I work as a computer software engineer and my chief non-biking interests are re-constructing my home and collecting mechanical puzzles. I'm also a great fan of the oriental board game GO.
Born in 1958, I've been riding bikes since I was about 14. I had some early practise at chopping stuff about in order to compete in the local off-road club on obsolete Bantams and Villiers-engined 'specials', (a singularly inappropriate term in this context !).
I went on to own a succession of BSA's, Triumphs, and Nortons, several of which I still have, (mostly in bits). As a result I have extensive experience of rebuilding this type of bike and I have most of the workshop facilities required to work on bikes. (More on this later).
My enthusiasm for Quasars was kindled by Royce Creasey's original review in Bike in 1977, 'Buy one now before the world runs out of petrol' was the verdict. Everything I read subsequently reinforced my longing to own one of these bikes.
It wasn't until 1985 that I finally got myself set up with the promise of a company car loan, ready to track down a Quasar. Now, I knew that Wilsons had been planning an initial batch of fifty bikes back in '77, so I figured that there would be several hundred out there to choose from by '85, and if they cost around £3,500 new I should be able to pick one up for, what, a couple of grand?
I put an ad in MCN and waited for the phone to start ringing.
Inevitably, the only call I got was from Malcolm Newell. He explained that there were only 21 Quasars in existence, and he'd got one to sell. I was crushed, how could I be so wrong about the appeal of these bikes that they'd only managed to sell 21 and then gone belly-up ? I agreed to meet him and see the bike.
Malcolm was genial and entertaining, truly 'larger than life'. He showed me around his home and workshops. I saw the Z1300 Quasar, a Gold-wing Phasar that he was working on, a collection of bizarre fibre-glass objects in the garden. We saw the Quasar that I was to buy.
What I failed to appreciate at the time was that the bike I saw was more of a mock-up than a complete bike. Malcolm had used it to take round the bike shows to generate interest in his 'current' projects.
Short of alternatives I agreed to buy the bike on the basis that Malcolm would get it fixed up in time for me to take it to the Manx GP in September.
Weeks went by and there was no sign that Malcolm was finding time to sort things out, so I got a big van, ( you do need a surprisingly big van to shift a Quasar), drove down to Wiltshire, and took the bike home to fix it up myself.
At this point I got the bodywork off and took a long hard look at what I'd bought. I wasn't impressed. The bike seemed to consist of a loosely assembled collection of scrap parts that he might have rescued from a skip outside the factory. The front of the petrol tank had obviously dragged down the road 'til it had worn through, The windscreen was cracked, the seat base was broken, half the brake system was either completely missing or so corroded as to be un-useable, the back wheel leaned to one side, most of the wiring was missing, (and these bikes have a lot of wiring in comparison to a 1970's motorcycle), I had no guttering, etc. etc. All in all not encouraging.
To aggravate matters, the bike had ended up costing me quite a bit more than we'd initially agreed. So, vowing never to speak to Malcolm again, I set to work.
A few weeks before my trip to the Isle of Man I'd done it, sorted. The petrol tank was welded and re-mounted, all the controls and wiring were in place, I had wipers, brakes, a heater, everything. I'd got the bike registered, paid my car tax, got it insured, and now, armed with the, (expired), trade plates that Malcolm had thoughtfully supplied for my trip, I was ready to try it on the road.
That first ride was an experience never to be forgotten. The road-holding, stability and comfort were a revelation. I found myself running through a series of fast bends at 80 with music playing in my head, Nirvana ! Oh, and the oil pressure was running at about 15 PSI, the engine was clapped out, Soddit!
Suffice to say I never made it to the Isle of Man with the Quasar. Instead I suffered a long wet drive back from Heysham, down the M6 and the M1 by Triumph. I missed the Quasar every mile of the way. I was a convert !
Since then the highlight of my Quasaring career is probably appearing on 'Top Gear'. back in '88. (Photos of the event are HERE). I was invited to attend by Paul Blezard who deserves credit for being the one who, more than any other, has kept the FF message in the public eye over the last twenty years. Surprisingly, mine was the only original Quasar that could be found for inclusion in the program.
The occasion offered the rare opportunity to ride Mark Verden's 'Mk II' Quasar. This was another bike that Malcolm had supplied in kit form, and consisted of a Reliant engine mated to a Moto-Guzzi 5-speed gearbox, swing-arm and rear wheel, with a Bob Tait Hub-centre-steer set-up up front. The arrangement seemed to make a lot of sense, it did away with the clumsy standard gearchange and, as a bonus, provided an extra gear ratio. (The Diff was oil-tight too !).
Soon after this, having covered 19,500 miles on my own Quasar, I started working away from home and put the bike into storage.
Subsequently I bought a nice little bungalow in St. Leonards-on-Sea and set to work on building a workshop where I could resume my bike-building obsession. Eventually, though far from finished, I was in a situation where it was feasible to get the Quasar out of the barn and set to work on a complete rebuild.
Meantime, I came across an advert by John Malfoy, who used to build Quasars for Romarsh. He wanted to sell a part-built Quasar that had been taking up space in his garage for far too long. I drove down to Calne to take a look. This was to be the first time I'd actually met John in the flesh, although we'd corresponded in the past and talked on the phone, and he was a guy that you warmed to immediately. A deal was struck and the bike transported home to form the basis of my 'Build a better Quasar' project.
Tragically John died very suddenly a couple of months later. In a very generous gesture his wife and family allowed John's many motorcycling friends to attend the funeral, and I was able to take part in the cortege on my newly-finished Quasar. In spite of dreadful, rain soaked, five-hour journeys to and from the funeral I was glad that I was able to ensure that a Quasar made it on the day, I only wish it could have been for a happier occasion.
Last updated 5th May 2005