Vintage bikes.

[boxerscott]

Have spent a really nice weekend down in South Yorkshire, had a couple of reet good neets with friends in Sheff. We had a day out in Castleton, did a bit of subterranean stuff, water was at a staggering 2 deg c however the sun shone up above and watching the world go by I noted the amount of vintage/classic stuff potting about. Thought how relevant it all was and how these bikes are perfect for such dale/peak roads and how irrelevant the 170bhp plus bikes generally are for our roads. The old British bikes sound just perfect. Do not think this is a nostalgia attack, it aint. I actually believe it and am feeling the itch to go over to the Dark Side.

Chris

[SP250]

Have a chat with Steve then Chris, they sell Harleys downstairs from his BMW showroom if you really want the Dark Side.
Old Brit iron is just the oily side - usually on the outside, instead of where it is rumoured it does more good on the inside!

[weaselonastick]

Chris,
Go for it. Get another vintage bike on the road.
I absolutely love my vintage bikes. And in the right situation, they are the best thing to ride; they make the right sound, get the most attention, and (usually) put a smile on my face.
But it ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
Keeping vintage bikes running is hard work; they require regular fettling to keep them running right.
Old electrics, points, main & pilot jets, cables, chains & sprockets, varying fuel quality, ambient temperature, etc... for me it's always a bit of a lottery which bike will start, depending upon one or several of the above factors.
There's nothing like jumping on the R11S, pressing the button, and riding away.
So I think the best solution is to have one (relatively) modern bike in the shed to be the fallback position, should the others let me down.
Have fun,
Mike

[boxerscott]

Oily side indeed John! TBQH I was thinking of cheating and getting a modern retro lookie alikeey. There are some Harleys in the range that are resonating with me too. Afraid the cost of modern tech laden new bikes is putting me off also 50mph speed zones, safety cameras fixed or mobile, traffic control humps, poorly maintained roads, double white lines, congestion etc. The only place to extract anywhere near full potential is the race track. All that bhp bollox is now seeming pointless.

The labour of love that goes into an old brit sounds quite daunting. Rewarding I bet if you get them up to concourse condition.

Chris.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

If I were to go vintage it would be modern retro Vintage and therefore probably an Enfield 350 as I m told that the 350 is smoother than the 500. Or perhaps the new 650 twin that's coming.

[Neil178]

There is a guy on PistonHeads that has just splashed a load of money for a 1939 Levis 350. It is a thing of beauty having been restored by the museum he bought it from.
The only thing I don’t like about it is the new shiny nuts and bolts. I didn’t say anything, not wanting to pee on his strawberries, but I would’ve had the original hardware tarted up to look less brand new.
It certainly does make you think about the pleasure a local ride on the back roads can give you vs the worry of points/ban on the latest crutch rocket.
I think I’m getting old!

[Paul]

Chris,

Next time you are heading south on your bike to visit the continent, make some time to visit the Sammy Miller motorcycle museum in the New Forest. That should give you plenty of food for thought. All of those bikes are beautifully restored and the vast majority, if not all, are runners.

cheers,

Paul

[boxerscott]

Chris,

Next time you are heading south on your bike to visit the continent, make some time to visit the Sammy Miller motorcycle museum in the New Forest. That should give you plenty of food for thought. All of those bikes are beautifully restored and the vast majority, if not all, are runners.

cheers,

Paul

That is worth a visit on its own merit Paul and is on my to do list. Perhaps when/if Popsky puts up next years Devon ride we will do this.
Am also liking the imported Royal Enfield brand. I saw one on Monday with saddle bags, single seat and a right dandy looking chavver on it. How cool thought I.

Chris

[ianbcr]

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/promos/2 ... s-auction/

[dark_knight87]

This is me and my 1953 BSA A10 'Golden Flash' :-

[nab 301]

Chris,

/quote]
Am also liking the imported Royal Enfield brand. I saw one on Monday with saddle bags, single seat and a right dandy looking chavver on it. How cool thought I.

Chris

I've owned 2 Indian Enfields since '02 , a 350 4 speed which I had for about 7 years and at the time I said never again !! and currently a 5 speed 500 which I bought as a project and has stubbornly remained as a rolling project. Each time I think , "This is nice" it manages to bite the hand that feeds it,. Speaking to Reoc members locally even new UCE fuel injected ones seem to have dubious build quality and reliability.
Even so I have managed to clock up about 10k kms , so maybe not as bad as I think .
My most recent addition is an '06 carbed Triumph Bonneville , it's early days yet, but plenty of low down grunt , good brakes , handles well , and can cover ground quickly if necessary, has a petrol tap with a reserve position , no ABS, and spoked wheels ( unfortunately with tubes) for that true classic experience if and when i suffer a puncture!!.
SAM_1108 (2) by Nigel Burgess, on Flickr

DSC_0634 (2) by Nigel Burgess, on Flickr

[boxerscott]

Loving the BSA and beautiful brickwork, by any chance is that Pickering North Yorks? just a guess with the ww2 window masking.

The Bonnie looks better without the top box Nigel.

Chris

[nab 301]

The Bonnie looks better without the top box Nigel.

Chris

The bike with the top box is my Enfield.... ( the top box is required for all those "in case I need them spares")

[dark_knight87]

[quote="boxerscott"]Loving the BSA and beautiful brickwork, by any chance is that Pickering North Yorks? just a guess with the ww2 window masking.

Chris - The photo was taken outside of the Severn Valley Railway Station in Kidderminster. They were having a 1940's weekend at the time!

Regards,
Russ

[boxerscott]

The Bonnie looks better without the top box Nigel.

Chris

The bike with the top box is my Enfield.... ( the top box is required for all those "in case I need them spares")

I should have known better

Chris