Motorcycle General Discussion

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

As an elderly speed nut but as enthusiastic as ever in speed record attempts and the machines created had an interesting conversation with one of my friends.

His two wheeled machine will take pride of place on the I.M.I. stand at NEC fluid power show.

**LINK**

All will be eventually be revealed later but on testing various things were blown away.

I think it's great that there are still people about pushing the limits of speed attempts and building the machines.

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Extract from a book about life in the AMC factory.

**LINK**

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by JimmieS on 07/02/2018 10:07:56:

Extract from a book about life in the AMC factory.

**LINK**

Thanks. So good I had to order a hard copy for my library. Fascinating reading.

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

I've just put my old Harley Sportster back on the road.

Recent TV advert for Coke, old fellow doing bucket list things, final scene, riding motorbike. My wife looked at the old fellow and said, 'That could be you'. I said 'No, he looks a lot younger'.

Depressing!!!

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Evo or Ironhead?

Posted by daveb on 08/02/2018 21:41:01:

I've just put my old Harley Sportster back on the road.

Recent TV advert for Coke, old fellow doing bucket list things, final scene, riding motorbike. My wife looked at the old fellow and said, 'That could be you'. I said 'No, he looks a lot younger'.

Depressing!!!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by daveb on 08/02/2018 21:41:01:

I've just put my old Harley Sportster back on the road.

Recent TV advert for Coke, old fellow doing bucket list things, final scene, riding motorbike. My wife looked at the old fellow and said, 'That could be you'. I said 'No, he looks a lot younger'.

Depressing!!!

Pics please!!!

A few years back I dragged my '77 Sportster (Ironhead) out of the ancestral family shed and got it back on the road. It was so much of a hoot I rode it 6,000 miles across Oz and back to have a beer with my old riding buddies from the day. Check out pics and story on this thread here **LINK**

It was the best ride of my life, bar none!

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Thanx for that. Would have read all 10 pages if the PhotoBucket Nazis had not had their piece of flesh, ie all pics removed.

Regards,

Mike.

Posted by Hopper on 10/02/2018 04:10:08:

Posted by daveb on 08/02/2018 21:41:01:

I've just put my old Harley Sportster back on the road.

Recent TV advert for Coke, old fellow doing bucket list things, final scene, riding motorbike. My wife looked at the old fellow and said, 'That could be you'. I said 'No, he looks a lot younger'.

Depressing!!!

Pics please!!!

A few years back I dragged my '77 Sportster (Ironhead) out of the ancestral family shed and got it back on the road. It was so much of a hoot I rode it 6,000 miles across Oz and back to have a beer with my old riding buddies from the day. Check out pics and story on this thread here **LINK**

It was the best ride of my life, bar none!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by thaiguzzi on 11/02/2018 06:12:53:

Thanx for that. Would have read all 10 pages if the PhotoBucket Nazis had not had their piece of flesh, ie all pics removed.

Thanks for the alert. The fix is to use Mozilla Firefox browser and download the free add-on called Photobucket Hotlink. You will then be able to see everyone's "blocked" Photobucket pics.

Google Chrome has a similar fix as well.

[Billy BeanParticipant @billybean67480]

Posted by Hopper on 11/02/2018 10:23:58:

Posted by thaiguzzi on 11/02/2018 06:12:53:

Thanx for that. Would have read all 10 pages if the PhotoBucket Nazis had not had their piece of flesh, ie all pics removed.

Thanks for the alert. The fix is to use Mozilla Firefox browser and download the free add-on called Photobucket Hotlink. You will then be able to see everyone's "blocked" Photobucket pics.

Google Chrome has a similar fix as well.

That was one good tip. Well pleased you posted it.

