The "Good Old Days"... [Archive]

slofox

23rd April 2009, 17:03

tri boy

23rd April 2009, 17:14

Lucas.
Prince of darkness and frustration.

kevfromcoro

23rd April 2009, 17:14

One of my 1st bikes was a matchy..
the primary case allways fell off it
corse i still keep riding it with the chain wizzing around .. every now and then it would grab my jeans and shred to bits.

ever riden an old AJS or bessa with a ridgid arse end
can still feel it in my kidneys now

doc

23rd April 2009, 17:16

4. "Sprung Hubs" and "Linked Plungers". These were primitive attempts at rear suspension, pre swing arms. Basically they gave no suspension at all, despite one of my mates arguing that his sprung hub was better than a swing arm because it had lower unsprung mass. Never mind the fact that it had a total of about 2mm of travel...the less said about linked plungers the better. Ask anyone who owned a 1953 or earlier Ariel...

Additions welcome...

Fark sprung hubs most here wouldn't know about them. :innocent: As for the rest HD still uses most of those concepts with pride. :wari:

Paul in NZ

23rd April 2009, 17:30

the less said about linked plungers the better. Ask anyone who owned a 1953 or earlier Ariel...

5. Whitworth threads on British bikes. Big fat coarse thread. Which stripped as soon as you looked at it. And broke, leaving stud stumps stuck in cylinder heads, crankcases and anywhere else possible...

Too sick to worry about the other bits but....

Ariel's didn't have plunger suspension... Its was an 'Antsley' trailing link... Quite different and plungers we not normally linked, hence the problem (well one of them anyway)... Where you are correct is saying that all of these rear suspensions died a deserved death - beastly things...

Whitworth threads? Nope - good as gold and sound engineering when treated with respect! They ONLY died because metric made much more sense BUT whitworth was one of the very first attempts at standardising thread forms - we have a lot to be grateful for to these early pioneers...

allycatz

23rd April 2009, 17:41

I remember but dont miss....the boyfriends who owned the bikes

MotoKuzzi

23rd April 2009, 17:53

Triumph 650 Kickstarts and backfires. Only time i have ever fallen off a motorcycle, trying to kickstart it, caught a backfire, lost my balance and went over the side. :gob:

slofox

23rd April 2009, 17:56

Ariel's didn't have plunger suspension... Its was an 'Antsley' trailing link... Quite different and plungers we not normally linked, hence the problem (well one of them anyway)... Where you are correct is saying that all of these rear suspensions died a deserved death - beastly things...

My Ariel suspension may well have been the Antsley system as you describe - but it was commonly referred to as "linked plunger"...at least in the world I moved in. Trailing links as you describe (hence linked) with spring loaded shock thingies to absorb impacts. Very little movement available there either so essentially, they did fuck all...and the seat on it was like a greyhound's back as well, so a long journey was quite challenging...

Motu

23rd April 2009, 17:57

Whitworth and BSF were high quality threads - rounded crests and V's,unlike the cheap and nasty squared off Unified and American Fine and Coarse,and Metric threads.Unified threads (UNF,UNC,sometimes called SAE,and these days incorrectly as Imperial) were dumbed down threads for the mentally challenged Americans,the English thread systems totally confused them in WWII,and decided the world should do it their way.They got the SAE to base the Unified threads on American threads.And the bolt head sizes....

Sprung frames were like the early ''monoshock'' rear suspensions that came out in the early '80's - everyone had their own version,and most importantly,a NAME to call it...a trademark suitably registered.Prolink,Unitrack,Fullfloater.

Skyryder

23rd April 2009, 18:01

What about those spark advances. Talk about dexterity. Man get it wrong too many times and ya got a flooded carb. Mind you the electric start just does not have that macho image as a kick start. They realy did sort the boys our from the men. And on another unrelated note the good ole days never had the 'shela's riding except on the pillion......... Might have been that kick start thing.

Skyryder

kevfromcoro

23rd April 2009, 18:01

What about front brakes

anyone have them ...............
back wasnt a hell of a lot better....

slofox

23rd April 2009, 18:25

What about those spark advances.

