Hi everyone.
There are not many pics left of the "original Creature bike." There were 4 or 5 incarnations of "Creature" over the years I owned the bike, From Pretty Much original to the last incarnation of a much modified bike.
I first set eyes on a Honda S65 motorbike in the back garden of Clive Nash, in Peterborough Cambridgeshire.
It would not start, but I brought it for £25.00 ( a bloody lotta money back then). I Paid £3.00 a week from my Dole money (yes it was paid weekly back then) and once paid for, pushed it home jst of oundle road and took it apart and it lived under our bed.
At that time I had a life ban, but a good lawyer got that cut down to 3 years, and I had about a year to serve, so there was no rush to get the Honda in full working condition, as I knew that if it was running I would ride it and end up with another ban.
Finally with 3 months or so left of my driving ban, I decided it was time to pull out the honda from under our bed and see what the problems were.
Pic above by kind permission of my old friend - perry markley
I did get it running eventually, but then once I had my driving licence in my hands, I went to local insurance brokers and they would only insure me for 50cc for a year or two.
So the word was put out amongst my friend that an SS50 motor was needed (in running order) and a few days later there was a knock at our door, and a engine was available, but they wanted some wiring done on his SS50. (Luckily he had a manual so I could bluff my way thru) so an afternoons work and I was carrying a working 4 speed Honda SS50 engine home (some 4 miles away).
The engine dropped straight in and I soon had it running sweetly.
So back to the insurance brokers, they wanted £50.00 3rd party only to insure it, so weekly payment plan was set up and the Honda was insured.
Now to walk over to Bernard's Motorcycle Shop (local honda dealer and was to become a lifelong friend (until his sad passing) and a source of parts for the Honda.)
So next day I rode the Honda S65 to Bernard's and left it there for 30 mins and when I went back it had passed, with some minor things needed doing before he saw it again!
and that is how the Honda stayed for around 9 months, till after we moved to Arundel Road Walton Peterborough to our 1st house as Lynne was pregnant I believe.
The honda was in daily use and was our sole transport back then.
Before long started to make new friends in Walton, but kept up with the old friends and we met up at the Po-Op on oundle Road.
Creature MK2 - But the original petrol tank seams started to leak. I crashed the Honda bending the front end, Swing Arm had rotted thru and rear shocks totally knackered.
We had no money, so once again the call went out for parts and we was donated a Honda CB100 petrol tank, but it was too long ?
So a visit to a friends dad just around the corner and one Sunday afternoon the Honda's frame was cut in two, underneath were the original petrol tank sat. and I believe 9" of plate steel was added so we could fit the Honda CB100 petrol tank and secure it.
But there was no lock and no money to buy one, so we found a tin of exhaust gum gum paiste and we made a dildo ( remember the dildo signs fro ASC rallie's That's were the orig idea came from) shaped object which was attached to the Honda CB100 Petrol tank Flap, some paint and someone wrote "Creature & Property of Creature" on the petrol tank and "Creature" MK1 was born.
Under the petrol tank, we mounted some forward pegs made out of angle iron and anything else we could find.
The swing arm had rotted out and the suspension did not work!
So again word was sent out, and for some work on a friends bike a Honda C70 Swing Arm was donated to "Creature", But no shocks were to be found.
So I hunted around our little shed and we found some angle iron, so this was cut to length and mount holes drilled (by hand as no electrical tools then, not that we could afford them.)
The original exhaust was full of holes, so was cut off and a Custom silencer was made to fit. No baffles and apparently you could here us coming from about 1/4 mile away :) :)
A Suzuki GT250 Front end complete was sourced and surprisingly it bolted straight in!
Altho this worked it did make the front end heavy, but when it snowed the front end never slipped an 1"
But I wanted a bike that looked like a chopper!
So a top box rack was found in the scarp pile at Oundle road Motorcycle breakers, as was a rather thin and poorly welded sissy bar!. ( cost me a day breaking bikes).
But once at home, out come my tools that friends have given me, and on bolted the top box rack, with some extra bars added to make it secure.
The sissy bar was bungie strapped into place :) :)
And some foam and another bungie made the passenger hump....
The brown fur material I believe came from Wombat (sadly passed recently) and Stein's mobile home and again was tucked n bungied in place..
Creature MK3 - Also a change from custom Handle bars to 6 bend pull backs that someone gave me also I swapped the Suzuki GT250 Front end for a complete Honda CB125 front end.
It needed some work, but was soon in full working order and a lot lighter on the front end.
and MK3 was finished.
Creature MK4 - The forward pegs were removed and using an old Honda G5 250 frame and the old children's pram, we made a cradle from bottom engine mounts to hole we drilled for the forward pegs, and then using parts of the pram, made forward controls, so it was feet 1st like a real chopper :) :)
We do not have many pics of "Creature" and the few we do have have been passed to me by friends of the early 1980's.
I will add what pics I find as the information is recovered from faulty harddrive.
Times back then were very hard, no jobs n no money and bringing up the start of our family on the dole.
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