Mothers Motorcycle Club

**vs04** · 24th December 2005, 22:06

Originally Posted by Motu

Uh uh,don't think so - the only Jap bike back then that had a total performance package was the RD350,the rest of them handled so bad they were dangerous to ride.Those old Bonnies and stuff would be wrung out at 115 mph,but that was fair flying back then,and with the roads back then being more twisty and in poor condition a bike that handled was pretty important.Vibration? Wasn't really an issue,but ride one now and and you wonder how we done it! Oil leaks...owner inflicted,with a bit of care there was no need for them to leak.

The best rider I've ever pillioned behind was someone pretty high up in Highway 61,I had always thought those sort of guys couldn't ride for shit,but he was using techniques I didn't cotton onto until years later,it was a hell of a ride and I remain impressed.

piont taken

**vs04** · 24th December 2005, 22:08

Originally Posted by Troll

what a load of bollix

jap bikes of the early 70's handled like shit

the likes of tridents and commandos would see off most jap bikes and a good bonnie or lightning would more than see off a honda 750/4

still got a 71 lightning and it woul see off most 71 jap bikes on a decent bit of road

I stand corrected

**T.W.R** · 24th December 2005, 22:30

S/C the quote onthe trumpy being a mobile oil leak mmm huh that was caused by Hairy arsed pricks not knowing what they were doing stripping & rebuilding ! a good triumph doesn't leak! the only one that ever did from new was slippery sam & that was a race bike & it was just because it blew a gasket during a race ( thats where the oil leaking trumpy rumour started) & it was filled with oil every couple of laps & still cleaned up the race!

BSA A65 lightnings & Norton Commandos ( which one do you want to talk about ?) weren't that flasher handling bikes and when they were bad they were down right dangerous. plus the commando is a C$%^ of a thing to set up with the isolastic frame.

Triumph's model designation was originally a mark of what speed they'd do T100 tiger 100mph, T110 Trophy 110mph, T120 Bonneville 120mph then things turned to Shit.
If the British Bikes had been so flash they wouldn't have collapsed at the hands of the Japs & Italians

**Motu** · 24th December 2005, 22:48

Originally Posted by T.W.R

If the British Bikes had been so flash they wouldn't have collapsed at the hands of the Japs & Italians

It's been trashed a million times before,and I really hate going over old ground.The British bikes were 10 yrs past their used by date when the Jap bikes came along,really it's a testomy to how great they were that they could keep making them and beating supposedly superior bikes well beyond their design life.Managment,Unions,antiquated manufacturing machinery and a small scale opperation killed them,but certainly not before their time.

**Skyryder** · 25th December 2005, 05:22

Originally Posted by T.W.R

S/C the quote onthe trumpy being a mobile oil leak mmm huh that was caused by Hairy arsed pricks not knowing what they were doing stripping & rebuilding ! a good triumph doesn't leak! the only one that ever did from new was slippery sam & that was a race bike & it was just because it blew a gasket during a race ( thats where the oil leaking trumpy rumour started) & it was filled with oil every couple of laps & still cleaned up the race!

BSA A65 lightnings & Norton Commandos ( which one do you want to talk about ?) weren't that flasher handling bikes and when they were bad they were down right dangerous. plus the commando is a C$%^ of a thing to set up with the isolastic frame.

Triumph's model designation was originally a mark of what speed they'd do T100 tiger 100mph, T110 Trophy 110mph, T120 Bonneville 120mph then things turned to Shit.
If the British Bikes had been so flash they wouldn't have collapsed at the hands of the Japs & Italians

Much of what you say is true, but the British bikes collasped not because of the Jap superierority but because of the superior marketing. They went for a completly different rider. One who was not interested in Bomber Jackets, or the image from On the Waterfront.

Skyryder

**froggyfrenchman** · 25th December 2005, 06:07

Originally Posted by Motu

Uh uh,don't think so - Oil leaks...owner inflicted,with a bit of care there was no need for them to leak.