Yep. The Ariel had a manual spark advance as well...but mine was "computer controlled" for different octane ratings...(the computer was in my head...actually, come to think of it, it was about as unreliable as modern day computers too...)

Motu

23rd April 2009, 19:14

Manual advance was good - you could set it up slightly advanced....and mark the lever for regular,super,or the rare time you got to play with some race fuel.

I put an M20 into my swingarm A10 frame,and used the 650 gearbox,although I did have a B31 box lying around.(swapped it for a T100C bottom end).The huge gap from 2nd to 3rd was not a big problem with the 650...but with a 13hp sidevalve single it was a major obstacle.The upshift going up hill was a skillful job - after winding the big flywheels up to worrying 4,000rpm,it was a long wait until the engine speed came down to make the shift into 3rd,during that time I'd put the advance back to half....both clutch and advance levers on the left bar.Road speed would have dropped quite a bit before I could make third,and as engine speed came up,I could advance it back up again.Getting it right for starting,and knocking it back for idle at the lights....all part of the fun of riding a real big single.

Supertwin Don

23rd April 2009, 19:48

I can go back as far as having a 1953 BSA 350 single - when I replaced the (missing) compression lever with a push bike brake lever I had to be very gentle to avoid the "tinkle" of a push rod dropping out - resulting in 20 minutes of taking tank/covers etc off to re-fit said push rod!:Oops:

Big Dave

23rd April 2009, 19:55

Amal carburettors.

Motu

23rd April 2009, 20:28

Tickle,tickle....

peasea

23rd April 2009, 20:57

Lucas.
Prince of darkness and frustration.

Met him again last Saturday. Had a dozen or so Meriden bikes over from Welly. Try and find a Zener diode on a Friday night in Brightwater. (Actually we did, got one in Wakefield, cost a bottle of port.)

I don't miss kicking the machine into action, buttons rock!

peasea

23rd April 2009, 20:59

Amal carburettors.

ANAL carbs......best thing I ever did to my 686cc bitser was to chuck on a pair of 30mm Dellorto's. One twist, one kick, see ya.

peasea

23rd April 2009, 21:00

I remember but dont miss....the boyfriends who owned the bikes

Bad fucks were they?

peasea

23rd April 2009, 21:14

Some of the things I remember but don't miss about the "good old days" of motorbiking...please feel free to expand the list with your own recollections...

1. "Oil Proof Bikes"...ahahaha. Oxymoron. Specially if they were British. Don't park 'em where you don't want an oil spill...better to leave 'em on some dirt somewhere so the oil would soak away...(oh we were all nasty polluters back then...)

2. CVC regulators. Bastards of things. Before the days of anything solid state these used mechanical means to regulate voltage. Guaranteed to fail at critical moments and leave you without battery charging abilities...and lights eventually.

3. Separate engines and gear boxes linked by a "primary chain". Nothing really wrong with the concept but the chains were usually in an oil bath. Which leaked. Everywhere. See 1. above...

4. "Sprung Hubs" and "Linked Plungers". These were primitive attempts at rear suspension, pre swing arms. Basically they gave no suspension at all, despite one of my mates arguing that his sprung hub was better than a swing arm because it had lower unsprung mass. Never mind the fact that it had a total of about 2mm of travel...the less said about linked plungers the better. Ask anyone who owned a 1953 or earlier Ariel...

5. Whitworth threads on British bikes. Big fat coarse thread. Which stripped as soon as you looked at it. And broke, leaving stud stumps stuck in cylinder heads, crankcases and anywhere else possible...

Right that's just a start. Additions welcome...

One at a time:
1) I found a Toyota sealant that made Brits leak-free, generally speaking.
2) Rip out the original loom, fit two car coils and mount your zener diode on a fat slice of alloy, in the wind.
3) Only if the breather was of the 'timed' variety, drill three tiny holes into crankcase behind LH main roller, vent the primary ala the later models, fixed. Use sealant mentined above.
4)I'm having trouble arguing that one, please hold.....
5)Helicoils are a marvellous thing. Such thread-stripping, stud-breaking exercises only served to allow me to prove my automotive machining expertise. 1/4unc helicoils were fitted with aplomb, capscrews everywhere, problem solved.