[colin branniganParticipant @colinbrannigan54160]

I can still start this at 68 and get out for hour or so if it's not raining

 

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 11:01:04

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 11:03:46

[colin wilkinsonParticipant @colinwilkinson75381]

Very nice Triton. Slimline Featherbed with a T100C motor from the look of the close finned alloy barrel? Colin

[colin branniganParticipant @colinbrannigan54160]

You are right Colin, 59 slimline with 54 all alloy comp engine, bought off the bay in stripped condition, but included all the right bits and turned out a lovely bike

https://i.imgur.com/p4ovbsO.jpg?1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 14:27:32

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 14:30:12

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 14:31:41

Edited By colin brannigan on 11/02/2018 14:34:09

[ronan walshParticipant @ronanwalsh98054]

That all alloy engine was one of the best looking motorcycle engines ever made. I have the makings of a triton here, but have to finish rebuilding my old a10 golden flash first.

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Thaiguzzi, Hopper, it's a 91 Evo, fairly standard 1200, will add pics to my photos. Bike was running OK when I stopped using it, only 22K miles but I decided to have the frame powder coated. I got a bit busy with other things so it took 17 years to put it back together. Enjoyed reading about your trip Hopper, may be giving me ideas beyond my ability.

[“Bill Hancox”Participant @billhancox]

Posted by Hopper on 10/02/2018 04:10:08:

Posted by daveb on 08/02/2018 21:41:01:

A few years back I dragged my '77 Sportster (Ironhead) out of the ancestral family shed and got it back on the road. It was so much of a hoot I rode it 6,000 miles across Oz and back to have a beer with my old riding buddies from the day. Check out pics and story on this thread here **LINK**

It was the best ride of my life, bar none!

$3000 in repairs. Wow!. My '75 Sportister was $3457 new from the dealer in Winterpeg Manitoba and the price included shipping by train 475 miles north to Lynn Lake. Those were the days.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Concur. One of THE greatest looking motorcycle engines. However, day to day riding, compared to a 650, too revvy and a bit gutless.

Now if they'd only made a 650-750 version of that top end externally…

By the way, I've owned and worked on Triumph twins for 35 years +. I had my own Meriden big twin shop in the UK for 15 years. Became rather well known by the time I sold up.

Posted by ronan walsh on 11/02/2018 15:47:18:

That all alloy engine was one of the best looking motorcycle engines ever made. I have the makings of a triton here, but have to finish rebuilding my old a10 golden flash first.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by "Bill Hancox" on 11/02/2018 17:30:47:

Posted by Hopper on 10/02/2018 04:10:08:

Posted by daveb on 08/02/2018 21:41:01:

A few years back I dragged my '77 Sportster (Ironhead) out of the ancestral family shed and got it back on the road. It was so much of a hoot I rode it 6,000 miles across Oz and back to have a beer with my old riding buddies from the day. Check out pics and story on this thread here **LINK**

It was the best ride of my life, bar none!

$3000 in repairs. Wow!. My '75 Sportister was $3457 new from the dealer in Winterpeg Manitoba and the price included shipping by train 475 miles north to Lynn Lake. Those were the days.

LOL, yep. I paid about $3500 for the Sporty brand new in '77. That was a lot of money then. $1650 would get you a Triumph Bonneville and $1450 a Honda Four.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by daveb on 11/02/2018 16:37:58:

Thaiguzzi, Hopper, it's a 91 Evo, fairly standard 1200, will add pics to my photos. Bike was running OK when I stopped using it, only 22K miles but I decided to have the frame powder coated. I got a bit busy with other things so it took 17 years to put it back together. Enjoyed reading about your trip Hopper, may be giving me ideas beyond my ability.

I never let that stop me doing anything!

[ronan walshParticipant @ronanwalsh98054]

Posted by thaiguzzi on 12/02/2018 03:29:36:

Concur. One of THE greatest looking motorcycle engines. However, day to day riding, compared to a 650, too revvy and a bit gutless.

Now if they'd only made a 650-750 version of that top end externally…

By the way, I've owned and worked on Triumph twins for 35 years +. I had my own Meriden big twin shop in the UK for 15 years. Became rather well known by the time I sold up.

