motorbikes old/new...open thread??

Much rather have that Shovel than the V-Rod!
 
Pretty as that 45 Bobber is, I'd still rather have the Shovel. Besides, the foot clutch/suicide shifter would confuzzle me!!!
 
Pretty as that 45 Bobber is, I'd still rather have the Shovel. Besides, the foot clutch/suicide shifter would confuzzle me!!!

Hi, my Harley from 1929 had the same clutch/shifter layout. I got used to it.

The throttle grip, however, worked in the opposite way from to today (closing meant opening).

This took a little longer for me ---
 
IIRC, Indians from around that time had a left hand throttle... That might have been only the police models though, so they could shoot right handed while riding.
 
IIRC, Indians from around that time had a left hand throttle... That might have been only the police models though, so they could shoot right handed while riding.

My Harley had ignition regulation (advance - retard) on the left hand grip ...
 
I was chatting to an ex bike cop a few days ago and he reckoned that switching from British twins to BMWs cost about 75% of their workshop staff to lose their jobs!
 
Very pretty but (apparently) you wouldn't want to own one.
 
I was chatting to an ex bike cop a few days ago and he reckoned that switching from British twins to BMWs cost about 75% of their workshop staff to lose their jobs!

Hi, BMWs were very reliable and easy to maintain and repair. In the late 60s and 70s I was very much interested in British motorcycles. (I even had a MOTORCYCLE subscription.)

But there were few dealers and workshops in Germany. And the bikes were less suitable for high-speed long distance travel on motorways.

In those days, I rode to Spain, Portugal, Sweden and very often to England. The rear chains without O-rings of British bikes would have made these journeys less pleasant,
and high-speed cruising at 90 mph with the vibrations of a parallel twin must have been not much fun ... ---

German police, still on BMW :


D80_0444-n70c-tp.jpg



@allanm: I like the look of the modernized NORTON. Ride and ownership is a different matter ... ---
 
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I remember riding my old Triumph 5ta, speedtwin.
At certain speeds, it was impossible to read the speedo as my eyes were shaking so badly.
But, when I got off the bike and drove my 1961 Mini, it felt like I was driving a Rolls Royce........
 
Nice to see the pooch wearing doggles!
 
Some very good deals around on last year's model Tiger - IF you can find one! From memory, they're giving buyers the luggage and protection kit as a sweetener, possibly heated grips and seat as well.
FWIW, if you're actually going to venture off road on a bike, the Royal Enfield Himalaya is supposed to be up among the best choice - it's light enough to pick up if when you drop it.
 
Does it get much use, Scott? Oh, and welcome to TP!
 
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