hi there, johnny here
i've been fascinated with rotary mowers ever since i read about them in nz "consumer" (choice) magazine in the '60s
i've played with them, broken them, fixed them and cursed them
from memory, they all came to me busted
masports with impulse start briggs engines, all the vanes sheared off the flywheel when the release mech was "engaged" while the engine was running
morrisons with iron horse 2 strokes that had broken kidneys (under deck alloy mufflers) and upset neighbours when used
clintons, suffolks, villiers etc that you couldn't get parts for (well, not when you're 12 anyway)
crap tools of yr old mans that you got in trouble for using when they were eventually found rusting on the limestone drive or lost in the long grass that you couldn't cut
then came the motorbikes
old pommy bikes were almost as simple as the mower engines. except for charging equipment, clutches, gearboxes and all the other stuff that let you (supposedly) ride it not push it
so now at 56, i am stuck with 4 motorcycles and an ever increasing stack of rusty, seized, wobbly, noisey, leaky castoffs from those who have more sense
and as the most abused piece of equipment on the planet, they all bear mute testament to the incredible design and strength of their engines
they all arrive "maintenance-free", thanks to the ignorance or lazyness of their previous owners
it's a labour of love to me when i clean the air filter, flush out the petrol tank, reset the plug (and some points), degrease the engine, top up the oil then start her up
some are 1st pop, others, hmmm, maybe a couple more pulls
after the run, flush the crankcase, new pennzoil 30 weight and then just sit back and admire as it runs sweetly on the driveway
begging me for just 1 more crack at the 1/4 acre pavlova paradise
