Hand signals

[xwhatsit]

Rode a Matchless G80. Still got an erection. Bike didn't have any indicators -- now, my own bike's left hand indicator blew a bulb once (and I couldn't track the special sort down for a few days), so I got used to hand-signalling left. Easy. What I struggled with on this bike was signalling right. Have to take your hand off the throttle! Not good on roundabouts.

What to do?

[rudolph]

My 1949 BSA has a screw on the throttle so it won't return by it self so you can signle with your right hand, most people don't know what the hell you are doing sticking your arm out:scooter:

[skelstar]

My Aprilia has a fast idle adjustment which is the business for relaxing the throttle hand with speeds up to about 120km/h ...

[cowboy]

I sometimes use my left arm & point in the direction I intend to go but often people don't take any notice so I use the internationally used signal :motu::finger:

[Ixion]

Heaven only knows what a Gold Star or Venom would do to you!

The old Briddish twistgrip always had a little rocker thingy with a wee screw that you could adjust so that the throttle didn't spring closed. If you were fussy about such things.

But given it's only three seconds it's not too hard to just time matters so you do it on the overrun anyway

I still regulary use hand signals.

Don't trust new fangled electromacal thingies.

[Motu]

Yep,I still do hand signals - right hand is easy,just put your hand out as you are slowing down,you can bring the revs down quite low,then drop a bunch of gears at once.I don't signal much on roundabouts.....too many other things to keep a track of.

G80's were good with the AMC gearbox.....but was never keen on the jampots.They would wallow so much the rear wheel would step out each time it left the ground.

[Mully]

You're in Auckland, Man. Don't indicate at all. It lets the bastards know what you are going to do next.

[Ixion]

Ah, that's the beauty of it. Since very few people now understand hand signals, but they are still completely legal! So you can confuse them, whilst still having a perfectly valid defense to a claim that you didn't signal!

There is nothing in the law that says signals have to be by means of blinking lights!

And once you are using a hand signal, it is very easy to add a few "embellishments", appropriate to the attitude of the cager.

[P38]

I just use the one hand signal.

It seems big black motorcycles with blazing headlights are often hard to see by other motorists.
But with the use of this hand signal the motorcyclist becomes instantly highly visible.

Its effective when delivered with either the left or righthand and is completely understood by all motorists.

Often they happily return the signal, which is confirmation that they have seen and understood you.

Rarely do you have to repeat the hand signal.

Try it for yourself you'll be amazed at how effective it is.

:motu:

[xwhatsit]

Heaven only knows what a Gold Star or Venom would do to you!
That's why I'm going to wait until I'm about Jim2's age before buying a DBD34, as obviously that's when impotence sets in.

Didn't see that throttle stop thingie. The owner avoids suburbia as much as possible (of course) and I don't think he signals whatsoever.

It's a shame my bike's not just a little bit older, I'd like to pull the indicators off entirely (and it's not like anybody ever notices my indicators anyway, hand signals would be just as useful).

I liked that bike a great deal. Jampots weren't fitted, I understand they were crap and they quickly phased them out? Even managed to kickstart the great lump.

[scootnz]

For indicating right I often use my left arm, held over as far as possible in front of me, since most of the time the indicating is for the benefit of people coming towards me. My hand can be seen from behind, but probably not very well. Have to time it perfectly though, since its a left hand clutch/gear change mechanism.

If it need to indicate to someone following me I do a quick right arm out and slow down and move over a bit. They get the idea.

Haven't had any problems. Actually I really enjoy hand signals - this way you can never forget to turn your indicator off...

[vifferman]

Actually I really enjoy hand signals - this way you can never forget to turn your indicator off...
I would.
I can just imagine it... go round a corner, need to change gear..
WTF?!?
Where's my left hand gone?
What's it doing sticking out there in the breeze?!? :crazy:
Oh - that's right; I was indimicating. :Oops:

[Motu]

Jampots weren't fitted,

Matchless shocks were their own make - they were first with the swingarm rear suspension after all.The first ones were fat and are the real jampot,later ones were thin,but people still call them jampots.They were a blade fitting,so to fit Girlings required some modification.Whatever - AMC shocks were useless.They were obviously totaly flogged when I rode them....but I didn't know that then,and won't change my story now....it's set in stone for future generations.

