stories

I was recycling a worn 19T gearbox sprocket yesterday, and was idling wondering what stories it could tell as it got more and more worn over many years/decades: how many wheelies, traffic light burn-ups , and mountain passes etc. Even transferred to different machines?
So, at this strange time of year, any whimsical contributions invited!

My Commando came to me with its history erased, having been restored 7 years and 3,000 miles earlier. Even the clocks were zeroed. I have over 100 photos of the restoration on a memory stick and enough receipts to show the owner made a loss when he sold it on.

My 1976 Honda was the opposite. As I've taken it apart I've found many bodges from when these bikes were cheap enough to be disposable. I even found that the saddle (original repaired vinyl) had holes in the seat foam, matching the drain holes in the metal seat pan. When I shut it, foam grains would fly out. Then I heard a scrabbling sound, the mouse was still inside, probably with quite a headache. The stories the mouse could tell...

I’m reading Norton by Mick Woollett: great quote from Joe Craig in 1931 to the Lucas salesman: there are three good things about your magnetos: the box they come in, the package they are wrapped in, and the string they’re tied with…..

I had a Vincent that was owned by Bruce Main-Smith. He modified it extensively and chronicled this in the rags. In 1962 it had already done 132,000 miles. By the time I got the basket case (2000 ish) absolutely everything was worn out and shagged.

I thought then that it could tell some stories that bike! The stories from Bruce’s day when it was in its prime, and stories from the days when it was being ridden around in a state of total disrepair and neglect.

Of course, it would only have nice stories to tell about my period of custody I’m sure, during which time, amongst other things, it learnt fluent French …

I only tell war stories in person with a glass of beer in front of me. That said look me up if you’re ever in Stockton, California.

I killed my first 19 tooth front sprocket, chain and rear sprocket, young and silly brought my 850 Commando new when I was 17 years old, all my mates put sh it on me for doing so, so every Friday night and Saturday night burn outs galore at our local hang out, did it for about 3 years until one night I was smoking the rear wheel up then my motor just started revving flat out with no go, looked under my arm to see my rear chain shooting off down the road at high speed, there was about 6 links completely gone.
The front sprocket was fu cked and the rear one wasn't far from it and the chain well it was well stretched and broken badly, well after that night and money replacing the flogged out bits was the last time I ever done a burnout on the Norton then 12 months later I started the conversion to the Featherbed, but mine you I pulled some amazing wheel stand on the Featherbed with the hot 850 and a well balanced bike it stood right up near 90degrees from 1st, 2nd and into 3rd powering on without flipping, (love that race change shift) but only did that a few times as it just takes too much out of sprockets and chains, I am more wiser, well most of the time lol, the wife learned real quick to hang on at certain places.
I just learned not to over stress things and you will have a very reliable bike, hate breaking things from being stupid, but in my youth I had a lot to prove to my mates who said I was crazy buying a new Norton and not a new Honda 750 4.
Well I proved all of them wrong.
By the way when I broke that chain doing that big burn out I waited till midnight when everyone went home to get towed home by my mate on his 500 Honda 4, we still have a laugh about that after all these years lol.

Ashley

Back in 1997 or so I started restoration on my BSA 10. As I pulled it apart I thought more of the whoever it was that first bolted it all together and the machinery used to make it as I removed fasteners that hadn't been touched in over 40 years.

MikeG said:

Back in 1997 or so I started restoration on my BSA 10. As I pulled it apart I thought more of the whoever it was that first bolted it all together and the machinery used to make it as I removed fasteners that hadn't been touched in over 40 years.

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A couple of my more recent acquisitions were re-imports back from the USA, and it's been evident that the bottom ends have never been apart.
My musings were along the lines of 'I wonder what music they were listening to when this was built?'
My Combat is now called 'Noddy', incidentally

Stories or a lack of ……

In 1988 I bought a ten year old BMW R100RS and in the seat compartment was a new unused condom the packet of which looked the age of the bike

Seems this bike and it’s owner had led a sheltered life

When touring around 'yurp I noticed the Germans had shiny BMWs and that the rider and girlfriend both wore helmets & leathers that were colour matched to the bike. Had to wonder how expensive it would be if either the bike or girlfriend were replaced.

daveforty said:

When touring around 'yurp I noticed the Germans had shiny BMWs and that the rider and girlfriend both wore helmets & leathers that were colour matched to the bike. Had to wonder how expensive it would be if either the bike or girlfriend were replaced.

