Thread/group for ex-London despatch riders

[Katman]

The job taught me to be thankful for small mercies.

You could be heading out along the M4 and the temperature display at Chiswick might be reading 4 degrees and two hours later heading back into town you'd be so grateful that it was now reading 5 degrees.

The warmth to be had from the drag on a cigarette was sheer heaven.

[danchop]

Hmmm. Not a large call for them anymore then i guess, or is it just the fact that it has become too difficult to master the Auckland traffic now days.

the urgent work has turned to shit,too much competition and immigrants prepared to work for nothing

[george formby]

...'ere..follow that smash and grab......

If the despatch rider who rode off with my spliff on his Tenere in Camden is here, I want it back!

[Eddieb]

Square Moves - Jan 1996 - August 97.

Oscar 32 was my call sign.

[cheshirecat]

Square Moves - Jan 1996 - August 97.

Oscar 32 was my call sign.

Just 36 was mine and I considered it a lucky number.
You wouldn't have any ideas as to what to call our KB group. Got two at the mo and will put a poll up. For the life of me my brains empty on this one as all the witty bits I came across are either out of my memory bank or completely unfunny out of context, though the Barbican comes to mind quite often for being what it is.
The time I was doing it late 80's it was beginning to quieten off so don't what it was like in the mid 90's.

I'll always remember times where one really glided through traffic like a knife through butter, all the gaps in the right places and able to get right in ahead of the rest at the lights.

[pete376403]

There is a thread on ADVrider.com with stories from both UK and US motorcycle couriers. I stumbled on it last night and read the whole thing in one hit. Amazing stories
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375701

You might fnd familiar names.

[Katman]

J
You wouldn't have any ideas as to what to call our KB group.

'Where now?'

[Brian d marge]

preferred open call

Stephen

[Twiglet]

I started with Capitol Parcels in Croydon, about 1982, then graduated to Addison Lee in '86 (Kilo 65) then went to another one but the name escapes me. Was in Uni holidays to start with then went full time for a year or so.
I used to skive off by calling for long distance jobs from about mid-afternoon, and head up to Cambridge or somewhere, and pick up some nice cash jobs en route.
I started on my Morini, thrashed the poor thing so succumbed to a japper - a CX of course - or a plastic pig as they were known.
I had sooooo much money. I was living on the cash jobs alone and buying more bikes with my wages. Those were the days!!!!

[cheshirecat]

so we've got

open call
where now
'ere..follow that smash and grab
wait and return

or
AN Other
leave it as it is

I can put a poll up but it requires another thread

[Blatman]

I used to ride as a courier in London on a new 750 Triumph Tiger. This was about 1980. Hopeless, I didn't make much money, kept getting lost! ;-) Had to stop all the time to check the A-Z

[Katman]

Getting through a complete day without having to use the A-Z was a real achievement. I think I only managed it twice in four years.

It was quite a feeling knowing that you knew London better than 99% of Londoners.

[cheshirecat]

Getting through a complete day without having to use the A-Z was a real achievement. I think I only managed it twice in four years.

It was quite a feeling knowing that you knew London better than 99% of Londoners.

All those little allyways and cris crossing Oxford street, and arrgh, The Barbican.

Then there was keeping the AZ dry and readable along with the clip board for the first few weeks. Not sure how I managed afterwards but kept one readable (the large hard cover) for almost three years

[Katman]

All those little allyways and cris crossing Oxford street, and arrgh, The Barbican.

Learning the one way system through the West End was a major exercise in itself.