[Ixion]

I thought the candlesticks came before the jampots ?

[Motu]

Um.......? OK,maybe there were 3.

My '53 had fatties....but the old cast iron 350 had candlesticks.We took them off and fitted some box section struts and the handling improved out of sight.Maybe the late model ones were the good ones?

[Ixion]

I'm fairly sure the long skinny candlesticks were the first, about 1948. Then they switched to jampots about 50 ir 51. Later AMCs had "normal" looking shocks, which I always assumed were Girlings, but maybe they were AMC own make. Received wisdom was that the "girlingish" ones were a big improvement over the jampots

[kiwifruit]

hand signals are often more visible than the bike's indicators

i use them daily

[xwhatsit]

i use them daily

So did a tall bloke on a 250cc Hyosung going through Newmarket a few months ago. Big waving hands with pointing fingers (no, not that sort of pointing fingers) when changing lanes. Very noticeable.

I thought Velocette brought out the swingarm?

Been doing a little bit of reading up about the bike since riding it. I'm told it's a 59; this would mean it did have jampots. Fat they were. I think the owner was a little confused, according to what I've read the first bikes had those candlesticks (which were crap and quickly phased out).

This was the `short stroke' model, which is apparently 86x86mm. May be a square engine but still did the one-bang-every-lamp-post thing.

I'd be happy riding it every day on a commute. Not the best bike to put heaps of mileage on, but it seemed like it'd be amenable to such work.

[Motu]

They were used for commuting through the '50's.'60's and '70's....has commuting changed to make them unsuitable in some way?

I was never a Matchless fan - my G9 was definatley the worse bike I have ever owned,the 350 (possibly a 1948 as it was really old,but swingarm) was sort of a communal hack,but I did all the work on it and rode it most.The best thing about Matchies was the beautiful megas on the twins and the DA chain guard.

The last of the big singles were points ignition and had no timing cover....I wanted one of those.

[Ixion]

I thought Velocette brought out the swingarm?

I'd be happy riding it every day on a commute. Not the best bike to put heaps of mileage on, but it seemed like it'd be amenable to such work.

I think (like most such things, this is one of those claims where noone agrees with anyone) that Velo were the first to introduce the swingarm, but on their racers. AFAIR noone had swingarm suspension before the war. And after the war, AMC were quicker to get out their post war models than Velo, with swingarms. After the war , as all the manufacturers returned to peacetime production, and stopped making parts for bombers, the first post war production was , in almost every case, just the 1939 models rehashed a bit. While the designers worked on the new models. AMC got their new models to market a year or so before Velo.

AMC and Velo were about the only two who didnt wander down the dead end paths of plungers and sprung hubs and such like.

Big thumpers are excellent for commuting. Maybe not quite as good in heavy traffic as small thumpers, but good if there's open road or motorway in the commute. Only downside to the old ones is that it's a bit of a drama if you stall at the front of the lights !

[xwhatsit]

They were used for commuting through the '50's.'60's and '70's....has commuting changed to make them unsuitable in some way?
No, it'd be great, but the value and status of the bike has changed. New pistons and rings aren't cheap, I imagine.

Big thumpers are excellent for commuting. Maybe not quite as good in heavy traffic as small thumpers, but good if there's open road or motorway in the commute. Only downside to the old ones is that it's a bit of a drama if you stall at the front of the lights !
Been-there-done-that with my little bike. G80 was far easier to start (hot or cold) once the correct technique was copied. Seemed a very user-friendly bike, not at all what my father led me to believe about old Brits; `Break-yer-ankle; leak-oillalloverthashop; wiring-loom-catchafire'.

[Ixion]

Been-there-done-that with my little bike. G80 was far easier to start (hot or cold) once the correct technique was copied. Seemed a very user-friendly bike, not at all what my father led me to believe about old Brits; `Break-yer-ankle; leak-oillalloverthashop; wiring-loom-catchafire'.

Wait till you try a Goldie. With a GP carb. You'll learn.