NEXT???

dipshit

23rd April 2009, 21:18

Petrol stations closed on Sundays.

peasea

23rd April 2009, 21:21

Petrol stations closed on Sundays.

And the pubs, shithouse idea.

peasea

23rd April 2009, 21:27

The 25 Club ruled the streets of Wellington.....

peasea

23rd April 2009, 21:30

Triumphs all had 'six-bends'.
And you could line them up outside your flat, get on the piss and go hurtling through the pedestrian walkway under Wellington Airport.....

Paul in NZ

23rd April 2009, 22:34

My Ariel suspension may well have been the Antsley system as you describe - but it was commonly referred to as "linked plunger"...at least in the world I moved in. Trailing links as you describe (hence linked) with spring loaded shock thingies to absorb impacts. Very little movement available there either so essentially, they did fuck all...and the seat on it was like a greyhound's back as well, so a long journey was quite challenging...

They probably did 'fuck all' because they wore out very (very) quickly unless religiously maintained - even then they wore out. Plungers wore out as well but being less sophisticated, you couldn't tell... Mind you, when new they were considered an improvement and saw stirling service under some dreadful conditions.

Besides, when most of us got our hands on these mehanical marvels they were already 30 years old and well thrashed.

Look in the latest 'The Classic Motorcycle' there is a wonderful article about a guy restoring a VB (600cc flathead single) with an Antsley link rear end (compare it to a Norton or BSA true plunger to see the difference) that the original owner roder for 250,000 MILES mostly with a side car attached... (new big end every 60,000 miles).... Sure it got rough but it kept running...

Motu

23rd April 2009, 23:03

Most of the rigid,and um....unrigids had sprung seats - the ride was great,the bike just floating under you...although timing was important,ups and downs and stuff.The later trend to fit a dual seat gave an impossible ride....and so did the custom seat of a chopper.I of course threw all my sprung seats away - but my wife took great pains to find a sprung saddle,and pillion pad too for her Tiger 100.It was such a nice bike to ride...and be pillion on.We both did lots of miles on those two seats,never a sore bum like I get today.

Big Dave

23rd April 2009, 23:31

go hurtling through the pedestrian walkway under Wellington Airport.....

Nowadays I have a very quiet urban adventure bike. :blip:

Tone165

23rd April 2009, 23:51

what about earky CDI in Kawasaki H1 triples, and the dreaded "Power band"

one minute riding along..the next sliding up the road watching the display of sparks up ahead!

Stampy

24th April 2009, 07:16

Amal carburettors.

Swapping them for Mk2's:2thumbsup

pritch

24th April 2009, 08:21

My first lesson was on a sprung hub Speedtwin (1953 model?). Rosebank Road Avondale, very quiet place to learn, it was all market gardens then but I've heard that it might have changed since.

Kickstarts are something I don't miss at all. On the two BSAs I owned B50SS and B50MX they were only there for ornamental purposes anyway. I can't even conjure up a convincing mental image of kickstarting a VFR...

I don't miss the little clusters of acid holes we all used to have in our jeans either. Nobody wore good trousers on a bike.

martybabe

24th April 2009, 08:40

Drum brakes when the water made it's way in, took fourteen years and three months to dry out again.

Tyres that lost grip at even a hint of moisture on the road.

What happened to the loose dogs, couldn't ride anywhere without some maniac dog trying to bite the legs off my belstaffs.

Wax cotton gear freezing cold, not waterproof unless you kept applying goop and left stains everywhere.

Rusty spoke wheels, no alternative back then.

Goggles with a join in the middle of the eye piece.

Mirrors with added vibrators

Choke buttons and leaving them open

Happy days :hug:

Big Dave

24th April 2009, 11:34

They were called Dildos back then.

slofox

24th April 2009, 12:46

Besides, when most of us got our hands on these mechanical marvels they were already 30 years old and well thrashed.