Posted by ronan walsh on 11/02/2018 15:47:18:

That all alloy engine was one of the best looking motorcycle engines ever made. I have the makings of a triton here, but have to finish rebuilding my old a10 golden flash first.

The time for meriden to completely revamp the engines was when they switched from pre-unit to unit construction. They stuck with the same cylinder spacing and 360 degree crankshaft. Instead of going wider and allowing larger bores, and they should have went with a 76, or 90 degree crank, it would have been easy to enlarge the engine and still have it vibrate less.

[peter briggs 1Participant @peterbriggs1]

some of mine

Edited By peter briggs 1 on 12/02/2018 23:09:45

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by ronan walsh on 12/02/2018 12:18:51:

…

The time for meriden to completely revamp the engines was when they switched from pre-unit to unit construction. They stuck with the same cylinder spacing and 360 degree crankshaft. Instead of going wider and allowing larger bores, and they should have went with a 76, or 90 degree crank, it would have been easy to enlarge the engine and still have it vibrate less.

Phil Irving tried to get the British vertical twin manufacturers to change to 90 degree cranks many years earlier and got laughed out the factory gates. It was a long-standing and enduring prejudice I guess.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Do you mean 90 or 180? Either has the disadvantage of uneven firing intervals. The 180 balances the reciprocating forces, except that they are not in line so it introduces a rocking couple in a way that a motorcycle frame is not well placed to resist. Honda used both 180 and 360 degree cranks on parallel twins. The 150, 160 and I think 175 twins had the 360 crank, while the bigger ones had the 180, which gave the 350 twin a particular beat to the exhaust note.

But back on the Triumph twins, I think the smaller incarnations were nicer…the 350 and the Daytona 500. The 650's were OK as long as they were not hotted up too far, but as they went on and tried to get more and more power out of the same design they got less and less pleasant.

I think there was quite a lot of "Not invented here" about BSA Triumph in their later years. They wouldn't do anything that the Japanese had done which pretty much locked them out of improving their bikes at all.

John

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

"Phil Irving tried to get the British vertical twin manufacturers to change to 90 degree cranks many years earlier and got laughed out the factory gates. It was a long-standing and enduring prejudice I guess."

Yes, Phil Irving (one of my engineering hero's) was keen on the 90 degree crankpin spacing for a parallel twin, an attempt to reduce vibration by utilising the best of both arrangements? Its now accepted that Irving made one of his very, very few mistakes in suggesting 90 degrees, as has already been said, 76 degrees, or near would be better.

As for prejudice and "not designed here syndrome", plenty of that, look what happened to the BSA/Triumphs last gasp attempt to stay in business, the Bandit……….

John

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

I think some of the current Triumphs have a 90 degree crank, ie a 270 degree as it is called. Have not seen a 76 degree in use. Perhaps some of the Japanese v-twins, which I don't mess around with?

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Yabbut, they didn't think like that in '62-63 in Britain.

If anything, they probably would have gone 180. Nowadays the 270 or 90 degree crank is the new "in" thing. How to get a v twin in a parallel degree package…

Posted by ronan walsh on 12/02/2018 12:18:51:

Posted by thaiguzzi on 12/02/2018 03:29:36:

Concur. One of THE greatest looking motorcycle engines. However, day to day riding, compared to a 650, too revvy and a bit gutless.

Now if they'd only made a 650-750 version of that top end externally…

By the way, I've owned and worked on Triumph twins for 35 years +. I had my own Meriden big twin shop in the UK for 15 years. Became rather well known by the time I sold up.

Posted by ronan walsh on 11/02/2018 15:47:18:

That all alloy engine was one of the best looking motorcycle engines ever made. I have the makings of a triton here, but have to finish rebuilding my old a10 golden flash first.

The time for meriden to completely revamp the engines was when they switched from pre-unit to unit construction. They stuck with the same cylinder spacing and 360 degree crankshaft. Instead of going wider and allowing larger bores, and they should have went with a 76, or 90 degree crank, it would have been easy to enlarge the engine and still have it vibrate less.

[Author]

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