34 replies to this topic

[apw99]

Hello Carpe-TDM family. I have not been on for a while but I thought the members should know whats going on. Many of you know and love Chris Larkin, aka TeDeum who has been a member of the forum for many years. You have traveled with Chris over many GTGs and RTTs as I have. Personally I have had the honor and joy to have ridden many thousands of miles with Chris both in and out of the formal TDM events. 

 

Sadly Chris has been unwell for some time and with no better way of putting this his time is very limited. Anyone who knows Chris would know himself and Syra are dealing with this in a lovely way I heard aptly described as 'calm tolerance and understanding', indeed he is at peace with his destiny, a strenght beyond what most of us can imagine I am sure.

 

Many of you will shed a tear to hear this news, but lets remember Chris is with us now so we should celebrate that fact. I am sure he would love to hear your funny stories and ramblings and photos from the great times we enjoyed on our trips. This is not a time for sadness or 'sorry to hear' but a time to celebrate the amazing human beings that Chris and Syra Larkin are. A time to remind them of the how they have educated us in tolerance and humanity, humor and comradeship. Hopefully Chris and Syra will get to read your memories and how much he is loved and respected by everyone who met him, so please lets keep to the spirit of sharing the joy. 

 

I have Chris's Blue TDM and I will be preparing it for sale on his behalf. Chris is a master craftsman who built nearly 800 custom instruments and anyone who knows him will be aware of his genius, however as you know his genius does not extend to bike cleaning so at least I get to do something just a little bit better than him for once :-) I will post the bike for sale on Carpe before going to the market, Chris would love a Carpedian to buy and enjoy it.

 

Thanks,

Alex.

Edited by apw99, 30 July 2018 - 01:10 pm.

[dapleb]

I read this morning as a subscriber to the newsletter.. . Have been thinking about pa all day.

Thanks for posting Alex.

[dapleb]

The man not only has his own fan club but a fan club for TPLQHCSRS.

Always makes me smile!

http://www.carpe-tdm...ic=25228&page=1

[stu]

He had better not be at the ferry a day early this time

Safe journey, Chris.

[apw99]

He had better not be at the ferry a day early this time

Safe journey, Chris.

 

Oh, so funny Stu!

 

We were to meet Chris at Wexford to catch a ferry to go to France. This was my first Continental bike trip so I was well excited. I rang Chris the day before and Syra told me he had left Kerry to go to Wexford and catch the 9pm ferry. This was at 7pm so I had zero hope of packing and getting to Rosslare on time. Practically in tears that I had got the dates wrong I frantically tried to call him and Stu to confirm I had messed up...finally I got Chris and he checked his ticket only to find out he was 25hours too early! What a relief...but he found some nice people who gave him a bed as he always manages to do wherever we went!

 

Chris has had flak over that one for quite a few years now!

Edited by apw99, 30 July 2018 - 03:07 pm.

[paddy900]

Yes this a major clanger.......this is when i was given the job of his being his manager........main duties .....telling him the correct date of the boats and finding endless supplies of chocolate cake lol Many a time we took our own cake with us, sometimes in the back box of my bike.......

[apw99]

I had 11 o'clock coffee and some smashing (albeit non-chocolate) cake with Chris on Saturday. You are right Paddy - endless miles seeking out the ultimate chocolate cake, yours was always the best Paddy, fair play!

[Matlock]

A fine gentleman I every sense of the word and a total hoot to spend time with.
Totally disorganised when it came to travel, but always got there in the end. Especially with Paddy’s help as his manager  .
I learnt all I know about bike non-cleaning from Chris, a filthier MkII TDM I’ve never seen, although mine is always the filthiest 900 around.
I used to chuckle at his trick with the bike security chain obscuring his rear number plate so the speed cameras couldn’t catch him. When the police pulled him up over it, he’d turn on the charm and hook it back up, out of the way. Until they were out of sight.

His theory that all Carpe RTTs he attended had to have a sufficient number of people called Chris on it. Three was the minimum I seem to recall. In case of a shortfall he'd bring Swiss Chris with him.

Another of his theories was that the Irish government employed a team of people to put loose gravel on the apex of every bend in Ireland. He and Syra came a cropper on one such deposit, but luckily were unharmed and laughing about it 5 minutes later.

Chocolate cake addiction and an intricate rating system for it.

 

[CaptainSlow]

I've never met Chris in the flesh, but I have messaged him on several occasions with my stupid guitar-related questions, which he always answered with infinite patience and wisdom.  I don't think I'll ever own a CLC guitar, but I do have a branded Chris Larkin strap on my main gigging guitar, which I wear with pride.  One of the Good Guys.

[dandywarhol]

My heart sank when your post came up Alex but great you opened it up to the "family"

 

The swinging security chain was a great trick - used it myself on many a travel. I also recall the unceremonious dumping of Syra and Himself just out of Dingle - not so sure if it was gravel on the road or a loosening of crud from his bike what made its way under the tyre 

 

He is always an interesting man to be around and I wish I had an ounce of his "unflapability" 

[apw99]

A fine gentleman I every sense of the word and a total hoot to spend time with.
Totally disorganised when it came to travel, but always got there in the end. Especially with Paddy’s help as his manager  .
I learnt all I know about bike non-cleaning from Chris, a filthier MkII TDM I’ve never seen, although mine is always the filthiest 900 around.
I used to chuckle at his trick with the bike security chain obscuring his rear number plate so the speed cameras couldn’t catch him. When the police pulled him up over it, he’d turn on the charm and hook it back up, out of the way. Until they were out of sight.

His theory that all Carpe RTTs he attended had to have a sufficient number of people called Chris on it. Three was the minimum I seem to recall. In case of a shortfall he'd bring Swiss Chris with him.