Mine was only 14 years old when I got it but the suspension was still useless...all the same, it never stopped, that bike - ever...not even when the crank pin was in backwards so that there was no direct oil feed to the big end...amazing...

Tone165

7th May 2009, 13:09

The Police had Ariel square 4's (so I have been told) which had a nasty habbit of seizing if ridden too fast for too long. Probably due to the oil feed setup mentioned above!

Dodgyiti

7th May 2009, 13:35

Looking back to when I first started riding late 60's & 70's machines in the early 80's the worst things I can think of that have changed for the better are tyres and riding gear.
Staying perfectly warm and dry in the most horrific of weather and being able to find good grip even when the roads are flowing with water.
All the stuff about the bikes of the time could be fixed, modified or replaced with better as mentioned

Amal carbs= Dellortos
Sprung hub frames= skip bin
Drum brakes= wedged into the bumper of the car in front of you
:Oops:

slofox

7th May 2009, 14:24

The Police had Ariel square 4's (so I have been told) which had a nasty habbit of seizing if ridden too fast for too long. Probably due to the oil feed setup mentioned above!

The back pair of cylinders suffered from overheating problems due mainly to lack of airflow - there used to be many articles in magazines about how to fix this problem...some quite ingenious...

MSTRS

7th May 2009, 14:42

The back pair of cylinders suffered from overheating problems due mainly to lack of airflow -

Like the middle cylinder on the aircooled 2 stroke triples and the original Tridents.
My pet hate on the Saint I owned was the individual needle rollers the clutch basket ran on. :angry2:

3umph

7th May 2009, 15:35

Petrol stations closed on Sundays.

petrol stations with full service on the forecourt, a working workshop and useful parts in stock

MSTRS

7th May 2009, 15:57

petrol stations with full service on the forecourt, a working workshop and useful parts in stock

You don't miss those? In which case, I don't miss oil in the glass bottles with the long tapered neck attached...NOT!!

vgcspares

7th May 2009, 16:09

Brian d marge

7th May 2009, 17:09

sex

Stephen

Ixion

7th May 2009, 21:45

The rain was a lot wetter back then.

Skyryder

8th May 2009, 11:55

You don't miss those? In which case, I don't miss oil in the glass bottles with the long tapered neck attached...NOT!!

I got one of them. Castrol with tin spout that screws onto the glass. Still use it. Best oil filler ever. You can see how much oil you have left in the bottle.

Skyyrder

Skyryder

8th May 2009, 11:56

The rain was a lot wetter back then.

and it dried out faster on your leather jacket too.

Skyryder

cheshirecat

8th May 2009, 12:16

Twin and four leading shoe front brakes, spending hours, days setting the buggers up then having to detune them for the wet

jim.cox

8th May 2009, 12:50

Twin and four leading shoe front brakes, spending hours, days setting the buggers up then having to detune them for the wet

Or Harley's stainless steel disks that did not work at all in the wet...

Or resetting the Notrun's points at the side of the road at night in the rain (again)...

martybabe

8th May 2009, 13:06

I bought an XT500 with my father in law when they first came out, great bike, unusually for the time, it had kick start only. It did however have a little sight glass for top dead centre or something ? but following Yamahas instructions, it started sweet as every time.

Enter the Father in law, a man raised on square fours and Panther 650s and stuff, Kick kickedy kick kick, nothing. I told him if you get the mark in the sight glass and give it a boot it'll go first time. Kick kickedy kick kick :mad: "don't tell me how to kick start a bike, I was starting these bastards when you were in nappies", Kick kickedy kick kick kick.:sweatdrop.

"FFS, let me show you" Kick, rumble rumble, "there ya go, take it for a spin". Half an hour latter I get a call "the fugging things stalled and it won't start, my fuggin bantam was more reliable than this piece of shite!"

I drove out to him, kicked it once as per instructions and...rumble rumble, sweet!

Anyway, after several such journeys and rescues, he eventually surrendered his half ownership to me for nothing, claiming it to be the single most unreliable bike ever made.

