MFN member Ad van Tiel
Hello MFN members.
My name is Ad van Tiel, and I am 67 years old. I live together with my wife and dog in Uden, Uje in the Brabant dialect. We have 2 children, both living in Uden.
I have been retired since a few months (May 2023), after having worked 52 years as a conventional metal turner for a number of companies. During that period I made parts for, among others, the Dakar Rally trucks of Team de Rooy, and test parts for the F-35 fighter planes. I have also made many stainless steel parts for the meat and bread baking industries. In addition, I have been able to help many motorcyclists from the area with overhauls or custom parts.
I stopped riding for 2 years now, but I have owned several motorcycles including a BMW R50 and R65 (this was my last), Ducati 860GTS, Yamaha XS 650, Honda CX500.
Ducati 860GTS
My 1st motorcycle was a Honda 125cc 2-cylinder.
Honda CB125 K5 2-cylinder
I have ridden many motorcycle tours, among others 11x the Friesche Elfstedentocht (Frisian 11-cities tour).
Medals from the Frisian 11-cities tour, 1 from each city
I have visited the Elefantentreffen in Salzburg 4 times, from 1981 up to 1984. Together with my brother on a BMW motorcycle with sidecar, and with members of motorcycle club "De Kleppenjagers" ("The Valve Hunters").
The Elefantentreffen in Salzburg, always in January or February
I have also joined the Jumbo-run 2 times (1981 and 1982), on a motor with sidecar borrowed from my brother.
I also used the motorcycle a lot for commuting, even in winter.
I did the maintenance of my bikes as much as possible by myself. As I worked in a machine factory, I was able to remake or overhaul many parts myself. Or replace parts with stainless steel parts. I now have a small lathe (Mahos 22 from the MAS factories) in my shed, so that I can make some small turning work for motorcycle and moped riders from Uden and the surrounding area.
I have been a member of the MFN for quite some time. I am also a member of the local stamp club and the association "De Verzamelaar" ("The Collector"). I started collecting Dutch stamps, but got tired of it after 2 years. I had already seen that stamps with motorcycle images exist, and I extensively looked through the Yvert and Michel catalogs available in the library, searching for more motorcycle stamps. One day I saw a message in the Dutch weekly magazine "Motor" from the MFN that was organizing an swap meeting at the Pally biscuit factory in Nieuwegein. I went there and only then did I see how many stamps and other philatelic items with images of motorcycles exist. I especially like envelopes with their original contents, and I now have some of them in my collection.
In addition to the philatelic items, I also collect other things with a motorcycle image, such as match labels, cigar bands, sugar bags, labels and whatever fits in an A4 folder.
I create the album pages myself using Microsoft Word. I look for a matching text on the internet, the MFN website, or simply from a motorcycle magazine or book. This is a way of collecting that I personally like, although it is not entirely philatelic. Here are some examples:
In addition to the MFN meetings, I also attend the local stamp club meetings in Uden. The other members know that I collect motorcycle stamps, and they hold these for me. I also regularly go to the general collector's fair in Eerde. There I buy various collectibles, such as match brands and sugar packets.
I also search a lot on Delcampe and Marktplaats. With some imagination in keywords, I come across nice items that fit into my collection.
On the website "Moet Je Kijken" by Madelèn Essens there is also an article by me, written for the magazine of De Verzamelaar (number 6 - 2014).
Well, this was my presentation. I hope that many club members will follow and introduce themselves in coming newsletters from the MFN.
Houdoe (good bye in local dialect), see you at the MFN club meetings.
Ad van Tiel
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