A motor cycle for a mature gentleman - don't laugh!

I'm sure Andy won't mind, I thought he might have opted for a Vincent but a Brough Superior SS should do.

broughinexmoor.jpg
 
antdad said:
I'm sure Andy won't mind, I thought he might have opted for a Vincent but a Brough Superior SS should do.
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What's up Tony,

Back in the mid 60s lots of kids I knew had bikes. Yeah, the Harleys were certainly popular, and some of the choppers were really beautiful. There were some English bikes like Triumph, BSA, and Norton that were all popular as well. Heh, one guy I knew even had a Royal Enfield.

My first bike was a 1947 Harley knucklehead that I bought in around 1966. Real beater of a thing, but fun to drive. Three speed tank shift and foot clutch, with a springer front end.

Anyway, this period of time was when the Black Lightning and Black Shadow was THE bike if you wanted to go fast. I believe it was touted to reach about 150 MPH, but it took a while to slow down after that. Never did see one of those live and in person when I was growing up though.

So many years later (early 80s) ,I'm at a huge flea market in Sausalito California. Usual vendors selling dope and small children, plus a LOT of organic and natural self help books. Walking down one aisle I see a very large and clunky looking motorcyle being casually displayed among a pile of junk. No idea what the hell it was, but after talking with the owner (and looking closer at the bike), I realized the damn thing was a Vincent. Weird looking thing, I gotta say.

Can't remember if it was the Shadow or Lightning, and no idea what he was asking at the time. He was showing me about having to retard the spark as part of how you started the thing.....one of a number of steps. Heh, one issue the bike had was that it didn't actually run.

I was happy to have finally seen one in the flesh, but I couldn't call it a handsome looking bike.

Martin
 
Tony, that's a better pic than mine anyway (which came up fine when first posted but seems to have failed now). I think the SS100 is the motorcycle for quite a few reasons, the sheer rarity and the TE Lawrence connection being the obvious ones, but the Vincent is the other contender. Hope this pic works:
vincent_hrd_black_lightning.jpg

A nice early Black Lightning well before the telescopic forks came in. Unlike Martin I do think the Vincents were very handsome machines for their size, but it has to be said that the real beauty queens were to be found amongst the less brutish British bikes like Ariels, BSAs and Velocettes.
 
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Four months on and well over 2000K, I so wish I'd discovered again the pleasures of motorcycling years ago. Every day when there's been some dry weather, I'm off. From a run round the block to round trips of of up to around 50 miles. Happily pottering mostly within 45 to 55mph with no temptation to want anything more powerful. And I have a feeling that won't change. But I'll still be looking at other options! Might take a trip by train to Huntingdon to visit the main distributor of Lifan bikes to see their operation and to find out what's new on the horizon.

So if you have been thinking about going back to two motorised wheels or taking it up for the first time - give it a go, it's a lot of fun.
 
Confession. I took out a Royal Enfield Bullet Classic yesterday.

I pick one up in black on 7 October. It's like this one with the exaust upgrade and I'm having a rack, topbox and wider mirrors. I'll have to pick times of departure to avoid disturbing the neighbours!

I'll be keeping the 125 bike for the time being. Is this a touch of MAD beginning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBfMa5o5qGk
 
Fido said:
I'll be keeping the 125 bike for the time being. Is this a touch of MAD beginning?
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Great Peter. I have very fond memory's of riding a Bullet, she'll hear you coming and have your tea ready.

As for MAD? Yep a bit pricier than brushes and they don't store too well in book cases.
 
Great pick Peter! I love my Hondas (I've had four by now), but the Biullet is one classic bike! Well, the only viecle in the garge is my motorcykle and I would never leave it out, it has barely seen the night a couple times - but only warm summer nights :D. The Bullet actually doens't sound as much nowadays and you have to buy a special kit to get even close to the old sound (when they had cast iron tops, they changed it only a couple of years ago), but never the less, it's a one stroke engine and it will have a sweet and special sound.
 
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