Bloody yanks

[MacD]

I remember in the late seventies hearing people talk with pride about their 60bhp bikes.

I was damned proud of my 40hp RD350!

It's hard to believe that's all the HP it had, it felt like a lot more at the time!

[Posh Tourer :P]

I remember in the late seventies hearing people talk with pride about their 60bhp bikes.

Like the R100RS - king of the road... umm not any more...


Hey bgd, what is the drivers/riders general attitude over there? Do most people believe that they are better than average? That always plays a part in the effect of regulations. Like beer in germany. Less focus on getting drunk *all* the time means legal drinking at age 15....

[RiderInBlack]

I was damned proud of my 40hp RD350!

It's hard to believe that's all the HP it had, it felt like a lot more at the time!

Wasn't that the "Gang Killer"? or was it the RD400? Flipped when it hit the powerband (or so the Urban Ledgion had it in the 70-80's).

[bgd]

Hey bgd, what is the drivers/riders general attitude over there? Do most people believe that they are better than average? ...

Like anywhere I suppose, a mixed bag. Plenty of Sunday sports bike riders (very big on sports bikes here) who think they are God's gift because they have the bike and the leathers. Goes part of the way to explain the high accident/death rate. Other side of the coin there are also plenty of sensible riders out there, many of them very skilled.

Drivers, on the whole, are not too bad. As bikers we always have complaints about the muppets in cages but I can compare to NZ and I think the kiwi muppets are worse than the UK muppets. Contributing factor is the congestion over here where you have to get on with your fellow road users because there are so many of them. Whereas NZ is relatively congestion free (Auckland excepted?) so drivers tend to feel they own the road (my observation) and are surprised when they have to share it.

We have our share of boy racers - they look very much like your boy racers.

[MacD]

Wasn't that the "Gang Killer"? or was it the RD400? Flipped when it hit the powerband (or so the Urban Ledgion had it in the 70-80's).

The Kawasaki 500cc H1 Triple really had the reputation for that, it was 60hp with a powerband that came on like a switch.

[Motoracer]

You guys are talking about unlimited bikes for learners as if it's an irresponsible act for our leaders to let happen - but that's how it was when I learnt to ride,I could have ridden anything I wanted,no questions asked.

But young guys couldn't afford big bikes so we started out small and worked our way up,learning as we went,by ourselves,not having our hand held all the way.At 16 I got my first big bike,a 1950 BSA B31,that's a 350 single weighing nearly 200kg - I couldn't start it and after I stalled ended up pushing it most of the way home.When my older brother wanted to get a bike we went out looking and I picked him out a nice Triumph T110 with a full Bonny upgrade that had been raced at Puke - this was his first bike.He's still alive and kicking in Canada and rides a Suzuki Turbo.

I guess it all changed when the superbikes appeared along with rich daddies,kids were getting over their heads and we got the learner system.I like the learner system and think it's a good thing,but it was fun being able to ride what you liked,even if you never did.

Didn't they have shocking fatality rates due to motorcycle accidents during that period as well? Of course there are pleanty who lived to tell the tales but in reality I think its a miracle that there weren't more killed at the time (from the stories I have heard of that time). I think the figures that were available to the goverment regarding the death rates were enough to bring our current licencing system into place.

I know that the level and quality of protective gear that most of the riders used at the time wasn't as good as it is today so that would have played its part as well.

[vifferman]

Didn't they have shocking fatality rates due to motorcycle accidents during that period as well? Of course there are pleanty who lived to tell the tales but in reality I think its a miracle that there weren't more killed at the time (from the stories I have heard of that time). I think the figures that were available to the goverment regarding the death rates were enough to bring our current licencing system into place.

I know that the level and quality of protective gear that most of the riders used at the time wasn't as good as it is today so that would have played its part as well.

Don't have the figures to hand (and can't be bothered searching them out), so I dunno. But you're right about safety gear etc. Fullface helmets were only just coming in, and the early ones were car ones (too heavy), and things like spine protectors and so on just weren't available.
It was very easy to get on the road - IIRC you just answered some bike-related questions, paid 50c, and got a provisional license for 6 weeks. I spent a lot of time riding my sister's boyfriend's CB350 on the road (without a license) and friend's trailbikes on and off the road before I got my license and own bike. To get a full license was relatively easy. The bike cop who took me for mine said, "That your bike? Meet me in the carpark and we'll go for a blat!"
(For all that, the test was semi-thorough, and involved the usual hillstart, figure-8's, panic stops, etc.)

I knew a few guys who'd had serious accidents, and a friend of a friend who'd died test-riding a bike (hit a powerpole with his face). A guy at our school bought an H1 Kawaskai 500 as his first bike (!!) and used to drop it nearly every week while he learnt to ride it. His second bike was a Z1, which put him in hospital.
I'm not sure that bike size is that big an issue, so much as attitudes and training. My first bike was a 175, and while smallish, it had a top speed of 85 mph (~130km/h), which was more than fast enough to kill myself on. Even on a 50, a head-on collision will still kill you.

