalled to him my morning adventure, or miss adventure. The sting in the tail, was this bike I had just bought was sold to me without the owner’s permission and the owner was now looking for Eu290 not the Eu40 I had paid. I offered the bike back in its condition, but when she saw the broken frame, she refused. My knees soon recovered but my pride took a long time more to heal. Eventually I dusted myself down and decided this bike will ride again.

The first task was to tear the bike apart. Armed with my Honda manual, I did a full table inspection of the stripped bike parts, and I made 3 groups - serviceable, repairable and scrap. As we say in Lufthansa Condition 1, 2 and 3. Unfortunately the most expensive part was condition 3 (scrap) “The Frame”. So the project stopped due to lack of money, as all my funds had gone on the purchase of the new bike, but at least I now had a plan for the bike, I just needed money. I also still had the small problem of the bike owner chasing me for Eu290 and my salary was only Eu10 per week, this was a little problem. The car that hit me wanted compensation of around the same value. My first day in work and I was up to my eyes in debt.

But I am a born optimist and believed I could find a way forward and I did. I told my family not to worry, I have a solicitor. By luck there was one next to the motor college, I gave him the details and they sorted everything out, but not before they lectured me on the risk of driving with no insurance and road tax. It turned out the car that hit me was at fault due to being on the wrong side of the road, and the guy who sold me the bike and gave me a receipt was the owner’s son. The owner did not want to pursue her claim now any further, the power of a good solicitor. So now my plans for the restoration of my Honda 50 were now back on track and took place in 1979. Armed with my windfall of money through my solicitor, I rebuilt the bike to her former glory. I enjoyed many accident free years on this beautiful bike right up to the point I sold it in the early 90’s. But looking back now that Honda 50 was the catalyst for so much learning about what I could do, and achieve, and shaped me in my thinking for many years.