Damn straight. My 51 t'bird dosnt leak a drop! my crafty plan is, you put a oneway valve of an air bid in your engine breather line. This causes the engine to run in a slight vacume. No oil leaks. Eat your heart out Edward Turner! The gearbox (preunit) on the other hand has no seals round the kickstart splind, so there's always a drop or so there.

Not bad for a 19yo, eh

**Ixion** · 25th December 2005, 10:42

You're a better man than I am Gunga Din. I never , despite much effort, managed to get either the pipes from the rockers to the pushrod towers , or the pushrod tower upper seals oil tight. No liquid oil dripping, but over a period they'd collect an oil film. One reason a lot of pre unit Triumphs leaked was that most of them had a broken primary chain at some point, and the chaincases had been welded up. Those that weren't welded , were distorted by overtightening . The other thing with early Triumphs was that the scavenge oil pump wasn't large enough. At sustained high speeds the engine oil frothed in the crankcases, the scavenge pump couldn't clear the oil quick enough, and when you slowed down, the bottom half of the motor drowned in oil.

Trumphs had a rep as oil leakers long before Slippery Sam. The A65 was completely oil tight though. 'Twas a nice motor that.

**Motu** · 26th December 2005, 10:10

Originally Posted by froggyfrenchman

Damn straight. My 51 t'bird dosnt leak a drop! my crafty plan is, you put a oneway valve of an air bid in your engine breather line. This causes the engine to run in a slight vacume. No oil leaks. Eat your heart out Edward Turner! The gearbox (preunit) on the other hand has no seals round the kickstart splind, so there's always a drop or so there.
Not bad for a 19yo, eh

Edward Turner already did that for you - The breather was at the end of the hollow inlet camshaft,it was a disc run off the cam andhad two holes which opened and closed on ports.So on the downstroke the breather opened,on the up stroke it shut,causing a vacuum in the crankcase.Of couse the breather just vented onto the road.

Thing is ALL vehicles were like this,and cars,bikes and trucks leaked oil - but on a bike you could see it.My old Chev did 100mpg.....that's oil consumption,and it did it if it was running or not.Road tubes were standard for breathers,oil seals were felt or leather,sometimes the oil control was just a reverse worn.Don't blame the designers and manufacturers for the materials available to them,but you can blame them for their reluctance to move forward.

Got caught out on my own oil slick once - came flying up our road too fast in the old Coupe and braked hard to turn at the end (no exit street) I hit my own oil slick where I parked,locked the wheel and shot off the road and into the neighbours rose garden.

**velvethalo** · 12th March 2009, 19:57

me too! I dont belive it,weird to see those old names of the pubs agine,yeah the awapuni taven.the band was milkshake at the time.

Originally Posted by crashe

Riffer - I used to drink at Cafe de Paris in Palmerston North in the 70's
great place to get booze after hours as well...Just had to knock a certain code on the backdoor. Drunk up at the Albert, Fitzherbert and the one down by the racecourse... even managed to get banned from there as well... (naturally it wasn't my fault)

Hitcher - I left PN end of 1978. Went to many a party in Burke Street...
In fact went to heaps of parties around Palmie North.....

**The Pastor** · 12th March 2009, 20:15

I guess the mothers mc would be REALLY into there cleaning products?

**McJim** · 12th March 2009, 20:24

So I'm picking this isn't a club for women with children? Seriously, when I saw the name of the thread I honestly thought "This would be good for my wife, she could meet other lady bikers with littlies and they can discuss nappies and stuff."

**sinfull** · 12th March 2009, 20:25

Thread dredge but........
Mmmmmmmm bears racing next weekend mmmmmmmm

**Ixion** · 12th March 2009, 20:26

Well, the Mothers' Motorcycle club is not for mommys. And Bears racing does not involve competing ursines. I think you are all very confused.

**saltydog** · 12th March 2009, 20:27

Used to be in awe of them in the 80's. Young kid on bike sees pack of 30 Bikers on trumphys and nortons fanging into the square, the noise, The pack......foo....used to have huge 'gates' on their pad which was just out of town towards Ashurst way. Them fella were mean looking bro, all patched up.
Been back to palmy heaps since those times and never once have I seen that patch again.
Long live the Mothers