There wasn't a lot of notice of the sunshine today, but it was kind enough to occur just inside the limit of personal tolerance for the endless grey, damp overcast of the past 7 days.Gollum like we emerged from our respective garages into the daylight....and dry roads.
Only '2 up' today, but virus's, SORN status, relatives and frankly an hour's notice isn't going to allow for a full house...despite the temptation!
Only '2 up' today, but virus's, SORN status, relatives and frankly an hour's notice isn't going to allow for a full house...despite the temptation!
Impressions after having not driven a 7 for a while?
Well, it's not always the acceleration that you notice first off, that's almost to be expected in comparison to the mass of a usual road car.
Initially it's the noise. There's a lot going on it would seem, I guess you don't get to sit that close to any sort of machinery in normal circumstances, and frankly, you're surrounded by it.The mechanical noise recedes pretty quickly though, wind noise takes over, blanketing the activity around you.
So, if acceleration and noise aren't the prevalent indicators that you're back in the 7, what is?
To me it's the braking that is truly noticeable.It catches you out at the first medium speed dab on the pedal. Even with cold pads and tyres, the middle pedal acts like a momentum kill switch and you'll be yards short of your turning in or stopping point. This happens more than a few times as your mind goes through a recalibration period. And, when the relevant surfaces have reached what's considered a normal operating temperature, the impressive nature of light weight car dynamics are truly demonstrable under braking alone.
Bear in mind that this relates to a X-flow engined 7 with drums on the back, discs with admittedly decent pads up front, and very little in weight saving features. In comparison to other big disc multi pot 7s with carbon panels, that are pretty usual these days, I imagine the contrast to be even greater!
Directional change at medium and high speed are the next factors that seem to come effortlessly to these cars when you've been away for a while.
There is no lag between thinking it and having executed the input, no apparent lateral flex or lean, just a 'point and done'.Sometimes this is video game like in response, but the feedback from our road surfaces remind you that this is going on right now and there's no pause button on the apex of a real time turn in !
Here in lies the addictive nature of that lack of momentum, that sense of minimal mass, and, as the driver, it frees the car to do as you wish. It'll go exactly where you point it and as fast as you can think it, there's every reference from the car to indicate as to what's going on, but little sense of restriction from the machinery around you and the physics that normally binds you. It's that sense of weightlessness and freedom that can actually be captured and savoured for a few minutes that has you going back for more of that 'magic'.
So, how come this isn't all just a one way route through the hedge?
The truth is that most of us haven't the skill to get anywhere near the limits of a 7 on the road.Track experience proves that these cars are barely stretching themselves on the roads of Britain...and, most of the rest of us, haven't the nerve to go to that corner of the performance envelope to even look at the limit! That's the safety factor, a margin of capability that the car rarely has to fulfil.
Most 7 drivers have a good perception of what driving is all about, they wouldn't have the car if they didn't, and a 7 has to be 'driven', demanding involvement. Most 7 drivers will apply all of their driving skills all of the time when behind the wheel, that's where the enjoyment is after all, but the car is actually many times more capable than the driver. Stay with me on this...A missed braking point is remedied with fractionally greater pressure on the pedal, or carry the braking into the turn, and then change down a gear if you have to...not recommended for real pace on track, but if the car's way inside it's performance range there's room for forgiveness and the lack of mass allows things to come back in line very quickly ... preferably before the fellow blatter spots your indiscretion as you flick to another tune on the i-Pod and miss the gear change or braking point!
This is why today we could still enjoy the discovery of a local road that gave us some hairpin switchbacks speed signed at 10mph ! That'll be like a sign to the sweet shop then ;-)
The barely treaded and hardly appropriate R888 rubber on cold roads, that we weren't familiar with, are factors that could begin an accident report...but the predictability and familiarity of the 7 have me only reporting a great drive out in winter sunshine and finding more of that magic!
Not bad for a car that is more than 50 years old... well, with a few mods along the way.
Anyhow, we came across a microlight fly in day, so we stopped for a bit.
They were having the aerial equivalent of a Blat I suppose, but they had a BBQ and men with radios and stuff. I liked the space frame chassis (OK, fuselage) in this one...I believe it was made of drinking straws:
Some of the air machine men in their awkward fitting and unhappily coloured romper suits spoke to us ... we think it was because we had helmets too. I mentioned wing loading to one of them, we nearly missed our lunch.
And so to lunch at 'Loomies', where our two wheeled brethren stood on parade in the car park talking bike. Ian H and I went in to speak chips and eggs.
The Loomies Cafe 2011 wall calendar is now available and doesn't just feature images of visiting bikeists, no, July (or perhaps August?) features a rather splendid line up of three particular 7's ...