The RD350/400 didn't have 'lightswitch' powerbands like the Kwakas, so that was one of the reasons they were popular and successful. Well - most of them weren't peaky. My best friend had an RD350 set up for prod racing, which was the quickest in the country at that time. It was hard not to wheelie it in the first 3 gears, even riding relatively sedately. Stock ones in standard tune weren't that scary, but were definitely fast.

J.Random - since you are so interested in my casual attire: I wear sheepskin slippers, and have two pairs. I don't smoke a pipe, although I did once when I was pissed.

[jrandom]

Oh and Jrandom, I liked my fluffy-slipper. It would have kicked your little FXR's arse (come to think about in so would have the GSXR250) So I took your bait, but you'll end up in the water

Heh.

You see, guys, it's precisely *because* of my FXR that I feel comfortable doing the Honda slagging. I know it won't prick your egos too seriously.

If I was poking fun from the back of a GSXR1000, now, that would just be cruel. And I'm a nice guy...

[scumdog]

Yeah well no 250 limit on beginners over there and they rule the world eh!

I understand no such thing as a warrant of fitness test is done either - just relies on the cops picking up defects.

Great country full of rednecks and hicks.

Souunds like South Otago, must be a great place as you say.

[RiderInBlack]

If I was poking fun from the back of a GSXR1000, now, that would just be cruel

Dreams are free Jrandom I wonder how well you'd be able to handle it? Oh and I see the new CBR1000RR is out

[Deano]

[Edit: genuine question that just crossed my mind. Why is it 'scary' for people to be 'into guns'? I've never met anyone like that who would be a threat to society. It's members of the criminal class getting their hands on firearms that I find worrying, and the criminal mindset does not seem to coincide very often with the 'enthusiast' type that enjoy target shooting and hunting (and who sometimes feel that the use of weapons in self-defense is morally justifiable)]

I used to flat with a territorial, he was very enthusiastic about guns and had a bit of a collection going too. But there is no way in hell I would want to be around him and his toys after a few beers. Once when I wasn't home, he got on the piss, took out one of his rifles and fired a round into the front lawn. Feck knows what motivated him to do that.

On the other hand, one of his mates who was also a gun enthusiast seemed very responsible.

I was watching Judge Mills Lane the other day and he commented about the US cops referring to Mr Smith and Mr Weston, and how they had five rounds. He said he preferred Dr Colt, which had six rounds. Quite amusing.

Personally, I think enough damage can be done with your hands, elbows, knees, legs (and head) if required without resorting to weapons.

[Mongoose]

One thing I always thought of was when the cc rating was introduced it probabley seem quite reasonable, lower powewr etc but modern technology caught up and now those semi controled vibrating machines are a way more wicked than their predecessors.

[moko]

Yeah,Been on a few yank sites,not just bike sites either.
I always end up shooting myself in the foot by commenting on their "Do as we say or we'll kill ya " atittude.
Biggest bunch of weirdo's on the planet.

I`ve tried a couple and have ended up without fail getting into all kinds of arguments,usually over a throwaway line denigrating some other country or culture.They dont see,or want to see anyone else`s point of view and give off all this macho shit then throw girlie abuse at anyone who loses them in an argument.I had a go at AOL once and their reaction was to totally erase my e-mail accounts without warning,causing me all kinds of hassle,typical bullying over-reaction to a valid point I made.Before that they were actually removing posts I put on one of their message boards criticising their service,so much for freedom of speech,I e-mailed them politely asking if that was their idea of freedom of speech and if they took as much effort giving me the service I was paying for as they did censoring what I was saying then we`d all be happier.Logged on next time no problem but when trying to access my e-mail account was told that the account didnt exist,a nation of bullies with their heads stuck up their fat arses.

[scumdog]

"QUOTE -Hmmmph. "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die." There's that whole 'bravado' issue. In real life, if you ran into him when he didn't have a gun and you wanted a fight, he'd probably piss himself and run away, or have a little mental-instability moment, freeze up and start dribbling through the corner of his mouth. I tend to define that behaviour as 'cowardly', particularly when it's paired with a readiness to use guns in offense. Probably a good chance he was just full of shit, anyway".

Yeah, but looking the other way, how would you cope with lying in a blown up building in 36+ degrees for hours, not knowing if one of the "other side" had you in their sights and having to take cold blooded calculated shots at smoeone 700 or so metres away? ( as opposed to dealing with a threat in the heat of the moment)

Different strokes for different folks - and that is a bold assumtion that he is (a) a coward and (b) would piss himself and run away, still I guess thats YOUR opinion

[NordieBoy]

alt.sportbike was the one you needed to read...

alt.binaries.pictures.motorcycles.sportbike
A.B.P.M.S

Good sense of humor, sarcasm etc.
And the occasional harley baiting thrown in for good measure.