Dick and Yvonne Bennett

Dick and Yvonne Bennett

Dick's story taking from the LINK magazine from 2018

I think my first hint of becoming a Rocker was when I used to go with my Dad and brother Bob to Brands, I was about 11 when I watched Mike Hailwood and Ago race round Brands, I would go looking at all the bikes and thinking how great it would be to go on one. The next stage was going, again with my brother, to Pride and Clark, where he bought a gleaming Red and Chrome Bantam. He passed his test on this and after he passed his test, it was quickly followed by what was a fantastic Red Norton Dommie 99. He was a member of the Black Angels a Rocker group. I remember their badge, it had the logo Black Angels in a white band with a black angel, against a red background, on the arm of his studded leather. However the gang were no match for my Mum as when they met outside our house in West Kensington for a run, they had to turn the bikes off and go round the corner before starting!

I was then old enough to get on the pillion; there was no helmet law so Bruv used to make me wear his! That was it, I was hooked, little did I know the rest of my life would revolve around bikes and the 59 club. Unfortunately he did not keep up the payments on the Norton so Pride and Clarke came and took the Dommie back! I spent all of my time at school read-ing about bikes and then swopped my nice Holdsworth racing pushbike for an old 250 Honda CB72 because I was not old enough(15) to ride it, the man in the local Scooter garage in the Mews where I lived, let me leave it there. I did two paper rounds, this financed the customising from Read Titan at Leytonstone, I fitted race cams and tuned it, this of course made it go slower I think, but with my straight through Goldie pipes it sounded the part.I got fed up with school at 15 and left with a swimming certificate and a Gold Star cycling proficiency certificate, but not much else! I told my Dad I wanted to be a mechanic, so he fixed me up with a job at Rootes Motors as an apprentice, I then attended Paddington Tech and the next major event was meeting Derek Hooper there, who is still a mate today, (a 59 club leader later). I was still 15 but he said, lets go over to the 59 club, just across the road from Paddington college. He would also pick me up on a Saturday nights to go there, then he took me over to meet his Bike mates in Tottenham and then down the A40 to the Polish War Memorial, Del got chased there by a police Daimler dart while we all watched! We all raced up and down the roundabouts with the crew from Harrow that also attended Paddington tech and the 59, this lead us to going down the 65 Special club in Harrow, I was fully hooked and not even old enough to drive! We went everywhere on his (Dels) 150 Honda, what an amazing little bike, it gave up the ghost on the way back from the 1969 Brighton motorbike show two up, main bearing I think!

He and I feature in the video on the 59 Facebook site, first frames are me on the back Del driving waving as we come into the 9. Next shot us chatting outside Paddington, it was made for a German documentary. We had a lot of German members then and still some now. Driving my first bike Elation and Deflation I waited with bated breath for my 16th birth-day to drive my wonderful (well in my eyes) creation, the aforementioned Honda CB72 which I had swopped for my Holdsworth racing push bike complete with Campagnolo gears and QR wheels, Nervex lugs and 531 tubing. Up early on the day, the kickstart shaft promptly broke and the starter then burnt out, it was worse than losing your first girlfriend!! I got it going by bump starting it everywhere, so much for Japanese reliability. However I had a bike a leather jacket (my brothers old one complete with Black Angels badge) and the world as they say, was my Lobster. It was 59 club four times a week including dances and films, Chelsea Bridge after every club night and Brands at the weekend; my life was complete. Father Bill, Father Graham and Mike Cook were all at the club then in 1969. Petrol from the Station opposite the 59 was 6s 3d a gallon. We had a police station opposite and the Dudley Arms on the corner.

Del Hooper had moved onto a Red BSA Super Rocket by then. But not before I borrowed his 150 Honda to pass my test, did not think it would go down to well at the test examiners having to bump start it with straight through pipes.

I visited the Ace at various times but it was only open for six months or so after I started driving, that was replaced by a place nearby I believe was called Chalky Whites, but that was dodgy even by bike standards. You got to be an old boy to have gone to the Ace back in the day!I then purchased Dels BSA Super Rocket and turned it into RGS spec, I even had a special twin carb head on it, very rare. This was my transport for a good while, with many vis-its to the Graveyard Twickenham and Blays to keep it going. It had more to do with my right wrist than the bike. Whilst this was going on Del also purchased a mini which he used to turn up with, at the 59, sometimes with his girlfriend Susan and another girl called Yvonne, who soon caught my eye in her purple hot pants. Before long we were an item, and of course, our first date was a day out to Brands. My BSA was off the road as usual, so we went with Del in the Mini. That was the start of a relationship that has lasted 47 years! With a marriage in between conducted courtesy of Father Bill Shergold, Founder of the 59 club. Mike Cook and club leaders also attended! Think most of the 59 Club and Local Norton Owners Club also came along! Check out the glasses and ‘tash, Farv did not seem to notice. Well before the above, I started another chapter in my biking life down the 59 Club, at 17 years old I started to help clear up the ‘9’ after it closed off a night and got to know another set of Friends who also helped, Gary, Big Pete, Andy, MV, Terry, Jim, Sandra and a few others. By now the BSA had had its day, and with help from Hire purchase and a part exchange for the Beeza, I then bought a second-hand Commando from Comerfords, Thames Ditton. All financed from my apprentice mechanics wage. I soon binned this on Chelsea bridge, put-ting myself and Yvonne in hospital (thankfully Yvonne just had scratches), I dislocated my arm and broke my shoulder blade, one wheelie to many, I had to go to Physio every week, but the only transport was the bike !! Met a guy at the recent Memorial service for Father Graham a few weeks ago who greeted me by saying I remember you falling off at Chelsea bridge 45 years ago!.Rock and Roll We were all then regulars at The Fishmongers Arms. I went to see the original Bill Haley and the Comets on his last visit to the UK at Hammersmith Palais, which ended in a riot. We were also all regulars at the monthly Rock and Roll meets at the Lyceum, by then Gary Hall had met Sandra so we would go out as a group. We even got equipped with Drapes and Creepers. The Club had gone to the TT for years, and it seemed like a good idea to go and join them. Mike Cook was running the club by then, and he took over the Club van, with all our luggage (Taking members luggage helped finance the petrol) and always brought back crashed or blown members bikes as well. We all gave up our Holiday time every year to organise the Club Barbeque, traditionally on the Thursday of TT week at the Coach and Horses Laxey, this carried for the next 30 years! Members who go today still ask me about having a BBQ over there. We shut the main road at Laxey once so many turned up!Well that’s the first chapter of my Rocker years, more to come shortly Great 59 tradition the TT BBQ Coach and Horses Laxey TT.

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