"Thanks Dad I said", Kick, rumble rumble :D. It would seem that not only do some bikes belong in the past, some people well and truly belong there too.

Viva the modern Bike I say. ;)

the mouse

8th May 2009, 19:40

Leaking bikes were easy, put a tin underneath the bike at night, and each morning simply pour it back into the oil tank.

Early disc brakes when you pulled them on in the wet and nothing happened but forward motion.

Bikes that when you opened the throttle, they didn't make an honest effort. Beesa singles come to mind

Bikes that when braking (drum) took a minute or two to think about actually slowing you down.

N.Z West coast roads

British electrical faults and poor headlights

Riding gear (WWII trench coat, mutton cloth scarf, and open face helmet with period attractive looking but totally useless stadiums) in rain, hail, snow. Brrrr.

flagons, not the easiest to carry

green rubberneck pillions

martybabe

8th May 2009, 19:56

Bikes that when you opened the throttle, they didn't make an honest effort.

:laugh: Lovely turn of phrase.

Yep I've had many a bike that simply wasn't trying hard enough :girlfight:

cheshirecat

8th May 2009, 20:06

The waxed cotton Barbour Jacket.

tri boy

8th May 2009, 20:13

Early Motoplat ignition systems on two stroke Husky's, and soft woodruff keys on big Maico's.:crybaby: Oh, the pain:crazy:

xwhatsit

15th June 2009, 02:38

German Jack-Boots
Drum brakes
Shorrock Superchargers
Goggles
Pith helmets
White scarves
Waxed cotton wet weather gear
Black plastic bags
Open crancase breathers
No oil filters
Goggles... check!
Open helmet... check!
Waxed cotton jacket... check! (don't wear it though, it's third hand and looks worse than my bike)
Open crankcase breather... check! (what's the big deal?)
No oil filter... check!

The reason I dredged up this lot... I was wondering if any of you old bastards knew (or had spare?) a nose-bridge adjuster screw for the old Stadium goggles (I think the Mk4 had it... Mk9 definitely had it). My scrounged Mk.9 set is missing the screw. I see there's a UK company called `Halcyon' around the net which seems to be making copies (or they bought the IP? Still has the `Patent' stamped on the frames, like the Stadiums). They sell the screw for the nosepiece. $US10 :mellow:

Also I'd like a silk scarf. I've got a number of woollen items but they're a bit bulky and I'm told silk is warmer and doesn't get in your way when you turn your head. On Tardme they have hundreds of silk scarves; wonderful, if I wanted to pay $50 for a flower-patterned purple and pink item with tassles. Might just buy a metre of plain silk and hem my own.

Want to stay warm this winter.

Motu

15th June 2009, 18:17

I still have the wool scarf I used for about 20 years solid riding.It was a thin weave,almost like cotton,not bulky like a knitted wool scarf.Best thing about wool,it's still warm when wet.My silk balaclava is almost 20 years old too (I was wearing it on the Nikau Cave ride) and only has one small moth hole.(do moths eat silk? Is that canalibism?).The silk balaclava took over from the wool scarf and does the up to the chin thing.

peasea

15th June 2009, 19:29

Best thing about wool,it's still warm when wet.

So is my missus.

Motu

15th June 2009, 20:03

So is the insides of a wooly mammoth - but I haven't done that for ages....and ages.

pete376403

15th June 2009, 21:54

Indian with hand change and foot clutch. I was told a very funny story about being parked on a slope with the clutch on the uphill side.

xwhatsit

15th June 2009, 22:19

I've seen those silk balaclavas but often when I'm riding, I'm riding to get some place... nicer to have a scarf to keep you warm off the bike rather than a balaclava where you look like a bank robber or Russian soldier on foot.

Here's a pic of the Mk.9's:
<img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/20/!BUEzYvg!Wk~$(KGrHgoH-EUEjlLlu)UgBKLrndNse!~~_3.JPG" width="640" />

I'm after the little screw for the nose bridge. Did everybody have Mk.8's instead?