Retro Bikes

**Ixion** · 8th July 2005, 12:26

Originally Posted by Estrella

You like this?

I particularly like where the number plate is.
(it's that thing glowing under the seat)

Yeah, taht's real nice

**eliot-ness** · 8th July 2005, 14:06

Nah!!! These are not retro bikes. Real retro bikes had oily bits n shaky bits n bits that fell off n big toolboxes n places to keep lots of headlamp bulbs n rusty wheels you could take off to fix punctures n dud batteries n dodgy lectrics n slippy tires.
No fun this modern stuff. All ya can do is ride em. Bring back the BSA Sloper. That was a real bike.
Seriously, great link to the 59 club. Remember it well, (and the vicar) The club was the first attempt to make biking acceptable to the general public. Don't think it worked but it was great fun.

**Ixion** · 8th July 2005, 15:43

Originally Posted by eliot-ness

Nah!!! These are not retro bikes. Real retro bikes had oily bits n shaky bits n bits that fell off n big toolboxes n places to keep lots of headlamp bulbs n rusty wheels you could take off to fix punctures n dud batteries n dodgy lectrics n slippy tires.
No fun this modern stuff. All ya can do is ride em. Bring back the BSA Sloper. That was a real bike.
Seriously, great link to the 59 club. Remember it well, (and the vicar) The club was the first attempt to make biking acceptable to the general public. Don't think it worked but it was great fun.

You forgot the 7 inch SLS brakes (for want of a better term); and no electric starter. And headgaskets/primary chains/crankshafts/gearboxes (depnding on margue) that broke with monotonous regularity. Ah the good old days. Good thing the Enfield Bullet is stilll around!

**vifferman** · 8th July 2005, 15:59

Originally Posted by Ixion

Ah the good old days.

Ah, the good old, bad old days. When men were men, and women were men too.

Or summat.

**eliot-ness** · 8th July 2005, 16:55

Originally Posted by Ixion

You forgot the 7 inch SLS brakes (for want of a better term); and no electric starter. And headgaskets/primary chains/crankshafts/gearboxes (depnding on margue) that broke with monotonous regularity. Ah the good old days. Good thing the Enfield Bullet is stilll around!

I thought they were the best bits. Incidentally, the latest Enfield Bullet cafe racer develops more power than the Gold Star did. and is faster..Ain't noffin sacred.

**Big Dave** · 8th July 2005, 17:03

Originally Posted by vifferman

Ah, the good old, bad old days. When men were men, and women were men too.

Or summat.

'What is this thing you've got about women, Stan?'

**Big Dave** · 8th July 2005, 17:05

Originally Posted by eliot-ness

I thought they were the best bits. Incidentally, the latest Enfield Bullet cafe racer develops more power than the Gold Star did. and is faster..Ain't noffin sacred.

And you get the 'telemarketing star' for averaging 100 calls an hour around a punjab call centre.

**phantom** · 8th July 2005, 18:03

Love the look of my GB400, well not mine in particular as its dirty, doesn't have a single seat ( yet ) or fairing (yet ) and as someone with little mechanical ability, short arms and deep pockets the idea of a simple, single cylinder, aircooled motor sickle appeals. Just noticed this post takes me to 100 posts which is halfway to being a senior member. At my age I am used to being a veteran so not even being a senior is something to be cherished

**Brian d marge** · 11th July 2005, 03:15

If its retro you want ,,you cant beat an Enfield ,,,Royal enfield sent over a shipment in the early fifties and the Indians have been producing the same model Ever since
Oh and the price of Spares ..... A fully ported, with very high quality valves springs , seats guides.....( kibblewhite) 330 us dollars

As for Speeding ..it tonk tonks alond at 55 can go to 80 mph ,,,, and uses Bugger all gas ... and will also run quite happily on Alternative fuels ...

Stock ...Hp ... are u sitting down ...12.5 hp but a lot of torque !!

and for 7k with a years warranty !!!

Stephen
the other photo is me playing on the new triumph bonnie at the tokyo motor show

**Brian d marge** · 11th July 2005, 03:34

Originally Posted by eliot-ness

I thought they were the best bits. Incidentally, the latest Enfield Bullet cafe racer develops more power than the Gold Star did. and is faster..Ain't noffin sacred.

The most you can get out of an Enfield Bullet is 41 Hp the later goldstars especially the Eddie dows were lot more than that ( late 40 odd Hp )
B50 s are about 33 hp Max back in the day !!

Stil a loverly bike
I know ,...i have the bug...

Stephen

**eliot-ness** · 11th July 2005, 10:55

Originally Posted by Brian d'marge

The most you can get out of an Enfield Bullet is 41 Hp the later goldstars especially the Eddie dows were lot more than that ( late 40 odd Hp )
B50 s are about 33 hp Max back in the day !!

Stil a loverly bike
I know ,...i have the bug...

Hitchcocks cafe racer conversion. (UK) 45bhp. top speed 120mph plus with all road equipment. Expensive though at over 1300 pounds kit price

**Brian d marge** · 11th July 2005, 14:37

Originally Posted by eliot-ness

Hitchcocks cafe racer conversion. (UK) 45bhp. top speed 120mph plus with all road equipment. Expensive though at over 1300 pounds kit price

Thats a 612 cc and is 39.6 Hp at 5500 rpm , Tolgate produce a 650 and a 700cc bullet with slightly more Hp , but in a bullet at 60mph the standard head cannot get rid of the heat

I had a little input on the AmA winning bullet, by DRS and It was the most labour intensive bike you knew

41 hp is the most you will get out of a 500 cc bullet

Stephen

**eliot-ness** · 11th July 2005, 19:57

Originally Posted by Brian d'marge

Thats a 612 cc and is 39.6 Hp at 5500 rpm

Don't think they'd get 120mph (Classic Bike magazine test figure Oct 04) from39.6bhp on a road bike unless they got the weight down to around 140kgs and fitted fairings. Even that would be borderline. Norton 650ss apart, all Brit 650s sports were around 46bhp and none were capable of 115. Norton reached 123mph with 52bhp.

(45bhp figure is from the Nov. 04 Classic Motorcycle Mag. Advert.)

**Ixion** · 11th July 2005, 20:17

Originally Posted by eliot-ness

Don't think they'd get 120mph (Classic Bike magazine test figure Oct 04) from39.6bhp on a road bike unless they got the weight down to around 140kgs and fitted fairings. Even that would be borderline. Norton 650ss apart, all Brit 650s sports were around 46bhp and none were capable of 115. Norton reached 123mph with 52bhp.

(45bhp figure is from the Nov. 04 Classic Motorcycle Mag. Advert.)

Got to agree there, if that 40bhp is at the crank. Bonnie was 46 from memory and at best (with a good example) 112mph. Yes, the racing MAC models managed nearly 140mph, but they needed fairings for that. I never altogether believed those figures for the Norton either , 50bhp and 118 true was more usually reckoned. The Norton clutch tended to slip at high revs and some of the higher speed claims were derived from calculation from tacho readings. The clutch slip exaggerated the speed

A more direct comparison, the Velo Thruxton, also a 500 single, had 41bhp (and Velo horses were reckoned honest) and 105mph true unfaired (both ways average)

A naked 500 single with 40bhp at the crank would be a big ask for 120mph.