Motorcycle General Discussion

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Steve great story telling as usual

but even in those days would someone have sold a 4 year old motorcycle that cost £100 perhaps for £0.50. ?

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

At age 15 the old guy next door gave me a 98cc Excelsior for cutting his grass every week.

Excelsior made lawnmowers ?

Nigel B.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

I was sent a link to a publication I’ve never seen before “vintage motorcycle news”

and the current issue is all about ner-a-cars

and theres 2 pictures of my bike in it

heres a link

https://vmn.wetransfer.com/downloads/7f2b225784fe4b38b907240f2335184b20201126185144/7d4099

[Phil PParticipant @philp]

When I was around 12 or 13 in the late 60's our local postman lived in a cottage over the road from us, he used to go to work on a Lambretta LI 150, it was the one with dual saddles and a little boot lid over the rear wheel. It would be quite a collectors item these days.

He once said to me that when he retired I could have the scooter……………Move forwards a couple of years and who should come into our yard wheeling a sorry looking old scooter. It had nut run for at least a year and I had assumed he had got rid of it, but no he was true to his word and handed it over to me.

I tried in vain to get it to start, and my dad was not much help telling me it was up to me to get it running, he was knocked of his one and only motorbike while in the RAF years earlier, so was dead against me being on two wheels.

A few months later my parents had gone out for the day, so I decided to have another go at starting the scooter, to my surprise it started after a few attempts, so me being eager to ride it I took it onto the disused railway bed that we lived next to at Nidd Bridge.

I must have ridden up and down for an hour or so before hitting a rather large hole, there was a massive bang and everything stopped. The rear suspension lug had snapped clean off the aluminium casing causing the scooter to drop at the rear end, this in turn smashed the coil which got in the way.

So I managed to drag it back home and stripped the whole thing down with a view to repairing it, that never happened as I could not find the right parts, so I sold the engine and wheels to someone for a few quid and the frame spent the next 10 years down at John Spences scrapyard at Scotton, he used to tie the main gate to it to hold it open.

My parents never believed me when I told them I had actually been riding it that day.

That was the start of a life long love of motorcycles, I have had over seventy so far and still have two. Never did bother with scooters again after that though.

I found out years later that my grandad had been a motorcycle dealer and repairer in the 1920's and operated from the back of the Commercial Inn in Farsley, so that must be where I get it from.

Phil

Edited By Phil P on 29/11/2020 11:04:22

Edited By Phil P on 29/11/2020 11:07:15

Edited By Phil P on 29/11/2020 11:10:24

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

10 Shillings is closer to £10 now. Sometimes people undersell items purely because you see enthusiasm in someone else, especially a youngster. I don't see any reason to doubt the story., and I probably wouldn't have commented even if I did.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Jon

I fully understand that people can undersell to a young chap

but if 10 shillings is £10

then £100 is £2000

my first bike was £90 in 1975 and it was 70% of its new price and 5 years old

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

A highlight of my motorcycle life was not speed records but husband and wife Andy and Helen who adopted this rusty old speed nut.

After being taken to see an old BSA C10 that Andy was buying joking said would not mind a ride on it.

I had not ridden a motorcycle for about 30 plus years.

In 2019 dark deeds were afoot good friend Roger a TR6 classic car enthusiast had a day off at his new job to take me to an Elvington speed event.

We met past and present pals from the speed scene am watching the speed nuts doing fantastic speeds with Helen then Andy rolls up on the old C10.

I have a sit on it then Helen says your riding it we have the gear and permission for a run down the track.

Did no high speeds on the BSA but the memory cells were activated when I see the riders doing the speeds I did in the 1970s think how things have changed in bikes them old twin Triumphs could chuck out a lot of power when blown with big doses of nitro methane. .

