Oily Rag

So, after being let down with the purchase of the Commando 850 I've decided to look elsewhere. A couple of times I've come across the term 'lovely oily rag condition''. Could anyone enlighten me as to what this means.

Cheers

I would guess they mean there is a nice bike under all the filth.

Has someone used the term "oily rag" in respect of a Commando ? To my mind, "oily rag" condition shouldn't be applied to something from the 1970s. A glamorous '70s bike that has been rubbed over with an oily rag and is otherwise uncleaned just looks like an old dog.

It is a term often used on pre-war machinery where a case can be made for preserving the signs of eighty years of use and what little remains of the original paintwork. Mostly those bikes had external lubrication anyway. Probably any bike with a brazed-lug frame can survive an "oily rag" description but a Commando should be free of oil leaks and properly maintained. It isn't possible to maintain a bike that is encrusted with dirt and old grease. Despite having been left behind in the speed stakes, a Commando is still a fast motorcycle that can kill if it isn't up-together.

I would regard an "Oily rag" Commando as a restoration project.

I think it has to do with the smell.

Although I might think that it would be a runner. It'll get down the road but needs work. Don't they all?

Sounds like the mechanical equivalent of..."well, she has a nice personality!"

Lyrics from an old C.W. McCall song:

"Her shaft is bent and her rear end leaks, you can fix her quick with an oily rag. Use a nail as a starter; I lost the key. Don't pay no mind to that whirrin' sound. She use a little oil, but outside a' that, she's cherry."

Oily rag; well used / not polished

Since no-one above seems to have met a wet/damp/foggy or humid climate, it refers to wiping over your bike with (nice clean) oil to keep it in good condition.

Stops the paint from deteriorating, stops the chrome (or nickel) from rusting or oxidising, stops the alloy from oxidising, and stops the metal bits from just plain rusting away., stops the cables from rusting up, etc etc etc.

However, rubber bits cannot be wiped with an oily rag.
Or they rot.
And with a Commando, that is a problem for long term storage, being out of use for any length of time, or even just sitting in the garage.

As someone said when they went to buy a new set of tires "I'll have some tires that don't crack their sidewalls just sitting in the garage."
And the salesman had nothing to offer....

?? hth

CrazyTrain said:

A couple of times I've come across the term 'lovely oily rag condition''. Could anyone enlighten me as to what this means.Cheers

Click to expand...

I think it means be prepared to spend a lot of $$$$.

Back circa 1950, my father worked after school at a garage at the edge of town. The owner had a used car business and a small junk yard in addition to repairs and gasoline sales. My father told me his job every afternoon was to wipe down the used cars parked along the edge of the highway with kerosene. At night, when his lights came on, the cars would sparkle, even though the paint on many was sh*t. This wiping down had to be done every afternoon, as the kerosene would attract every bit of dust blown up when cars drove by.

The shop owner also had a set of woodcarving chisels. When things were slow, he would cut new treads into bald tires. My old man said he had a knack for knowing how deep to cut without exposing cord. He'd also put gear oil in motors to slow oil burning and quiet worn out valve train, sawdust in differentials to eliminate whine (for a few weeks), and shim out brake shoes to give a good pedal feel for those worn out drums, which were cut way beyond minimum thickness.

Ah, the good old days

Rohan said:

Since no-one above seems to have met a wet/damp/foggy or humid climate, it refers to wiping over your bike with (nice clean) oil to keep it in good condition. ?? hth

Click to expand...

That certainly doesn't apply to me. I can only remember about three dry days in the last twelve months... :roll:

If rubbing a bike over with an oily rag kept it in good condition, it would be advertised as 'concours' . The problem is that oil attracts grit and the more of it that is rubbed around, the more scratched and thin the painted and plated surfaces become.

I remain convinced that a bike advertised as 'oily rag' in the UK is one that has never been washed, just rubbed over dry and with so little finish left that it will rust overnight if not oiled again.

The first time I heard the term "oily rag bike" was at the home of a Motorcycle collector in Scotland. In the garage beside his main collection of 34 perfectly restored motorcycles were a couple of old grimy bikes in running condition. The owner remarked, "I like bikes like this, oily rag condition, ride them down to the pub and back every now and then, no fuss no muss"
They didn't look like anything you would trust or even want to ride on a long tour, but were in good enough shape for the occasional 5 mile round trip. The general condition of paint and chrome surfaces was so worn out/rusted, that there would be no point in spending any time polishing, if anything just rub a rag around once in awhile. Even if it started as a fresh clean rag, once it contacted the bike it would become an oily rag very quickly.
For the collector these bikes were a welcome relief to the polishing and fussing needed to keep his 34 motorcycle collection gleaming, plus he actually got to ride the old oily rag clunkers now and then. Just not very far, and take the cell phone along!

So to me the term means exactly as described by 79 x 100.

Glen

A google out on the net certainly provides a wide range of bikes, and views, of the meaning of this term.
And more, if you go into other machinery.

The words 'original paint' appear more than a few times though.
And this seems to cover everything from an original bike that would be at home in a concours event through to the word decrepid, with some rust being involved - kept at bay by the applied oil.

It seems these words are multi-use in meaning then, no telling what the intended meaning is without seeing the object it refers to... ?!!

I guess 'oily rag' is a colloquialism where you have to be familiar with the cultural reference.

I read a travel story in the 'Roadholder' a couple years ago where the writer mentioned waking up 'not quite sparrow fart' while on tour of Scotland. I didn't know what this meant, and asked several people I know - 2 Scots, an Derry man, 2 Dubliners, a Londoner, a Manx and a Mancunian. Nobody had a firm idea, but all assumed it had something to do with being hung over. I imagine the term is particular to where the writer is from, but he didn't mention his home in the piece.

That would mean waking up well before the sun comes up ( like sparrows do), in some places at least.
Aviators without an instrument rating (night flying skills) can take off at first light, so need to get up early for that...

Sparrows are called Brown Finches in the UK too, which can cause some confusion ...

Looks like British Army slang, from a long way back.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sparrow-fart

Rohan said:

That would mean waking up well before the sun comes up ( like sparrows do), in some places at least.
Aviators without an instrument rating (night flying skills) can take off at first light, so need to get up early for that...

Sparrows are called Brown Finches in the UK too, which can cause some confusion ...

Looks like British Army slang, from a long way back.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sparrow-fart

Click to expand...

I figured you'd know, Rohan! Thanks

I've always assumed that 'sparrow fart' was a slightly mocking reference to the generally used 'up at cock's crow' . Sparrows are generally awake before the poultry and the evidence on my car roof is that they generally have a good clear-out, first thing.

Going back to the original question, where I come from, an 'Oily rag' is actually a cigarette....

79x100 said:

I've always assumed that 'sparrow fart' was a slightly mocking reference to the generally used 'up at cock's crow' . Sparrows are generally awake before the poultry and the evidence on my car roof is that they generally have a good clear-out, first thing.

Going back to the original question, where I come from, an 'Oily rag' is actually a cigarette....

Click to expand...

Is that rhyming slang for 'fag'?

BillT said:

s that rhyming slang for 'fag'?

Click to expand...

Yep.