....a small but significant moment of satisfaction as the Sunrise Sevens make a 'wee on the tyre' mark at this famous biker stop!
So, if acceleration and noise aren't the prevalent indicators that you're back in the 7, what is?
To me it's the braking that is truly noticeable.It catches you out at the first medium speed dab on the pedal. Even with cold pads and tyres, the middle pedal acts like a momentum kill switch and you'll be yards short of your turning in or stopping point. This happens more than a few times as your mind goes through a recalibration period. And, when the relevant surfaces have reached what's considered a normal operating temperature, the impressive nature of light weight car dynamics are truly demonstrable under braking alone.
Bear in mind that this relates to a X-flow engined 7 with drums on the back, discs with admittedly decent pads up front, and very little in weight saving features. In comparison to other big disc multi pot 7s with carbon panels, that are pretty usual these days, I imagine the contrast to be even greater!
Directional change at medium and high speed are the next factors that seem to come effortlessly to these cars when you've been away for a while.
There is no lag between thinking it and having executed the input, no apparent lateral flex or lean, just a 'point and done'.Sometimes this is video game like in response, but the feedback from our road surfaces remind you that this is going on right now and there's no pause button on the apex of a real time turn in !
Here in lies the addictive nature of that lack of momentum, that sense of minimal mass, and, as the driver, it frees the car to do as you wish. It'll go exactly where you point it and as fast as you can think it, there's every reference from the car to indicate as to what's going on, but little sense of restriction from the machinery around you and the physics that normally binds you. It's that sense of weightlessness and freedom that can actually be captured and savoured for a few minutes that has you going back for more of that 'magic'.
So, how come this isn't all just a one way route through the hedge?
The truth is that most of us haven't the skill to get anywhere near the limits of a 7 on the road.Track experience proves that these cars are barely stretching themselves on the roads of Britain...and, most of the rest of us, haven't the nerve to go to that corner of the performance envelope to even look at the limit! That's the safety factor, a margin of capability that the car rarely has to fulfil.
Most 7 drivers have a good perception of what driving is all about, they wouldn't have the car if they didn't, and a 7 has to be 'driven', demanding involvement. Most 7 drivers will apply all of their driving skills all of the time when behind the wheel, that's where the enjoyment is after all, but the car is actually many times more capable than the driver. Stay with me on this...A missed braking point is remedied with fractionally greater pressure on the pedal, or carry the braking into the turn, and then change down a gear if you have to...not recommended for real pace on track, but if the car's way inside it's performance range there's room for forgiveness and the lack of mass allows things to come back in line very quickly ... preferably before the fellow blatter spots your indiscretion as you flick to another tune on the i-Pod and miss the gear change or braking point!
This is why today we could still enjoy the discovery of a local road that gave us some hairpin switchbacks speed signed at 10mph ! That'll be like a sign to the sweet shop then ;-)
The barely treaded and hardly appropriate R888 rubber on cold roads, that we weren't familiar with, are factors that could begin an accident report...but the predictability and familiarity of the 7 have me only reporting a great drive out in winter sunshine and finding more of that magic!
Not bad for a car that is more than 50 years old... well, with a few mods along the way.
Anyhow, we came across a microlight fly in day, so we stopped for a bit.
They were having the aerial equivalent of a Blat I suppose, but they had a BBQ and men with radios and stuff. I liked the space frame chassis (OK, fuselage) in this one...I believe it was made of drinking straws:
Some of the air machine men in their awkward fitting and unhappily coloured romper suits spoke to us ... we think it was because we had helmets too. I mentioned wing loading to one of them, we nearly missed our lunch.
Lunchtime in these parts doesn't offer favourable traffic conditions for extended sprint opportunities, even on a Sunday,but it does offer a fair amount of 'sport'. Safe over taking manoeuvres were counted off by the dozen, to cries of 'pull' ,sometimes 4 of the 'clay pigeons' were dispatched in one shot ;-)
And so to lunch at 'Loomies', where our two wheeled brethren stood on parade in the car park talking bike. Ian H and I went in to speak chips and eggs.
The Loomies Cafe 2011 wall calendar is now available and doesn't just feature images of visiting bikeists, no, July (or perhaps August?) features a rather splendid line up of three particular 7's ...
Fireblade Ring blat: Oct 10
....a small but significant moment of satisfaction as the Sunrise Sevens make a 'wee on the tyre' mark at this famous biker stop!
Check out the arch clearance, slam that ride!
(...or is it just the live axle with one wheel in a hole?)
_______________77________________
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