Fu I am confused mate? what post does this relate to? many thanks in advance for your confirmation?

Arfur , me old jam donut Sorry this started on the '49-'68 thread and got out of dates Still confused?? Just got up have we :yawn: :yawn:

no mate, had been up for while, the pin giving me grief so presuambly its getting better no wonder I am confused then, trust Fu to skip back and forth between threads, fiendish ploy eh phil? BTW how did you know i had a hole in me middle ( not sure why else I would be a jam donut)

thhat sounds good, any action shots of teh boys playing the bikes on track?

Ring donuts have a hole in the middle ,like a polo mint , the solid ones are the jam variety , numbskull

Just keeping you on your toes mate!! well in this case only the five of them

Bit bored (Eastenders is on!!!) so here are a few of Agostini's... was it an OW29 750 Yamaha in 1975? anyway lovely machine!!

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Silverstone 1975, notice the Tamaiya model, probably to help them with putting the bike back together after a strip down!!

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Silverstone 1975.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham ETheridge, racebikepics.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by picblanc
[B]Bit bored (Eastenders is on!!!)

You told me you LIKED Eastenders Mr Fu !!

The guy who will be racing Phil's TZ350 this year. Stu Melling, one of the top runners in the CRMC series.



But would YOU trust this man with your pride & joy!!?





All Photos Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by fil2.8
[QUOTE]Originally posted by picblanc
[B]Bit bored (Eastenders is on!!!)

You told me you LIKED Eastenders Mr Fu !! [/QUOTE]

I lied!!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by picblanc
[B]The guy who will be racing Phil's TZ350 this year. Stu Melling, one of the top runners in the CRMC series.




All Photos Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

He was just checking the run off area for Health and Safety Exeuctive Mr Fu

Phil, is Stu Melling riding your bike at Darley Moor May 16/17th?

You got it in one Mick --what have I let myself into :\ :\

[QUOTE]Originally posted by picblanc
[B]The guy who will be racing Phil's TZ350 this year. Stu Melling, one of the top runners in the CRMC series.

But would YOU trust this man with your pride & joy!!?


Maybe not Mr Fu , but i'll trust him with the TZ ( missed that bit of script of yours )

Think positve Phil, I'll catch up with you at Darley, I'm back in the UK from May 10th

I'll be OK Mick a few Hobgoblins --my fav at the mo and i'll be on it
No to be serious ,after almost 45 years of involvement --both sides of the fence --i'm more excited than ever and feel like a teenager old gag --find one for me please .If it all ends 'tits-up' --well we tried

Don't worry Phil, as we say i' Lankysher - 'If tha' never tries, tha' never knows'

Good luck mate and see thee soon

I will be there on the Sunday.......is that a bit of tumble weed I see going past!!?

Ok then just for starters the bike was ex-Kenny Roberts 1974 TZ700 being one of the first three or four TZ700 bikes delivered to the USA. As far as I know after the transatlantic road races of 1974 the bike was left in the UK. My uncle then purchased the bike either at the end of '74 or beginning of '75 even after being told by a few people it would need a lot of work doing to it which would cost an arm and leg, but this was not the case. The bike was ready to race with the engine being fully rebuilt by Kel Carruthers. The bike cost £3000.00 in 1974/75 a lot of money for a painter and decorator or just about anyone. A couple of mods were done to the frame by my father one of them being moving the rear damper mounts forward. One problem which was had was the engine had a tendency to blow the barrel / crankcase gaskets out. In '75 he was clocked as the fastest privateer at the (I think) F750 round at Hockenheim Ring. Where he was with regards to the factory bikes I will have to ask him. With regards to where is it now, I would like to know as I want to have a go on it but I have the strange feeling it doesn't exist anymore. When my uncle packed in the gentleman who purchased it killed himself on it. I have seen two of the other sister bikes for sale over the last couple of year but none claiming to be the Robert's bike. Why did my uncle stop bike racing I will ask him for the real truth as I could say money but why did he try and take up formula ford car racing.

Cheers

Stephen Harvey

Hello Steve!!

Nice to see you on the forum at long last

Keep up the good work and enjoy !!

Aye Graham, you'll be oop north (well fromm sunny Essex anyhow !!)

Hi Steve from me also , and a warm welcome , good to hear about your uncle Jim ,will be interested to know the details..............

I personally have just noticed a pig go past the window I think we'd better open a book on this

Welcome Stephen and thanks for the interesting information.

Welcome Stephen, thanks for that, very interesting, surprised Roberts/Yamaha USA left it in UK, I recall it was bought at the end of 1974 (there were only about 20 TZ700's at that time World wide) but I stand to be corrected.

Put me down for a tenner, it will help me get home after the racing!!

A tenner or a tanner Buster ?? . And on whoooooom may I ask ??

Very interested in who bought it of Jim Stephen? are you able to find out?

