"Trikes on the telly"

Saturday December 11th saw a few intrepid trike riders heading out to Drayton Manor Park for a day's filming with Carlton TV.

The program that we all got soaked for was "Pulling Power", a general interest show that is aimed more at the 'XR3 wannabes' than us more sensible bikers :-}

Sponsored by "Exchange & Mart", of all people, the program went out at 10:30 on Tuesday 11th January, so with a bit of luck you were all down the pub and missed it.

Was it any good ?

Apart from the 'to be expected' media bullshit - i.e.

"Trikers from Hell"

I assure you, Hell would have been a much more welcome place than a wet and windy Drayton Manor park. At least in Hell you have somewhere warm and dry to sit.

A few more choice clichés and contradictions followed:-

"Nothing innocent about this lot"

then contradicts it by saying :-

"But they're all street legal"

Make your bloody mind up ! Of course they're 'street legal', how long do you think it would be before the police pulled you? Trikes *do* occasionally attract police attention, if only for the curiosity value.

Ok. So the program makers have got to 'sell' the show. Folks don't want to see bikers as good, law abiding people - that doesn't sell programs. They want the 'bad ass bro' image, and, with all credit to Carlton, that wasn't exactly the image they got. I think we got a fairly *good* representation, and a good cross section of trikes. Maybe good ol' Joe Public will realize that not everything he reads in the 'Sun' about bikers is true. The program seems to have done more good than harm, so all in all, it turned out for the best.

Before you ask:- NO - being a 'TV star' hasn't changed me at all - - - - just ask my agent ;-}

To say that it rained would be an understatement. Torrential is the word that springs to mind. The rain managed to get into my handlebar switch gear and promptly rendered the indicators useless.

By 09:30 a few trikes were starting to turn up.  Mike and Panna, from the "Trike Register" rolled up on three trikes between the two of them. "How did they manage that" you ask ? Click the above picture and all will be revealed.

The rest of the day was spent riding, talking, getting wet, drinking coffee and generally doing what 'come naturally' to trike riders.

Click on the thumbnails below for the piccies.

A very smart Suzuki based trike.

Unloading Panna's trike from off the Reliant Ant.

A bunch of rather damp trike riders.

A very tidy VW - Phoenix based trike.

More dampness - and a 'Horny Guy'

The camera man hasn't quite got the hang of this.

"So that's how they do it"

All in all, a most enjoyable day, despite the weather.

I got to meet more like minded souls who are 'into' trikes, and got fed and watered { watered in *every* sense of the word } for free.

Many thanks to Mike and Panna for inviting me, thanks also to Carlton TV for supplying the food and drink, and the opportunity to express the trike riders view of life, and thanks to all the folks that braved the rain in order to turn up.

"Home - Parker"........................"Very good M'Lady" ^..^