Time Travel

[manuboy]

I dunno why, but i often wunder... if you took say a regular guy or gal from say... 1862 (the first gasoline powered vehicle) or even earlier, or 1867 (first motorcycle), and time travelled them to Now..... then you stuck them in a [INSERT SUPERCAR HERE] or even better, on a [INSERT YOU CHOICE OF TYRES SHREDDING SUPERBIKE HERE]... what would happen?

Would they just have a heart attack? Would their minds cope at all? Getting past the fact that they'd be owndering what the hell these "things" are made of and all those issues, what would happen when you just planted boot?

Similarly... i used to get Every Copy of Two Wheels when i was a yung-un, if you put one of them reviewers who used to Rave about the Power of the 1986 GSXR 750, and stuck them on a zx-10 or a Busa - how would the review read?

[Cajun]

interesting thinking manuboy
they would say this bike is bad, no one could ride it, or something as silly as that

[Marmoot]

dont be silly.....they wouldn't know how to operate the clutch, gears and the power window!

[Motu]

They would probably cope better than you if you were sent 150 yrs into the future - I think you might find it more changed than than those coming forward to our age.They were very agrarian then,would most likely look up see a 747,then get back on the timber jack to load a 10ft dia kauri log behind his 8 bullock team.How do you think you would handle one of those,could you spend all day pit sawing?

[manuboy]

They were very agrarian then,would most likely look up see a 747,then get back on the timber jack to load a 10ft dia kauri log behind his 8 bullock team.How do you think you would handle one of those,could you spend all day pit sawing?

Depends whether one of the Bullocks was Sandra. I would have spent all day starching my dungarees if i had that to look at....

[Cajun]

Depends whether one of the Bullocks was Sandra. I would have spent all day starching my dungarees if i had that to look at....

i second that one

[Marmoot]

Depends whether one of the Bullocks was Sandra. I would have spent all day starching my dungarees if i had that to look at....

especially 8 of them.....hell, even 2 is ok by me too!

[Kickaha]

Similarly... i used to get Every Copy of Two Wheels when i was a yung-un, if you put one of them reviewers who used to Rave about the Power of the 1986 GSXR 750, and stuck them on a zx-10 or a Busa - how would the review read?

There's a quote in one of them from some guy who won the 6 hour who's name I cant quite remember regading the 1982 GSX1100,when said something along the lines of "it would be hard to build a bike better than this"
wonder what he thinks now?

[Jackrat]

In 1972 I saw my first Honda CB750 and thought,it just can't get any better than this.A couple of weeks/months? later I saw a Suzuki GT 750 and was pretty much stunned.When the Vmax first came out,the shop in Tokoroa had one and I spoke to the owner about it.He mantained it was far to powerfull and people were going to die.
Even today I look at new bikes and wonder where it will end.

What's really interesting to me is that my grandfather drove Cob an Co' stage coaches between dargaville and Whangarei.He used to tell us kids storys about those days.REAL wild Maori,REAL highway men.During winter it could be a three day trip. I don't think I'd like to go back there,but I reckon he would of handled today no worrys.

[badlieutenant]

They would probably cope better than you if you were sent 150 yrs into the future - I think you might find it more changed than than those coming forward to our age.They were very agrarian then,would most likely look up see a 747,then get back on the timber jack to load a 10ft dia kauri log behind his 8 bullock team.How do you think you would handle one of those,could you spend all day pit sawing?

had a go at pit sawing...........you might think its slow. It was bloody amazing how fast it is and sorta nice to zone out on the rythm.
my grandad was driving a 8 bullock team by the age of 12. Hed finished his edumacation by then. You could argue that the expectations parents had for thier kids were as high as today just in different ways......oops

[Motu]

Somewhere I've seen a photo of my Grandfather behind his bullock team in the Northland bush,the family still has the rewarewa dinning table and chairs he made.He was a motor mechanic and had his own garage and fleet of trucks,was Northland Champ with the axe.
My other Grandfather could breed and train horses,Rua won the Taumaranui Cup.He built a haybailer of his own design on the farm with no electricity,on the forge with my mother at the bellows.We have a photo of the house he built - after felling and milling the tree himself.
I don't think a modern motorcycle would raise an eyebrow with these guys.

Even if you took a motorcyclist from any earlier era,I don't think they would be too upset - they would be amaized at how easy they are to ride...electric starters,hydraulic cluches,on the handle bars yet! A foot gear change,intruments,even a fuel gauge! No,the modern bike is for pussies.

[LB]

My Dad had a team of four bullocks (Smoker, Reddy, Whisky and Star) that he broke in and used. There's a neat photo of him that we've got with the bullocks. This was in the early 1930's.

He too was from up North, Motu. And one of Dad's brothers was a champion axeman also.

Small world eh.

Jackrat: your granddad would have some interesting stories to tell I'm sure.

I don't think I would cope well with the life back then - it was bloody hard, no luxuries and devices to make work easy like we've got. Three days from Dargaville to Whangarei....we don't know how lucky we are. (serious comment)

[manuboy]

as if any of you can find / scan and post these old photos..!

When i started the post i was more really only thnking of the physical "shock" they'd get onboard one of these jets-with-wheels. I still think that without any previous notion or experience there'd probably be some sort of crazy reaction.

Even if you stuck them on a CR250 or something - same thing...

But i guess you can look at it a lot of ways as Motu's first post highlighted.

p.s Motu, in my time i've farmed. I had physical stress, like the old timers would have had (only less of it!). Nowadays i just suffer mainly from mental stress (work and everyday life)... and i know which one is easier to cope with - no argument. So in a lot of ways them old timers had it Sweet.

Obviously they were a lot nearer to the survival line tho.

The old Two Wheel mags - they were always foaming about the the new ZXR this and that and how it couldn't get any better. They'll be saying exactly what they were then about the bikes we have now. Like most of us, context is limited and hindsight isnt.

[RiderInBlack]

Mum's a local historian up here (Mangakahia, Northland), so I'll what we can do.

Granddad used to take a day to take the horse and dray into Whangarei (40Km+ of muddy track) to pick-up supplies (he'd stay over-night and come back the next day). I can do the same ride in 20-30mins on "Roxanne", but the road is tarsealed. Not even the modern 4x4's would handle the way Mangakahia Raod was back in Granddad's day.
Mum has a pic of an car with just it's back wheel showing, stuck down one of the "Pot-Holes" on Mangakahia Rd Draft-Horses were needed to get it out.

GRanddad live to see the Space Shuttle. He drove cars like a maniac (probably were our family gets their need for speed from ).

[Motu]

Ok ,so we've settled that the old boys aren't gunna be too fazed by a modern bike,but I don't don't think the modern bike is a big deal.Sure they are fast,but unbelievably easy to ride - you can ride a VMax like a CB125,an over the top muscle bike that is a kitten to ride,same with an R1,dirt bikes the same,an unbelievable power spread,traction and suspension.The modern trialls bike is an extention of your brain,it would go through a section I find impossible on my TLR200 like going to the shops.They are all boggling - but not scary...