Classic/Vintage Bikes

[BMW R100GS Paris Dak]

Not that old, I know, but I have a R100GSPD which I think is gorgeous. I've been prepping it so I can take off from the UK in 2010 and head towards India. Should be a fabulous journey.

I have a 1989 Paris Dakar and intend doing a trip from India to London but have not set date yet. What prep have you done.

[Ally67]

Would either an 87 Tenere or an 88 DR big be considered as classics ?

[Paul in NZ]

Would either an 87 Tenere or an 88 DR big be considered as classics ?

Only if you love them beyond economic common sense...

[Badcat]

Only if you love them beyond economic common sense...

that's the best description of a classic bike i have heard!

[Voltaire]

Only if you love them beyond economic common sense...

by joves sir...I think you have nailed the description perfectly!!!

mind you 'they' want $ 800.00 for a headlight for my 01' 900ss....but owning Italian never made economic sense.

Honda stepthru here I come!!!!!

[Paul in NZ]

RIGHT you classic wanna bes - check out the meetings and goat bothering forum for some piccies....

My fave? The dude on the Triumph scooter with his daughter riding pillion and his gangly son on the C10 - way to go brother...

[Ixion]

Thing I don't like about the classic bike scene is they're all so anal about it. As in everything has to be exactly "correct", and someone is bound to tell you that the twistgrip on y' bike is the wrong one, cos it's the version that was used for the first six months of 1966 , whereas the washer under the rear wheel axle nut is the type that was used only in the last six months of 1966. Whereupon every one looks at you as if you'd been invited to an audience with the Pope and started wanking in front of him.

And heaven help you if the bikes not in show room condition.

I like my old bikes, but I'm not interested in pretending that they're brand new. They're 30 years old and more, and they've been tweaked and twiddled over those years. And they have the scars and wrinkles of old age. That's how I like them.

[Paul in NZ]

Thing I don't like about the classic bike scene is they're all so anal about it. As in everything has to be exactly "correct", and someone is bound to tell you that the twistgrip on y' bike is the wrong one, cos it's the version that was used for the first six months of 1966 , whereas the washer under the rear wheel axle nut is the type that was used only in the last six months of 1966. Whereupon every one looks at you as if you'd been invited to an audience with the Pope and started wanking in front of him.

And heaven help you if the bikes not in show room condition.

I like my old bikes, but I'm not interested in pretending that they're brand new. They're 30 years old and more, and they've been tweaked and twiddled over those years. And they have the scars and wrinkles of old age. That's how I like them.

Erm - did you look at the pictures i posted?

These are the drunken bums of classic dom - yes there are anoraks out there but we had big fun thrashing the tumpet to heck and back today

Sweet jesus those G80CS's are quick

[Voltaire]

Thing I don't like about the classic bike scene is they're all so anal about it. As in everything has to be exactly "correct", and someone is bound to tell you that the twistgrip on y' bike is the wrong one, cos it's the version that was used for the first six months of 1966 , whereas the washer under the rear wheel axle nut is the type that was used only in the last six months of 1966. Whereupon every one looks at you as if you'd been invited to an audience with the Pope and started wanking in front of him.

And heaven help you if the bikes not in show room condition.

I like my old bikes, but I'm not interested in pretending that they're brand new. They're 30 years old and more, and they've been tweaked and twiddled over those years. And they have the scars and wrinkles of old age. That's how I like them.

theres a lot of that, I'll observe the reaction this morning when I go to the VCC Motorcycle Swap Meet here in Auckland on my very original unrestored r50/5...US spec to boot.
I do like to see patina ( right word?) ...bkes can only be new once...I have restored a r75/5 and T110 to as new condition once but that was 20 years ago and now I just wanna ride.
If anyone is going to the meet say Hi to the guy with the dirty shabby BMW

[jonbuoy]

Thing I don't like about the classic bike scene is they're all so anal about it. As in everything has to be exactly "correct", and someone is bound to tell you that the twistgrip on y' bike is the wrong one, cos it's the version that was used for the first six months of 1966 , whereas the washer under the rear wheel axle nut is the type that was used only in the last six months of 1966. Whereupon every one looks at you as if you'd been invited to an audience with the Pope and started wanking in front of him.

And heaven help you if the bikes not in show room condition.

I like my old bikes, but I'm not interested in pretending that they're brand new. They're 30 years old and more, and they've been tweaked and twiddled over those years. And they have the scars and wrinkles of old age. That's how I like them.

Concours nerds - would rather see an old bike with a few mods being used everyday than a museum piece on a trailer.

[Highlander]

Clearly our bikes are all far to new for this thread.
We have a '84 SRX250, '89 GSX600 and '92 CB750.
None of them are imaculate, but they all run well and the only reason I'd rule out doing a length of the country on the SRX is the size of it, but I'd be happy to take either of the others.

[rudolph]

Carn't beet a Plunger B31

[XP@]

Hmm... I've got a James but only because it's got the same name as me.
As far as I know it's somewhere between a 1931 and 1939. Still investigating...
And the renovation looks like it will take a small while. Aparently the threads for the bolts have gone out of production!

[davereid]

I like my old bikes, but I'm not interested in pretending that they're brand new. They're 30 years old and more, and they've been tweaked and twiddled over those years. And they have the scars and wrinkles of old age. That's how I like them.

Yep, so true.

IMHO those that treat them as ornaments seem to miss the point.

These old machines were designed as transport, and thats how they should be treated. They are at their best, on the road, swatting bugs and splashing through puddles, even if it means they go home dirty !

[Ixion]

Hmm... I've got a James but only because it's got the same name as me.
As far as I know it's somewhere between a 1931 and 1939. Still investigating...
And the renovation looks like it will take a small while. Aparently the threads for the bolts have gone out of production!

Not entirely. these will be CEI Cycle Engineers' Institute . (sometimes known as BSC , British Standard cycle, but confusingly BSC is sometimes used to mean Whitworth - in counterpoint to BSF).

These people have a reasonable range available

And you can get taps and dies to produce your own from these people.

Other sources are possible. And some of the larger sizes are thread interchangeable with BSF.