What should I get?

aka "point and laugh"

 

A big round barrel Guzzi is a lot of bike for, relatively, not much money.

Fast, fine handling, reliable with good parts availability.

 

....and Italian electrics...

 

So something like

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4560524212&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

would be a good half way house between a modern thing and a full on Brit?
What would something like teh above be worth(noticed it didn't reach
reserve)

 

Thus spake sweller unto the assembled multitudes:

Just stay *well* clear of any V75's you might see, unlikely though that is.

 

I was always rather taken with the V50. Only thing is, with my build, it'd
look silly.

R60 or R80 beemers are a good bet, too. R80s are often ex-dibble, mind.

 

Is this really a classic bike forum? Most posters seem to be into not
very old foreign bikes and heaven forbid anything should need a bit of
upgrading or maintenance to make it reliable.

 

It's not surprising given how shit and over priced the Brit stuff is.
Ever wondered why there isn't a British bike industry bar Bloor's recent
and modern Triumph revival?

 

The little ones tend to drop valves. Probably get a reasonable T4 or T5
for around a grand but they're not full on 'classic' but are 20 or so
years old.

 

Take this as a bite but the Italian electrics on my 25 year old Guzzi
have been no worse than I'd expect from a similar aged Jap bike.

 

The V50 Monza looked lovely, but it was a bit slow. The late 80's R65
mono is a *lovely* little bike.

'Hog

 

The forks, brakes and wheels all look Guzzi.

 

I know why there isn't a British bike industry, but it's beside the
point anyway. I'm into old Brit bikes cos of the character they have
and cos I enjoy the spannering. And that's my choice. 'Shit' is in the
the eye of the beholder and the price of something is exactly what
it'll fetch. I'm just surprised there's so little talk of bikes older
than about 20 years and not much technical chatter. S'alright tho, if
that's how it is, then that's how it is.

Keep polishing that plastic lads ;0)

 

Not even a unit gearbox. Sheesh.

'Hog

 

I think you're sadly deluded as to what is a classic bike, just because
someone pays shedloads of cash for a machine doesn't make it classic or
good. Many were shit in comparison to the competition when they were new
(in the fifties and sixties), they've not got any better with age.

I've had a number of British bikes and they were all awful (and BSAs so
that may be the problem...)

I don't doubt something like a Vincent or Velo would have character but I
wouldn't know as (a) they're not affordable (b) never seen outside
museums and concours trailers (c) shit as a day to day road bike.

Whereas a nearly 30 year Italian bike, German or similarly aged Jap bike
has character, affordable, seen on the road and work as high mileage day
to day bikes.

Out of interest how many machines discussed here have been not been
"older than about 20 years"?

Out of interest how many machines discussed here in the last few
weeks/months/years have plastic?

I didn't mean this to be a rant but take a look at the iconic machines
that are being discussed here, repaired and *run* by the posters.

The more I think about it, you know **** all.

 

The wheels look the same castings used on the Le Mans, as you say the
Disks are Brembo and the forks are an off the shelf unit that Laverda(?)
used.

At least the co-op saw where the some of the problems were but tried and
failed. Too little too late. About six years too late.

 

The more I think about it you know **** all about what I think and have
gone off on one. I didn't say classic = shedloads of cash. I was just
wondering (a little provocatively maybe - sorry to have upset you) as
to why there was not much talk of British bikes and not much technical
chat on here (Compare this NG to the Piled Arms Pub forum, for eg).
Whether something is shit or not (an entirely personal judgement) is
beside the point. The poster below - AW - brings up the interesting
point of Classic Bike starting to run a Jap section. That precisely
illustrates my point. The vast majority of the pages of the classic
mags are focused on Brit bikes. It's valid thing that they should now
cover the older Jap, Italians etc, but it's only a few pages of one
mag. But here the Brit-Foreign split is quite the reverse. That's what
I find puzzling, but praps all the geezers who are into the Brits are
just elsewhere.

 

the reason most "Classics" tend to be about 20 years old is that
most classics tend to be run by people that can afford a non essential
vehicle and most of them are in their late 30s to 50s, and they ride
what they lusted after when they were spotty teenagers, or what they
had
at the time. Hence why no one wants dull old Brit singles and other
grey porridge any more>>>>> Well, I'm right in the middle of that age
bracket at 41 and that's the circumstance of why I'm into Brits. When I
was 17-21 all my mates rode A10s, A65s, Bonnies, Daytonas, Tritons etc.
Hence, my surprise at why there's so little talk of them here.

And dull? **** no.

 

****, you must have hung out with a right bunch of twats then.

I am older than you, and my mates rode RD250's and KH250's. Except for one
chap who had a Norton 250. He didn't get out much though, as the bloody
thing was always being fixed.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

They're prolly in the garage, degreasing the concrete

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)