It's all relative I think,if we went back to ride some of the shitters they might seem better in a new light,the dream bikes pieces of crap.
A couple of my own - I thought my Rickman Metisse was made in heaven just for me,perfect in every way,except for the small tank,but you could get fuel anywhere in those days.At the same time I also had a Cheney Triumph,a similar bike,but this one was made in the late 60s for Ivan Millar.Shorter and quicker steering I didn't like it and in fact hardly ever rode it.Going back to them now after riding tall quick steering modern bikes I might find the Rickman low and slow,the Cheney just right.
I think the worst bike I have ever owned and ridden was my 1953 Matchless G9,this was a 500cc twin in a frame that wasn't up to a 350 single.I got it off an unemployed nuclear physisist who had just ridden it around the South Island,gotta be reliable for sure.I rode it home and sat outside my mates place watching the wiring burn out,the plastic ammeter melt and fall into the headlamp - it was all down hill from there.It was the same age as me,but I was a full of life teenager,it on it's last legs of life.Rebuilding the magneto was the equivalent of 3 wage packets,but it still didn't start or run well.I ran an open primary case as I was always pulling the clutch to bits trying to find a cure for clutch slip,or drag,but never succeeded.The motor was so worn that the poor breather couldn't cope,so pumped oil out the generator as well,which never worked either.When I pulled the barrels of,I had to yank them hard,the lip on the bottom of the bore was so big.Nice motor though - wire wound pistons to control expansion,separate barrels and heads,roller followers and ecentric rockers for the easiest valve adjustments I have ever done - bike,car or truck.
I could of lived with all that if it wasn't for the handling,it was almost uncontrolable,although I could get some good slides going in the wet with the jampots bouncing.You couldn't put any power on until it was out of the corner and upright,otherwise it just snapped off into whichever direction it was pointed.Tried lots of diferent bars - cut down a set of apehangers to make a huge pair of pullbacks,but these gave too much leaverage and I could almost bend the bike in half in a corner...I found a set of flat bars worked best,although it needed a lot of input to go where you wanted.Going where you didn't want to go was easy....in the days before mirrors a quick glance behind would see you in the gravel shoulder.
I don't know how or to who I unloaded this pile of shit onto,but I'm glad I owned it - it gives me a benchmark for bad,very bad ,so even mediocer bikes are the very best I've ridden.
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
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