Coffee Bar Cowboys

A Memory of Morden.

Hal's Café, The Caprice, Bernies, were the favoured meeting places for the Motor cycling boys form Morden and the surrounding areas shoving tanners in to the juke box and trying to make a cup of coffee last for about 3 or 4 hours. On balmy evenings we would find ourselves sitting on the bridge on Cannon Hill Common, trying to impress girls such as Christine Simons, Carol Holdsworth, and Sheila McCree, and Janet Law, and regrettably, much to the annoyance of the residents in the houses opposite.
Weekends would see us polishing our bikes and getting through a decent amount of Solvo Autosol, which got aluminium looking like chrome, before meeting at Hal's for a jaunt down to Dorking for a blast around the Mickleham bends as close to a ton as you dare, or down to the south coast trying to avoid the Mods and of course the old Bill. I had a BSA Road Rocket with a Spitfire cam and a TT carb that looked a picture. After a visit to Taylor Dow in Clapham, I added clip-ons and rear-sets and it finished up looking as near as dam it to a Rocket Gold Star.
Among the initial clan were Roger Skipper, Howard Orpin, Glyn Bicker, Alan White, Terry and Cliff Wheeler, Ron Jordan, Alan (Mo) Moriarty, Frank Fisher, and the later additions were Dave Bellord, John Blackburn and many others. If I've forgotten to mention anyone, please forgive me as age has wreaked havoc with my memory. I'll be contacting Richard Allen, (AKA Dick Burger) very soon as his memory second to none; so stand by for additions/corrections. Richard of course was a Hal's Café regular, along with Vic Gillings, John Strong, Pete Sanders, Dave Davies, Gordon (Scotty) Scott and Ray Howle, to name just a few. Again, sorry if I've missed anyone or miss-spelt names.
A reunion was organised last year and many turned-up. It was like 50 years was only yesterday.
Some of the happiest days I can remember. Thank you Morden.

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