remembering missing mates

[dangerous]

Guy was a bloody good mate, and rode a 96 Moto Guzzi 1100 sport (carb) I meet him not long after I brought my MG inj sport, I was giving it a routine clean up when I heard the unmistakable rattle of tappits and that straight cut gear box wine, I spun around to see a red MG sport low flying past home in Belfast the std up nod was exchanged as he passed, the bike slowed and did a U'e Guy rocked up and we got chatting about Guzzi sports like we had knowen each other for years.

Guy was the kinda 'guy' that would do anything to help ya out, and him and his missus (Kerry) sure as hell knew how to through a barn yard party with the top lable beers and wines being supplyed.

Guy flew the F27 Friendship of NZ post's to Auckland every night and made a good wicket doing it. Guy was a junky for adrnaline he raced jet sprint and supper carts, he was in the process of building himself a 2 seater plane and was a wiz at tuning engines.
The guzzi was a Dell'Orto 40ml pumper carb and any Guzzi owner will tell you they can be a bitch to tune but Guy had the nack...... so much to the point that I strugeled to keep up with him on the inj sport, and I might add he usually had Kerry on the back.

Well sitting on auto pilot for 4hrs each nite was not guy's style so he decided to take a 40k drop in wages and move up Masterton way, to fly a FU24 top dresser. Guy, Kerry and Liyla (4) and new born (6 weeks) Galaga made the big move.

A couple of months into crop spraying Guy took off fully loaded, 10min or so into the flight the arse end of his fletcher fell off locking the elevaters in a down position which ment the he had only one direction to go.

Guy died that day in April 02 thanks to a mechanic fuking something simple but major up.
I never made it to ther funeral something that I really feel bad about, so I had not seen Kerry and the kids since as she decided to lie low for a few years and thats perfictly fine by me, it was a huge loss for them all.

This bit is wicked tho....... the coffin was painted Guzzi red with the Italian eagle of the Guzzi (Iti airforce) painted on the top. All the kids there added there bit aswell till you could hardly tell that it was a coffin..... how fuking cool is that.

Last week Kerry and the kids came back to Chch for the 1st time since they left to catch up with the mates that lived down here.
I meet Galaga for the 1st time, and could hardly reconise Liyla who now is 7yrs.
I spent a couple of days playing silly buggers with the kids, while the girls got pissed. Ya know the funny thing about the kids...... it was like Guy was there you could see him in the both of them... it was like there were 2 Guys, it was bloody awesome.
It was also great to catch up with Kerry and see that she has now got on top of things. She injoyed talking about Guy even tho for me this was hard to get used too.

Well they headed back to Wanganui were they live now last w/e. Kerry was saying that she miss's the bike riding along with much more, and was thinking about getting a bike or perhaps a nugety scooter... I hope she does and I hope they look after her in Wanganui.
When they left it felt like Guy had left again too.... but at least I now know that life does go on... but it still has me woundering WTF is it all about.

The End

[hondav2]

Well written Dangerous, life can be very short sometimes and it makes it even harder when young ones loose someone special. Kind regards Toddy

[Skunk]

Great post. Thanks for sharing.

[crashe]

What a lovely yet also sad story all rolled in together...

Its good that ya spent time with your mates family....

Time does heal.... and Im sure that you have heard it so often...
but it really does.

Maybe if Kelly does decide to buy a bike then maybe you could help her out.
Advise her in some way in the type of bike that would be suitable etc..

[Blakamin]

wow man..... :confused2
just bought back some memories of people I miss ...
remember the good times!!! thats what gets me through....


(rip Adam)..




a dude I went to school with was the first Australian killed in iraq recently...

[zeRax]

a sad story, but certainly not a sad life, good to hear they are ontop of things

a reminder of friends and love ones now gone ;(

[Biff]

Thanks for sharing that mate. It's a tragic story and it sounds like Kerry and the kids have all found the strength to move on.

[LB]

.
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Very touching Dangerous. thanks for sharing. It's neat you've caught up with Kerry again.
.
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[bear]

Great story, heaps of feelings there, thanks for sharing

[Paul in NZ]

Bloody Good story mate... Sometimes I almost think it's the people you meet while riding bikes that makes it a truely worthwhile pursuit (although I will gladly make some exceptions to this rule).....

If the lady in question would like to start riding I know a few people up that way and we are only 2 hours down the line. We would be happy to help out. Once Guzzi is in your blood - nothing else is ever the same.

Paul N

[outlawtorn]

Thanks for sharing that Dangerous, good story and well written. It does make you appreciate what you have, while you have it.

Carpe Diem!

[duckman]

Thanks for sharing D.

[Holy Roller]

Its hard not being able to say goodbye properly.
Good mates are hard to find.
Even harder was when my girlfriend was hit by a truck and died, I was at sea with the Navy got a radio message about the details of the funeral but as we had no helicopter on board I was a prisioner. She had been burried for 4 months by the time I got back into port. That was one time I wondered why. But life goes on and what a life it has been.

[TonyB]

Dangerous, that must've been hard to write- well done. Who know's what it's all about, I guess the point is to make the most of the time you have.
Holly Roller, that must've been unimaginably hard to deal with- I'm completely lost for words.

[MSTRS:Me]

Touching. Brings back a lot of (buried) memories for lots of us here. A timely reminder that life is what you make of it, and even the worst tragedy is not the end of the world.