The BSA C10 was my first road bike bought for about £10.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

My Dad was talking to one of the lads down the pub who said he had a bike I could have if I wanted to collect it, I was straight round to his house and pushed an NSU Quick 50 home, this is not to be confused with the NSU Quickly moped. My prize was unfortunately classed as a motorbike so I had to wait till I was 17 to legally ride it but a few test runs to make sure it was all working after many hours spent unseizeing brakes and cleaning and an extensive repair to the rust eaten front mudguard. Another of Dads pub mates had ran a plating and polishing shop for a scientific equipment company and so the headlight reflector was made good as new.

Mike

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Posted by Ian Parkin on 29/11/2020 10:01:07:

Steve great story telling as usual

but even in those days would someone have sold a 4 year old motorcycle that cost £100 perhaps for £0.50. ?

You are correct there Ian. It was not 10 shillings. The moped was 10 shillings & the bike was £5.00. Old age . The year was not 1964 but 1966. Sorry for that. Also would not have thought a 1960 250 would have been £100. Or was it.???Although i was slightly out i never purposely lie if that was the dig.

Steve.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

I had a guess at how much a "ride to work " type 250 was in 1960

can anyone onfirm?

in 1975 a honda cd 175 was 350 and a cb 250 was 550 i can remember those prices

still a bargain for you though at £5 for a 6 year old bike

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

One of my big regrets is i never took pictures of bikes & cars i have had. Didn't seem any point at the time. With your comment i am starting to wonder about the year of that bike. I have been looking for info on the NET but not had any luck. Honestly the bike was a bucket of rust. All the bathtub & front mudguards were thrown. The chrome on the wheels was none existent. Even the seat foam had fallen apart. So 6 years old. It must have been older. Will keep looking on net to find what years they made them. I know they did not make many. Most were Francis Barnett & Panther.

Steve.

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

I had a guess at how much a "ride to work " type 250 was in 1960

can anyone onfirm?

Nearest dated copy of "Motocycling" I have to hand without hunting in the loft is dated August 7th 1958. The main road test is of a Norman B3 250 twin priced at £152 + £37 12s 6d Purchase tax = £187 12s 6d. Road tax at £1 17s 6d per year.

New bikes in the dealer adverts in the back of the magazine :

Ariel Leader 250 twin £209 11s 6d

BSA C12 260 single £165 5s 11d

Francis Barnett Cruiser 80 250 £185 5s

Royal Enfield Crusader 250 £212 1s 6d

No Japanese bikes advertised at all. According to the "inflationtool" website calculator, £200 in 1958 is around £3900 in today's money.

The first new bike I bought was a 1979 CZ 250 twin which cost me £412 OTR. I wanted an MZ TS250/1, but at £525 OTR it was too much at the time – a Yamaha RD250 was over £700 IIRC. Given the gross unreliabilty of the CZ, I would have been better off waiting & saving up the difference ! Apprentice wages at the time were not great – when I started in 1977 I was on £28 per week gross at 17 (wages started at £22 a week for 16 year olds). Half of my take home pay went to my mum, so not a lot left over to save up for bikes.

Nigel B.

Edited By mgnbuk on 29/11/2020 13:16:08

Edited By mgnbuk on 29/11/2020 13:16:50

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Time fly's my old diary entry when I bought my first motorcycle.

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

So if Steve’s neighbour paid £190 ish in 1960

then ran in into the ground in 6 years….

Steve surely got a bargain even if it was rough.

2.5% of its original price after 6 years

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

I must have . I ran it till i was 17 & got my moggy minor. I sold it to a mate for £15.

Steve.

[Tim HammondParticipant @timhammond72264]

My first bike, bought in 1961 when I was 16 years old, was a 1952 BSA C11 for which I paid £2. It had lain in someone's backyard for some time, I bought a new battery for 27/6d from the local shop, fitted it and the machine started up with no real bother. The start of 56 years of happy motorcycling until illness forced a stop.