Phil that was teh last bitter I had here in December (Hobgoblins) nice pint ben on the wagon since and ( apart from the cast I am perfect weight to ride the TZ now! good luck at Darley same to Stu of course

Fu beleive it or not we actually have tumble weed being blown around hear ( also called kosher weed ) was on sunday with 50 mph winds !

I don't doubt Steve will be able to check with his uncle and confirm the purchase time . It does seem odd however that Yamaha USA would have parted with an almost new ( and still fairly scarce ) machine so early in the season, the Trans being probably the second only time it was used after Daytona. If I remember well Kenny took part in the Race of the Year at Mallory Park at the end of the season so it would seem more logical that he would have sold the bike then, rather than after the transatlantic.

But there again, I'm just guessing, Steve will give us the facts .

Maybe a touch of urban legend there Graham - that's what we all thought at the time , but only on the 1974 Daytona grid you had about fifty of those . The most reliable figures I have amount to more than 250 machines built in 1974 ( OK, maybe not all before the season started ) Seems a lot, but when you think about it there were , I think, about 10 in France, maybe as many in the other european countries, probably close to 100 in the US, some for Japan and the rest of Asia, Australia , etc...... There seems to have been 110 "B" spec machines built in 75 , then about 40 "C" in 76 , and many more over the following years .

But still, finding such a machine in Europe in '74 was still not an easy task

Definitely one in South Africa as well, ridden by Alan North for the Yamaha importer.


Brandkop circuit in Bloemfontein in 1974.

As an engineer, with my sarcastic hat on, and with the discussion I have had with various riders/drivers over the years:-

1. If the brakes have enough power to lift the back wheel why do you always complain about the brakes not being powerful enough?

2. If the brakes have enough power to lift the back wheel why did you not stop in time?

3. I thought brakes were about going slowly, racing is about going quickly, why do you need brakes anyway? I'll take them off and save some weight.

4. I thought you said the bike was too heavy, it's lifted the back wheel with those little brakes on it.

5. You obviously didn't listen to the Clerk of the Course at the rider briefing, Jonathon said the black bits are for racing on.

Sorry, couldn't resist it.

Nice wheels on the trolley though!!

After being turned down for the Factory KR500 ride by a rider barely any bigger, Matthew tries something else.

You may be correct with it being left in the UK after the race of the year.
Please note that at the time I was only 7/8 years old.

Hi Philippe my "stand to be corrected" statement was regarding Jim Harvey buying it at the end of 1974, the "only 20 TZ700's" was a guess based on hearsay referring to only 20 units at the Easter time, but like you I could not see Yamaha America leaving it behind then, at the very start of the season.

Kenny also rode the Imlola 200 race the weekend before the Trans Trophy, think he was 2nd at Imola? (to Agostini?) and I remember the front pages of the weekly chip wrappers had pictures & reports on this great new star in road racing from the USA.

No decent action pics from the 1974 Trans & these have been seen a few times but hey!! our memories are short these days!

A young Kenny keeping well out of the way? with the red hair of Gary Nixon behind him just visible, (you will have to take my word for that, but it was him!!) Gary Fisher working on his bike far right.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Gene Romero & Kel Carruthers & Gene's TZ 700 Yamaha's, with Gavin Trippe the organiser of the USA team & series I think? on far left in jacket.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

Is the number 8 bike in the American camp - being carefully studied - a Gus Kuhn Norton?
Dave Aldana's mount perhaps?

Great stuff!!!

Many thanks for the DVD Graham tip-top!!

I owe you quite a few beers now!!

Oh dear Mick you know what that means don't you ?? He'll probably turn up at Darley !!!!

Welcome Stephen!
I saw you race at Jehonville years ago on your very quick Norton, the next year I think you had the bad crash on the TZ...do you still have your Norton and was wondering if you are out racing (again)?

Cheers, John from Holland

#8 was Gary Nixons Suzuki Barry, but Aldana was on a Norton that day...piccy coming up.

Aldana & his John Player Norton.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
A better view of Nixons Suzuki

Yvon & John Long, interesting going back to how many TZ700's there were in early 1974, John Long had one & so did Jim Evans, Yellow & Red TZ in the background.


Photos Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Ted Broad had one for Ditch

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Mick Grant had one, in fact I think Granty had the honour of being the first person anywhere in the World to crash one, at Clearways in front of me.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Even Derek Chatterton had one at Easter time also.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Stan Woods TR750 Suzuki


Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.
Barry Sheene TR750 Suzuki, with Franco in the door of the caravan.

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.

Ron Chandler too.... Got any pics Graham?

And my old team manager, now sadly departed, Rex White.

And I feel I should know who is talking to Granty, but just can't remember his name.

Ah Ron Chandler, reserve rider in 1974, he was on a Triumph triple Russ, (so was Percy), till late in 1974, then Ron got his TZ700, complete with Squeezy bottle!! here it is at the Powerbike International in October 1974

Photo Copyrighted to Graham Etheridge, racebikepics.