for all of the ludittes out there

Triton Thrasher · Nov 7, 2020

Bernhard said:
The MoD made the request to Vincent for these picador engines.

Armed Services eh? They couldn’t find a bigger extravagance, so they went Vincent!

Bernhard · Nov 7, 2020

Triton Thrasher said:
Armed Services eh? They couldn’t find a bigger extravagance, so they went Vincent!

It kept the company going when they were not selling bikes, remember the cost of their bike in the 1950s were the same as buying a country cottage with a septic tank, I wonder which one increased in value the most?

Bernhard · Nov 7, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
Exactly!

So they had a high power to weight ratio, more real life RWHP than most Commandos, and almost zero ‘torque’ ... and won.

Hence my point.

Yep, most GP racers were the same when tuned to the "nines" having sweet nothing below the bottom of their powerband.

baz · Nov 7, 2020

acotrel said:
You would not want to be doing that. The Paton 500 was not fast for a very long time. I don't think Percy Tait had any brains. It is possible to get a Triumph 500 going very fast, but it would be the nastiest bike in creation. 'Torque wins races;'.

He had enough brains to sort out the xs650 frame for Yamaha

rwalker28 · Nov 7, 2020

oldbeezer said:
put a Norton engine in there and you would have a "HelNo" helicopter Norton

You win Access Norton for the Month of November!

acotrel · Nov 9, 2020

baz said:
He had enough brains to sort out the xs650 frame for Yamaha

He did not have enough brains to find himself a bike with which he could demonstrate his true ability. That Triumph 500 would have been a bastard. Going well on that does not prove anything except stupidity. The trouble is that Percy Tait was probably like most of us - he did not care about money. He worked for Triumph fer almost nothing.
Hailwood never rode a shit-heap.

baz · Nov 9, 2020

acotrel said:
He did not have enough brains to find himself a bike with which he could demonstrate his true ability. That Triumph 500 would have been a bastard. Going well on that does not prove anything except stupidity. The trouble is that Percy Tait was probably like most of us - he did not care about money. He worked for Triumph fer almost nothing.
Hailwood never rode a shit-heap.

So he was brainless in your opinion because he could have done better?
Jeez !!!!

Triton Thrasher · Nov 9, 2020

acotrel said:
He did not have enough brains to find himself a bike with which he could demonstrate his true ability. That Triumph 500 would have been a bastard. Going well on that does not prove anything except stupidity. The trouble is that Percy Tait was probably like most of us - he did not care about money. He worked for Triumph fer almost nothing.
Hailwood never rode a shit-heap.

Did you make more money from riding bikes than Percy Tait did?

If not, what does that make you?