[old AlParticipant @oldal]

My first old bike was an 1953 AJS 500 twin in 1983 and i paid £100. Soon after we brought a triumph terrier for £150 and as it didnt have a rocker oil feed pipe, we bought a 62 tiger cub + spare engine for £50. To date, none of these bikes have been refurbished. Big argument over the cost of a main switch for the tiger cub so it got covered up in disgrace. Nobody wanted them back then and i was throwing it together and painted the frame with Hamerite, proper Hamerite smooth and shaky tins for the rest

They are on the list amounst other bikes and a few locos. Should all get done some day as long as i live to 150 in good health

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

Posted by mgnbuk on 29/11/2020 13:15:34:

The first new bike I bought was a 1979 CZ 250 twin which cost me £412 OTR. I wanted an MZ TS250/1, but at £525 OTR it was too much at the time – a Yamaha RD250 was over £700 IIRC. Given the gross unreliabilty of the CZ, I would have been better off waiting & saving up the difference ! Apprentice wages at the time were not great – when I started in 1977 I was on £28 per week gross at 17 (wages started at £22 a week for 16 year olds). Half of my take home pay went to my mum, so not a lot left over to save up for bikes.

Nigel B.

I can remember a motorcycle magazine article on 250cc bikes from that period, i think it was in either 'Bike' or 'Which Bike?' The headline was "Is an RD250 worth £300 more than a CZ250?".

Like most of us at the time, I think they concluded that it was.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Posted by mgnbuk on 29/11/2020 10:57:11:

At age 15 the old guy next door gave me a 98cc Excelsior for cutting his grass every week.

Excelsior made lawnmowers ?

Nigel B.

I should have been a bit wiser with the words. The bike was given to me as payment for the grass cutting.

It did however start a love affair with motorcycles that is still my passion.

[Peter Jones 20Participant @peterjones20]

Posted by Lathejack on 29/11/2020 17:39:35:

Posted by mgnbuk on 29/11/2020 13:15:34:

The first new bike I bought was a 1979 CZ 250 twin which cost me £412 OTR. I wanted an MZ TS250/1, but at £525 OTR it was too much at the time – a Yamaha RD250 was over £700 IIRC. Given the gross unreliabilty of the CZ, I would have been better off waiting & saving up the difference ! Apprentice wages at the time were not great – when I started in 1977 I was on £28 per week gross at 17 (wages started at £22 a week for 16 year olds). Half of my take home pay went to my mum, so not a lot left over to save up for bikes.

Nigel B.

 

I was working at a Honda, Yamaha, MZ, Triumph dealers in 79 making a whole £27.00 a week (Leslie Griffiths Motors and Waterton Cross Motors)

Owner took MZ250 to Pau-San Sebastian-Pau Rally and won best civilian a couple of times over the years.

MZ TS250 was a very underrated motorcycle but quite reliable after first service re-build (change all the engine bearings plus often re-build crankshaft)

 

Edited By Peter Jones 20 on 11/12/2020 18:52:12

[colin wilkinsonParticipant @colinwilkinson75381]

Peter Williams, Norton designer and racer died on Sunday aged 82. Probably the best design engineer of his generation he was also a genuinely nice man with always time to talk to his many fans. His book, Peter Williams Designed to Race, is an excellent read especially for Norton fans. RIP Peter.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

RIP Peter, I was re-reading my copy of Ken Sprayson's book over the weekend with a few pictures of peter at the TT shown in it.

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

I worked in a corner of Peters office at Thruxton in late 69 early 70. He was a genuinely nice, very talented, all round great man. At the time he was working on cam profiles, I vaguely remember a maybe 20x cam profile on his board, he was calculating the offsets, there were heaps of calculations!! He will be sorely missed.

cheers, sadly

Bill

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Oops !!

**LINK**

https://news.sky.com/story/superbike-brasil-motorcyclist-beaten-across-the-line-as-he-celebrates-too-early-12171875

MichaelG.

[Ian Johnson 1Participant @ianjohnson1]

Posted by Nick_G on 30/10/2015 13:56:24:

.

And for all you affectionados of British bikes here is some video of my friends restored Norton.

Nick

That's rather nice. It's a MK3 Commando like mine, I'll put some piccies up soon, it's in a state of partial renovation.

And I'm beginning to think that I'm the only one who prefers the black cap silencers! I will be fitting black caps to mine!

IanJ

[Author]

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