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Simple. Get bikes of the same colour and girlfriends of the same size.

Them Germuns are very logical you know !

of course... obvious when you think about it.

My buddy and I left a local establishment, me on a FJ 1100 and him on a 1100 Sportster. Being law abiding riders we stopped for the red light. A BMW sedan pulled up between the two of us, not behind but between. The race was on! 120 mph! To get the entire story in the proper text you'll have to ask me wife, she was on the back of me on the Fj1100. LOL She now rides her own bike!

mean gene said:

My buddy and I left a local establishment, me on a FJ 1100 and him on a 1100 Sportster. Being law abiding riders we stopped for the red light. A BMW sedan pulled up between the two of us, not behind but between. The race was on! 120 mph! To get the entire story in the proper text you'll have to ask me wife, she was on the back of me on the Fj1100. LOL She now rides her own bike!

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Can we get a copy of the police report and read it there ?

I bought the 1939 Model 18 shown in my avatar in 1982. It was at Barry Ryans in Sydney and sat next to it was a 500cc Rudge. Both bikes were almost totally original, apart from a megaphone on the Norton, and both were surface rusted, faded and covered in a thick layer of dirt. The Norton was showing about 8000 miles and judging by the pristine shape of the various fasteners had never been apart or had anything other than normal service work. The bikes had come from the same place and the story/belief at the time was that their original owner had gone off to WWII and never returned, and the bikes had just been kept by the family for the next forty years. I'm sure this particular story was repeated thousands of times around the world, and I suspect there's still Korea and Vietnam era bikes and cars sitting in sheds and under houses (as well as those from more recent conflicts).
As a postscript, the Norton as treated to new oil and fuel and fired on the first kick and ran on the second. It was fabulous to ride and a privilege to own.

No police report. Those days you could get away with stuff!

Back in 1985 I traveled to Sydney on my 1981 Triumph Thunderbird, I was going to the Easter bike races at Bathurst but I was staying at my brother's place a Blacktown, I rode into Sydney to Ryan's bike shop and brought a set of Cambel reverse cone mufflers for my Norton back at home, inside the show room sat a Vincent 1000 and they were very interested in my 81 Triumph Thunderbird, I brought it new in 82 it was the American model witch never made it to America as that is when Triumph was shut down, well they temped me and offered a clean swap but I loved that Triumph and clocked up a lot of miles on that bike, did I make a mistake at the time, to this day I think about it, but it was the first long road trip of many after that trip on that Triumph, 250k km of trouble free riding on that 81 650 Thunderbird, it had the same bore size as the 750 Bonnies but shorter stroke, single carb and drum rear brake, but fu ck it was a lovely bike to ride, but I sold it in 92 was the biggest mistake of my riding life to sell that bike.
But then what is a 1000cc Vencent worth these days, ooooh well it's only money lol.
By the way it was the last year of the Easter bike races, but I was glad I got to go to one even with the troubles with the police, it was a training ground for the NSW riot police, go stir up trouble with the bikies and bash a few head, the people of Bathurst were the biggest losers of that bike meeting.

Ashley

Grandad said:

Stories or a lack of ……

In 1988 I bought a ten year old BMW R100RS and in the seat compartment was a new unused condom the packet of which looked the age of the bike

Seems this bike and it’s owner had led a sheltered life

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Nothing to do with sex
That was there as a compact auxiliary fuel carrying device
You can get nearly a gallon (English gallon) into one to transfer from one bike to another

I have to believe there is a good tale behind this photo, but I have no clue other than maybe beer or pot or both were involved.
It looks like the socket wrench got trapped at some point during their "project"...maybe.

mean gene said:

No police report. Those days you could get away with stuff!

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Many years ago, when driving or riding in Virginia you were careful not to get on the wrong side of the State Police. It was particularly bad with 6-10 lane roads when the traffic was light - they were bored and looking for someone's day to destroy. But then, when you crossed into Maryland, it was on! That went on for a long time. In 1986, the Federal Govt withdrew funding from 10 states and threatened Maryland. Next thing you know, there were speed traps on the Interstates and rolling roadblocks doing 55mph in Maryland.

For a long time, Interstate 81 was very lightly used and there were large areas where the State Police could not hide and arial speed traps cost to much since it was so rural. Cruising way over the speed limit was relatively safe except when the various colleges along it were having events. Then came hurricane Katrina and the road was FULL of trucks going both ways. Apparently, the hurricane taught the trucking companies that it was a good route south and today it is busy.