Identify these fine machines? [Archive]

Big Dave

23rd March 2010, 18:20

sinned

23rd March 2010, 18:27

Very appropriate sound track - what is it?

blackdog

23rd March 2010, 18:29

love that matchless

now identify this one..........

BMWST?

23rd March 2010, 18:31

a mate used to have an Ariel (red?) Hunter.i thought it was a 500 single.i was intruiged with the manual advance-retard ign and one of the other controls we take for granted was also manual.

Edbear

23rd March 2010, 18:31

Cool! Thanks for sharing!

T.W.R

23rd March 2010, 18:36

A mixture of Red Hunters a early 250, 500, & 350.... a G9 Matchless, and a Bezza Star twin

Stig... it's a XBR500 Honda

blackdog

23rd March 2010, 18:40

A mixture of Red Hunters a early 250, 500, & 350.... a G9 Matchless, and a Bezza Star twin

Stig... it's a XBR500 Honda

yea yea i forgot to relabel the f'in thing :lol:

how 'bout this one then clever dicky.....

blackdog

23rd March 2010, 18:44

and id still swap it for the matchless.....

pete376403

23rd March 2010, 19:00

My first rideable bike was a G9. Original when I got it, I "fixed it up". replaced the jampots with new girlings, replaced the short megas with some locally produced long tapered "mufflers", replaced the seat with a BSA Lightning unit, swapped the monbloc for a concentric, had the tank rechromed. Even attempted to convert the front brake to twin leading shoe (didn't work any better). In other words, bastardised it. Then sold it for not very much to buy a japanese trail bike. Ah, the ignorance of youth!

Big Dave

23rd March 2010, 19:28

Very appropriate sound track - what is it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_O%27Hara
Southern Hearts

Ixion

23rd March 2010, 19:35

a mate used to have an Ariel (red?) Hunter.i thought it was a 500 single.i was intruiged with the manual advance-retard ign and one of the other controls we take for granted was also manual.

I do so miss a manual advance. They were so useful. I use my scrap iron air lever as a poor mans substitue but it's nowhere near as effective.

The Runter was highly respected in the day.

Motu

23rd March 2010, 19:44

Yeah,nice sound track Dave - my daughter came over to have a look just because of the music.I had a '53 G9,same age as me,and the worst bike I've ever owned.But it was the best engineered of the British vertical twins,with a centre crank bearing (mistake),separate barrels and heads,eccentric valve adjustment,big gear oil pumps on each camshaft,breather down the centre of the crank.But not made for brutal owner repairs.

Nice BSA,can't tell if it's an A7 or A10 (500 or 650).Look at the kick starter - imagine how long your bike would have to slide down the road to wear it down to 1/2in long.I seem to have lost that souvenir along the way.

PeteJ

24th March 2010, 09:51

OK - (guessing a bit at the years, but in order):

1955 Ariel VH500

1946 (could be immediately pre-WWII) Ariel VG500

1953 (yeah, yeah, was on it..) Matchless G9 500

1951 Velocette MAC350

1937 (could be some years earlier, with the bridging over the head) Ariel RH500

1948 (says on it, but my old '46 had tele forks...) Ariel NH350

1951/2 BSA A7 (yeah, think an early A7, pre A10)

Stig, as well as the XBR, you seem to have put up a Honda Rune prototype...

Cheers

PJ

blackdog

24th March 2010, 10:13

Stig, as well as the XBR, you seem to have put up a Honda Rune prototype...

Cheers

PJ

nope, the rune was already in production when this was made.......

Big Dave

24th March 2010, 10:17

slofox

24th March 2010, 17:24

a mate used to have an Ariel (red?) Hunter.i thought it was a 500 single.i was intruiged with the manual advance-retard ign and one of the other controls we take for granted was also manual.

My first bike was such an one...but 350cc...1953 model.

Edit: Man - that takes me back. Those big fat pushrod covers always leaked around the rubber seals...and the external oil tank hoses weren't the best either...but I cut my teeth on that machine and learned heaps about improvising repairs...no other way to keep it on the road.

Big Dave

25th March 2010, 14:10

imagine how long your bike would have to slide down the road to wear it down to 1/2in long.I seem to have lost that souvenir along the way.

How did the rider fare?

Big Dave

25th March 2010, 14:11

My first bike was such an one...but 350cc...1953 model..

So you were 50 when you started riding??

Ixion

25th March 2010, 14:11

You've met Mr Motu, right? Not quite half an inch lhigh, true, but bear in mind, before that slide he was 6 foot 2

Ixion

25th March 2010, 14:13

So you were 50 when you started riding??

Well, in those days it took you that long to save up for a bike.

slofox

25th March 2010, 14:37

So you were 50 when you started riding??

If I was 50 when I started riding that means I am now 92...no wonder I feel so fucked in the mornings...

avgas

25th March 2010, 15:20

...no wonder I feel so fucked in the mornings...
I thought that was old age.........but clearly things get better with the mrs the older ya get

Motu

25th March 2010, 16:59

How did the rider fare?

Gravel rash on one hand,leg and arse...but pretty good considering I had no helmet and was wearing jeans and a demin jacket with Beatle boots.

Big Dave

25th March 2010, 17:57

Gravel rash on one hand,leg and arse...but pretty good considering I had no helmet and was wearing jeans and a demin jacket with Beatle boots.

Youch. You know in a lot of years riding I'd never dropped a bike* till I moved to NZ. By that time I had good gear all over.

* When sober.

Motu

25th March 2010, 18:48

I've always considered my motorcycle crashes to be my own fault,whether I just dumped it in a corner,or ran into a car that pulled out...all my mistake.But I have a hard time taking all the responsibility from being run down from behind.