Hello,
This was the Second Annual Texas Tiddler Run at Shelbyville, Texas and was hosted by Dennis Leggett out of Joaquin, Texas. A great many of the 20 or so participants from last year joined approximately 15 new entrants this year to make for a very well attended event. This is a roughly two hundred mile course split into two, one hundred mile sections – one before lunch and one after lunch and always within 50 miles of the starting point. As last year, it was your standard list of mostly old Japanese bikes but there were several Vespa’s and at least one Cushman. Two stroke or four, it did not matter and people seemed to have learned their lesson from last year about riding on dry rotted tires. The husband and wife with the Ural sidecar rig made the trip again and a late model Yamaha Burgman also was running a sidecar. Lots of family members also showed up at the Boles Field campground staging area for this event to camp this weekend. This event was also well staffed with support vehicles carrying extra two stroke and four stroke fuel.
There were four classes. Class 1 was for bikes no larger than 60 CC’s. Class 2 was 61 to 125 CC’s. Class 3 was 126 CC’s to 250 CC’s. And Class 4 was for any stock Cushman Scooter. As with last year, older bikes get extra credit for age so I think my 44 year old 1972 Honda CL100 got two points for each of those years. And let’s just say there was at least one game of chance at the first check point to randomize the scoring a little.
Two new bikes of an unfamiliar brand attended this year. Icebear bikes – a 49 CC mini called the “Maddog” and the “Zodiac”, a 300 CC trike. The Maddog looks a lot like a Honda Ruckus and seemed to do well in Class 1.
http://www.icebearatv.com/
“Rusty” and his wife from south Texas ran the course on a pair of exquisitely restored CT110 bikes. They are members on the CT90 Yahoo Group. Rusty had some trouble with his chain guard but he was well equipped with tools and quickly made roadside shoulder repairs and was underway again in no time.
I was in Class II on a 1972 Candy Yellow Honda CL100. I would have taken my 1971 Aermacchi Sprint 350 but I’m struggling with a rich, sooty spark plug problem – maybe next year. I had to clean my ignition points on the CL100 at a fuel stop and I may now have a leaking camshaft seal there – we shall see. With a 350 CC engine, the Macchi would have been in the Spectator Class which would have been OK but I wanted to be in the running for some kind of award. Fuel availability along the route was quite sparse this year and the CL100 was very thirsty. Now that I have a luggage rack and milk crate on it, I think I will bring a small jug of fuel for this event if I ride the CL100 again. Or bring a CT90 like I did for last year.
A very wet thundershower at lunch slowed the day down. The rain and a very active slow course after lunch stretched out the day to the point that I could not stay for the second half but I certainly had fun during the first half. And as last year, I met a lot of interesting people with interesting stories about the bikes. I’ll definitely be there again next year.
Rick W
Bossier City, Louisiana
