LT vs. MG TD

[hawg]

Catchy title, huh?

Part I

Well, visited the home of the MG TD after the HDDC dinner last night and I must admit...it kicked my butt right in the gutter!!! It is stunning!!!

Soooo...drove out to Wally's house and reaffirmed how truly nice he and his wife are. Like I had known them my whole life. Kept lookin at that MG out of the corner of my eye and Wally began the nickel tour...after walkin around and around the car and chit-chatting about history, original parts, and inspecting the overall restoration for half an hour, it was gettin dark thirty. Time to DRIVE it!

Er....actually, time to figger out how to GET IN the car with my BMW boots on. I forgot to bring my Rockport deck shoes and it was with much jack-knife bodily folding that I managed somehow to put my feet somewhere down in a dark area that was alleged to contain three pedals for operating a vintage car. Sat in that seat with adjustable steering wheel against my chest and I felt like I was transported back in time about 55 years or so. Kinda felt like Snoopy in the Sopwith Camel after riding the LT all day. Glorious!!!!

Wally folded in and proceeded to go through a pre-flight/drive check. Went through all the controls, key switch, choke, starter..STARTER? Pressed the left boot down til it stopped (musta been the clutch), put my right boot down on the brake (I thought) and Wally started the little beast. Ever hear a sewing machine at full tilt???? Dang! Got my boot on the brake AND the gas pedal simultaneously!!!! Memo to self...get narrow shoes! Finally found a quarter inch to move my right boot to the left and, ta-dah!!!, sewing maching quiets down to a purrrrr....but how the heck do I manipulate my feet that are totally numb to any sensation with pedals that are about the size of, I dunno, a tic-tac mint pack? http://www.advrider.com/forums/images/smilies/eek7.gif

Getting nervous...hell, scared to death, actually. My heart wuz pounding and I was afraid of either wrecking the car, killing one or both of us, or, worse....doing some frightfully embarrassing stunt!

Oh, Lord.....now it is time to move out. Yikes!

Sweat beads up on my forehead and my breathing is getting labored? Sheesh.

Wally's driveway is a quarter mile long with loooong 10% whoop-de-doo grades right out of the garage. Wally removes the wheel chock and shows me how to use the fly-away brake handle. Now, I get nervous. The brakes are holding us from rolling off the tarmac down a 100' drop through the woods, but how am I supposed to operate three freakin pedals with two big boots that provide NO feel whatsoever???? PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the first shock in the LT comparison. Motorcycle control is really in the hands...ie-brakes, throttle, clutch, counter-steering, etc. The MG is really more BELOW the dash with the hands only moving a teeny steering wheel.

Drop the fly-off brake and OFF we go!!! Well, sorta....

Gonna stop here and write up Part 2 later today. Also, gonna upload some pictures this evening to punctuate the moment. Visuals are so important. (Just glad no one took any pictures of me with eyeballs the size of softballs!)http://www.advrider.com/forums/images/smilies/eekers.gif

[grifscoots]

Silly wabbit, I woulda taken the boots off.

[Steve_R]

Nobody said Dave was the sharpest knife in the drawer. :p ;) :D

[andy]

Silly wabbit, I woulda taken the boots off.
Yeah, but then he would have half the story to tell. ;)

[hawg]

Silly wabbit, I woulda taken the boots off.


By the time I figured THAT out, my feets were stuck and I couldn't even get OUT!!! Gotta write up Part II and Part III. Oh, Lordy!

[RaffyK]

You are such a tease..
tap tap tap...waiting...tap tap...

[Dick]

Hey, Dave - I knowz 'bout claustrophobic feets and steering wheel imprints on the tummy!! Used to take the '55 T-Bird to *$$ on Friday, occasionally. Drew such a round of applause after they watched me wiggle outta that thang, got downright embarassin'. So I quit. :rolleyes: Then one day, a feller axed me what happened to the T-Bird? Told him I wuzn't gittin' paid for the entertainment feature during exit dance!! So, he sez to me - "hell, I thought it wuz funnier watchin' you tryin' to git back in!" I sez; "you think that wuz funny; you oughta see me try it with the top on!!! :eek:

Come to think about it, I just may do an encore presentation tamale morning for our usual Friday gig at World Kkaafffeee Hqtrs.

Enjoyin' your write up on the TD, Dave. Lookin' forward to pics and all. Hurry up!!!

[hawg]

Hey, Dave - I knowz 'bout claustrophobic feets and steering wheel imprints on the tummy!! Used to take the '55 T-Bird to *$$ on Friday, occasionally. Drew such a round of applause after they watched me wiggle outta that thang, got downright embarassin'. So I quit. :rolleyes: Then one day, a feller axed me what happened to the T-Bird? Told him I wuzn't gittin' paid for the entertainment feature during exit dance!! So, he sez to me - "hell, I thought it wuz funnier watchin' you tryin' to git back in!" I sez; "you think that wuz funny; you oughta see me try it with the top on!!! :eek:

Come to think about it, I just may do an encore presentation tamale morning for our usual Friday gig at World Kkaafffeee Hqtrs.

Enjoyin' your write up on the TD, Dave. Lookin' forward to pics and all. Hurry up!!!


Eh....hadn't thought about the top....http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif

[dwsdad]

Man, sometimes I really envy you inseam impaired, small-footed folks. I love those old MGs and Triumphs. Way back when, I could sorta fold my 6'3" frame into a TR6, but there ain't no way I could fold that same frame with the added tonnage into one now!

[Lynn_Keen]

Hey Dave,
If'n you woulda bought my A when I had it for sale you could have enjoyed the roomy limousine style spaciousness of the beast. Truth be told, I never did manage to get in or out of that car with the top up! Only it wasn't my height that was the problem! :~)

Can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

[FredR]

Hey Dave,If'n you woulda bought my A when I had it for sale you could have enjoyed the roomy limousine style spaciousness of the beast. Truth be told, I never did manage to get in or out of that car with the top up! Only it wasn't my height that was the problem! :~)

Can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

Loved my "A" too but that was 40 yrs ago and then I was able to get in/ou top up/down. Looked at a midget about 15 yrs ago and there was no way i could get into it top up or down.

[messenger13]

As we all know Dave, tain't no comparing a car to a bike. But...your story is a great one, and cause for mucho chuckling! Keep the stories coming. The true ones are the funniest, you know. Would've loved to been a fly on the wall of that garage. ('garage' rhymes with carriage, btw.) :D

Keep em comin'!