Another of his theories was that the Irish government employed a team of people to put loose gravel on the apex of every bend in Ireland. He and Syra came a cropper on one such deposit, but luckily were unharmed and laughing about it 5 minutes later.

Chocolate cake addiction and an intricate rating system for it.

 

Hopefully TeDeum will remember where this photo was taken when he looks in, I think that is Gernts wife . That was the trip where myself and himself were motoring along through Belgium and some gobshite in an Audi literally tried to run us off the road up around Brussels. We stopped in the middle of this enormous car-park to calm down and I noticed the clip had fallen out of my back brake caliper pin. We were looking for something to tide me over and Chris says 'You know what would be perfect for that? A hair-clip'. I looked at him and said where the f%^& will I get a hair-clip. I was squatting at the time and looked at the ground and there was a hair-clip right beside the bike. We laughed ourselves silly, I'm not sure what wizardry Chris pulled that day but it was pretty cool! 

[Matlock]

The photo was taken in Monschau, Germany at the RTT in July 2013 and it is indeed Geert's wife (it is Geert isn't it, not "Gernt"?), Geert and Chris being twins course! We had fantastic Apple Strudel at the cafe too, I've never tasted the like of it since and Apple Strudel plays a close second to cake in my life.

You and Chris did a mammoth trip to get there, arriving late at night when we were all p*ssed in the bar. It was something like Rosslare-Cherbourg on the boat, then a non-stop dash across the whole of France and Belgium to Monschau, stopping off to buy wine I seem to recall!  

[ChrisG]

Think I first met Chris and Syra on the 2008 RTT in Castlegregory, where he became Pa Larkin on adopting Tony and myself as the youngest members of the group.  Some cracking rideouts on that trip.  Clam Chowder on the ride out round the Dingle Peninsular, Chocolate cake on the Ring of Kerry, a tour of Chris's workshop, hours of fun trying to find Father Teds house, and lots of great evenings in the pub where Syra was clearly not worried about Chris falling for Spongey behind her back

 

 

2009 and on the way down to the Dordogne Chris watched with amusement as I set off from the hotel on the wrong side of the road and pulled up to a junction to find a coach coming straight towards me.    

 

Managed to find some more good eateries on that trip, although I will always remember Chris's shock at the campsite when he asked what wines that had and the reply was "Red, White and Rose".    

 

 

Think it was Chris who suggested we stop at Oradour-sur-Glane on the way back, which was certainly well worth a visit.

 

 

Ireland 2012 and that lovely blue Mk2 got a useful addon

:

 

 

And of course we have a quorum of Chris's

 

Decent meals seem to be a theme touring with Chris

 

 

ETA:

How can I forget the reason for my profile picture!  Heading down through France following my Satnav and finding some lovely undulating twisty roads, with those Chausse Deformee signs cropping up occasionally.  I hadn't thought about it until we stopped but roads that where fun if a little bumpy solo were a little bit more a challenge for Chris with Syra on the back, and so the whole "Goat Tracking" thing was born

 

 

 

I have many happy memories that you contributed to Chris, I will treasure them for a long time, and often think of you when I find a really good cake stop.

Edited by ChrisG, 31 July 2018 - 06:44 pm.

[apw99]

The photo was taken in Monschau, Germany at the RTT in July 2013 and it is indeed Geert's wife (it is Geert isn't it, not "Gernt"?), Geert and Chris being twins course! We had fantastic Apple Strudel at the cafe too, I've never tasted the like of it since and Apple Strudel plays a close second to cake in my life.

You and Chris did a mammoth trip to get there, arriving late at night when we were all p*ssed in the bar. It was something like Rosslare-Cherbourg on the boat, then a non-stop dash across the whole of France and Belgium to Monschau, stopping off to buy wine I seem to recall!  

Ah yeah, we did home to Monschau in 24hrs with 2 ferry's and 4hrs sleep if I remember correctly. God-damned sore ass after that spin. Chris will remember that well when he reads this as I got split up from him in the last hour and spent another hour fluting around the hills looking for the hotel. That was a great adventure.

[pete7]

My first ever Carpe-TDM tour was in 2008 organised by Chris  and I was knocked out especially by the visit to his house to see his workshop and some guitars.

 

It made a lasting impression ... sadly not enough for me to be able to afford a hand-built instrument, but enough to make me put this little video together from the pictures of that tour. A great trip for us all .... despite the rain (which I actually enjoyed anyway)

 

Hope this helps us recall those few days in "sunny" Kerry ... and how much we all enjoyed it!

 

 

Pete7

 

 

[apw99]

Brilliant pix Pete. I joined a few weeks after that and was sorry to have missed it.
Great memories for Chris, Syra and all the lads.

[stu]

Think this was on the way back from Masserburg, the German forum get-together. Chris is the stoker. I was laughing so much I couldnt get my head out of the window.

 

 

[apw99]

Class photograph Stu, that was my screen-saver for years.

[wicklamulla]

Tanks fer some good advice on a change of direction in my life Chris,  i took it on board when all seemed lost and i haven't looked back sints. 

 

Most of yer messages to me were Vino fueled,  actually most of mine to you were lubed up with pinot grigio too. 

 

 I remember visiting you many years ago in 'The Kingdom',  but fer the life of me i can't quite remember if it was a GTT or a social call,  i do know i was with Emmett at the time and there were plenty of boikes around ferra rideout.  I remember you and Syra stalled at low speed and fell over a stone wall,  got up laughing and carried on regardless! 

 

You've loved and lived a nice life fella,  ride on safe now. xx

[paddy900]

I heard the sad news this morning, that our good friend and fellow biker has passed away. Our thoughts are with his lovely wife Syra and the family at this sad time. No further details at the moment. I will post them on here as soon as i find out.