Mad? yes, quite probably

The Older Gentleman was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Heh. Are you after more offers of marriage or other unspeakable acts
from overweight Americans?

 

Mug and T-shirt sales, actually (it was antonye's idea!)......

 

The Older Gentleman was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

That'll probably fall into the "unspeakable acts" category then. Have
you actually sold any so far?

 

My brother had a CB500T: he's still single.

Mileage?

 

Dunno. Haven't looked.

 

Thus spake Timo Geusch unto the assembled multitudes:

Strange as it might seem, I very rarely had trouble starting my C15, even
though to look at it you would have been amazed anything on it worked at
all. Engine and 6v electrics were bog standard.

 

Perhaps you should remove "will ship worldwide" from your auctions. Or
do you do it just to attract Americans for amusement value?

If you sell this one I really will have to consider putting the pile of
shite behind my shed on eBay. I'd consider including the pile of shite
inside the shed too, except I have a feeling that it's all that's
holding the shed up.

Regards, Ian

 

I think it was on Sat, 13 Dec 2003 13:23:03 +0000 that Geoff Berrow

Geoff,

You could be buying into a money-pit looking for a 'cheap' Brit bike
these days. A friend of mine got his 70's Bonnie back on the road last
year. He bought it new but it ended up in boxes when he moved house
about 15 years ago. It was in basically sound nick, didn't need paint
(apart from the frame/forks) and only had about 15K on the clock. It
ended up costing him a small fortune, getting the valve seats
replaced, new bearings all round, belt drive for the primary drive,
stainless rims/spokes, electronic ignition etc, etc. His aim was to
fix everything that was badly designed in the first place, so, in
theory, making it a reliable, usable classic.

His wife was so pissed off going to pick him up from where it had
broken down (again) that she gladly let him buy his next project, an
ex-Military Police Pan European Honda that only really need a clean-up
and a bit of rewiring where they'd ripped the blues and twos off. He's
had far more use out of the Pan since he bought it this summer than he
had out of the Bonnie over the last 18 months.

Have a look at some of the Jap bikes from the late 70s and 80s, some
are a definite proposition for relatively simple home maintenance.
There's plenty of people here who can guide you through that
particular minefield far better than I... There's a whole load of old
articles (lifted I think from the Used Bike Guide mag) at
http://umgweb.com/member1/ which should give you an idea of what to
avoid.

What about a beemer? An original R65 with the twin brembo discs
probably won't cost a fortune (but more that you'd think...). The
bigger (750+) Guzzis are relatively reliable mechanically but not
electrically and are basically simple to work on, being pushrod
twins with carbs.

As someone else said up there somewhere, if you're determined to go
for a Brit, look at one of the less glamourous makes - I used to
regularly ride a friend's AJS 650 twin thirty mumble years ago - it
wasn't as fast as contemporary Beezers or Trumps but had the torque to
climb houses which probably resulted in more usable power below 70
than its flashier rivals, and let's face it, who wants to go above 70
on 1960s drum brakes? Royal Oilfields were better than their nickname
suggests, the 700 Constellation was a superb bike that was much under
rated and overshadowed by the later 750 Interceptor.

When I started looking for my born-again ride, I was looking for
something old and British initially, then my head took over my heart
and I decided I wanted a Jap V-twin. Not everybody's cuppa, but I like
my Virago. It's reasonably easy to get to most of the serviceable bits
(although the rear pot exhaust tappet looks like a bit of a sod), it's
a shaft drive and (touching wood) so far it starts on the button,
every time, even in this frosty weather.

Rob
--

Rob
Broseley, Shropshire
1991 Yamaha XV 535 Virago
1988 Saab 900i

 

Is this knowledge gained through experience?

 

I noticed that Message-ID: <>
from Rob contained the following:

<snip good advice>

It doesn't have to be a popular one as long as it has the period 'look'.
And I'm not really interested in speed either, I'd only injure myself.
As I said, I want it as much for a project as anything else - something
to keep me occupied. I'm hoping I would not miss the money too much,
dong it a bit at a time. I can't afford something decent straight off.

They are lovely, I really like them and if I just wanted something to
ride I'd really like one.

 

As opposed to curse, kick and hit with a spanner?

Were I in the market for a ShiteoldBritBike (and I have been tempted
from time to time), I'd be tempted by a Bonnie. I still love the US spec
Bonnie's style, and also the lean looks of the smaller 500 twins.

 

I noticed that Message-ID:

<g> you got it.

 

best laugh for days, thanks TOG.

 

They are having good fun with it over in uk.rec.humour too. ;-)

 

I think it was on 15 Dec 2003 22:27:39 GMT that "sweller"

Mate of mine's had a Le Mans since 1984. No problems mechanically, but
he had to rewire it not long after he got it when a short set the main
loom on fire...

Rob
--

Rob
Broseley, Shropshire
1991 Yamaha XV 535 Virago
1988 Saab 900i

 

36thousand already. You're doing it again. All over the world, there are
people waiting on you listing some other old crap on ebay, just to get
their jollies.

Well done. Keep up the good work.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

short wheelbase gives quick handling, ideal for around town. Post 70 they
have a roller main on the timing side, much better than the earlier Edward
Turner "suicide lubrication" plain bearing timing side main, the bugbear of
the tiger cub, Ceefer , B40 and earlier 350 and 500 Triumphs. Ted Simon rode
round the world on one. Changing subject slightly ,I was looking in a
Classic mag today, Honda 50 C100 .... £999, surely youre joking , the
bottom ends last about 10 miles..
Steve the grease

 

I think it was on Wed, 17 Dec 2003 23:54:40 -0000 that "R L Driver"

But a nightmare on the open road. ISTR that the frame on the 500 was
quite bendy (rear section bolted on or something?) which lead to
interesting handling if you had to shut the throttle on a corner...

Years ago, my favourite trick when my brother was following me on his
Speed Twin (I was on an Enfield 500) was to throttle down on a fast
sweeping bend and watch him go all over the road in my mirrors.

Having said that, the Speed Twin was a lovely bike for pottering
around, dead comfy and as you said, absolutely superb around town.

Rob
--

Rob
Broseley, Shropshire
1991 Yamaha XV 535 Virago
1988 Saab 900i