What should I get?

The classic brit scene is a very tight-nit lot, normally, and they
disapprove in general of anyone who's into, for example, 60s and 70s Jap
bikes, or similar-age BMs, or basically anything not British.

There are the odd few who are a bit more broad minded, I grant you, but they
are a few. Basically, in this group (not per se a forum, and the difference
is subtle but deep) the regulars are of a certain mind-set and that, in
general, doesn't appear to appeal to the British-is-Best brigade, who, when
they do turn up, get the piss taken from them and mostyl depart in a huff.

Contrary to what you might think, there is technical discussion in amongst
the other stuff - and as to the lack of talk about Brit iron, well, that's
cos the majority of the Brit iron types are too narrow-minded about it.

 

never much cared for the styling of the 65, mind. But a nice bike, yeah.
Also, I reckon my monoshock is a better job than BMWs

 

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

Haha, watch where you're swinging your handbag, dearie

Some of you Jap-only-Nazis are dead touchy. I only asked why there
wasn't much Brit bike chat here and you're laying in like only a man
hiding behind a computer screen can.

 

says...

I dunno what kind of mates you had, but all mine were either learners
on GT250s and RD250s, or if they'd passed their tests they rode
CB750K2s, 400 Fours, GS550s and suchlike. I'm 43 and passed my test in
April 1979 aged 17. I bought an RD400 almost immediately after passing
my test, kept it a couple of years and then went on to a succession of
big Jap 4s.

Never a dull moment with a Brit bike, mainly because they added so much
drama to what should have been a stress free existence.

 

There's an Australian geezer running a classic bike forum - you can tell
it's a classic bike forum because he won't even let you post the name of
anything that's remotely un-British.

Anyway... buggered if I can find his site, but someone else around here
will come up with it.

Fwiw, I grew up with some ShiteOldBritBikes and still have a soft spot
for one or two. I loved old Norton sidecar pullers (even left the skin
of my palm on the exhaust header of one, aged 3), have been in close
contact with various marques over the years (owned very few, but rode a
lot of them), still recall the sound and fury of the various Triple
incarnations ( and the expensive bang they made when they broke, through
being tuned too highly from stock) and stood aghast at the total dog's
breakfast of the Norton Rotary.

For day to day riding though - I wouldn't trust a single one of them;
give me a reliable, starts when you push the button, get you to work and
back, take you away at the weekend, year round, year in, year out, rain
hail, or shine, Jap motorcycle.

They just work; and that's why many of them deserve the 'classic' tag.

 

writes
[]

That's interesting - you're only a couple of years older than me & when
I was 17-21 all my mates rode LCs, Z1000s & GSXs.

The only bloke my age that I knew with a brit bike was an eedjit who
bought a plunger framed bantam to learn on. Peoples father's owned
Triumph or BSA twins and usually rode BMWs if they rode at all. These
days the only blokes of my age I know into brit bikes ride Hinkley
Triumphs. Although I should confess to an illogical hankering for a
Hesketh.

There's time interesting is not an asset. Don't ask me how I know

 

That is really the key point and one that is unlikely to be
satisfactorily resolved.

However, just because it's old or the product of any one country doesn't
mean its a classic.

Perhaps we should be looking at each machines iconic status? The impact
it had on peoples day to day life, their effect on motorcycle design or
production, in what esteem or affection where they held at the time and
did they make up the background to day to life?

A simple mathematical equation [1] doesn't really cut it [2] for me
neither does 'because its old'.


[1] http://www.unixconsult.co.uk/bike/ukrmcfaq.html#classic
[2] but it's about the best we're going to get.

 

No but I did, although perhaps I could have expressed it a little clearer.

One of the reason British stuff isn't discussed is few people here have
them. Certainly very few have any respect for them.

The only machines that would stand up to the use and mileage meted out by
most of the posters here are too expensive to buy and too expensive to
keep on the road.

for > eg).

Nothing provocative at all, ignorant perhaps, but not provocative in that
sense.

It really is a major point. The bulk of posters here actually ride their
bikes and don't have them as ornaments or simply /possessions/

I don't think that illustrates your point at all. It does show declining
interest in older machines.

It's been predicted that in a few years the classic magazines won't be
covering machines from the 50s and 60s simply because they have no
relevance to the readership or, more to the point, to the readership the
advertising revenue want to target.

I believe you'll find this group is more representative of those who run
'classic' machines than you think.

 

so that makes you and your club part of the "more broad-minded" lot, which
is all to the good. However, the attitude I mention is clear in other
places.

 

Thus spake unto the assembled multitudes:

Eh? So if you're 41, when you were 17-21 that would have been 1981-1985,
right? I don't know what kind of time warp you were in, and I really
don't want to imply that you're a liar, but A65s and suchlike were pretty
thin on the ground by that time, unless of course your circle of mates were
specifically into old British bikes. Most circles of mates around that
time were definitely into big Jap fours and suchlike; definitely the kinds
of bikes that are most often discussed in this NG. I'm 49 and although I
had a Triumph twin when I was 20 in 1976, Japanese bikes were taking
over by then and almost all my mates and contemporaries had them.

 

Thus spake Dan L unto the assembled multitudes:

That must have been the ghastly Norton Jubilee, yes? One of my mates had
one (in 1975) and that was always breaking, whenever it wasn't pissing oil
everywhere.

 

Thus spake Bob Scott unto the assembled multitudes:

Good, so it wasn't just me thinking it was strange, then.

 

It's true though.

Indeed - I've had Brit bike owners try to get us (the Laverda club)
kicked out of classic shows because "they can't be classic bikes -
they're not British". The organisers were very sensible & told them to
piss off. I think they were just annoyed because folk were walking past
their C15s & B25s to look at Jotas & Montys.

Then there was the time my father-in-law took his 30 year old Italian
twin to a classic bike run - he came home furious because the organisers
had refused to let him take part because his Alpina "wasn't a classic".
They were quite happy to have a Les Harris "Matchless" there - if they
wanted it Brit only they should have said so explicitly rather than just
declaring anything British classic and anything foreign as unclean.

 

Digressing slightly:

A few years ago I had a beard chewing, stationary engine type cheerfully
remark to me that "you can't mistake a British twin" as I parked up the
Guzzi.

He just "Harrumphed" when I pointed it out...

 

But that's *my* equation! I demand satisfaction, sir.

 

Well it is flawed: "After 50 years, almost any old shit gets in."

 

well, I thought it were a jolly good equation.

 

*snigger*

 

mind, that's also because it's probably impossible to get parts to repair a
400-4 gearbox.

 

Champ came up with the following;:

I think it works well.

Certainly well enough to be an aid to determining how 'classic' a classic
bike is.