Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: spooky on November 23, 2016, 09:48:07 PM
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I am very tempted to sell the HD350 so i can buy a Sanglas, think a vote is in order ! keep the 350 or buy a 400 sanglas ? it`s probably a daft idea but i will still go up to see it on friday... the e/start on the sanglas is supposed to be very weak...i dunno :-\
(http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/roudeleiw-uk/san3_zpspfce2rf8.jpg) (http://s1081.photobucket.com/user/roudeleiw-uk/media/san3_zpspfce2rf8.jpg.html)
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Both lovely eccentric, or is it esoteric, bikes mate. That's a hard one to call. But blooming heck, what a choice! Think of things such as how much you enjoy the HD, and how wells it running. I think that's why I decided not to sell the Falcone in the end :-\
I don't want to know the figures, but if you can't make your mind up, you could base your decision on price and value, as you've nothing else to go on if you're undecided. Also, write out a pros and cons list, and then go for the most pros :-\
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Personally I'd keep the HD - most of the reports I've read on the Sanglas models weren't particularly good, the HD is certainly worth more.
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Always fancied a Sanglas but was put off by potential problems with the availability of spares. The Irish Army used them in the early to mid 70s and you sometimes find one of them for sale every couple of years on Donedeal (an Irish sales site similar to Gumtree where Timbo has sourced a few of his projects!!). I think they are a bit of a mixed bag reliability wise but are certainly something a bit different. Spanish built 4 stroke bikes are a rarity.
According to an extract from Motorcycle News in 1979 the specs for the Sanglas 400f were:-
423cc, 24bhp at 5800rpm, 4 speed, electric starter, 12 volt electrics, spoked wheels with alloy rims incorporating built in disc in front hub (patented), max speed 80mph
So there you go - I'm sitting firmly on the fence on this one!!
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Spooky, stick with the HD Aermacchi every time, proven bit of kit, reliable if not 'tuned' too far, still raced, so spares are available and a slim lightweight design to boot! ;D
Why part with the 'macchi for a sleeved down, underpowered, poor spare parts availability, overweight, under braked, Sanglas that handles like a barge in a Force10?
You'd probably be better off going and buying an AJS/Matchy 350 unit motor, at least they can be made to run reliably, have a bit of 'pep' and spares are relatively cheap and plentiful. They also look similar to the Sanglas in their original bodywork, if that is what is catching your eye.
If you decide to flog the 'macchi, erm, a PM, please. ;)
Regards, Bill
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Obviously it's your choice and I can see the attraction of the Sanglas but I'd keep the HD. When they were first around in this country myself and a couple of friends had a good look at one and ever after joked that Sanglas was Spanish for rotten castings. Still it is a thumper and we all have our little foibles so just enjoy whichever one you choose.
Ian
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well i waited until 12.30 for someone to come and collect a piano, now i can`t be arse* to go to newcastle to see the sanglas ! if its there when i get back from lapland i might go for a look then, so meanwhile its the HD for me.... thanks for all the comments / suggestions though
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That's fate mate. You are meant to keep the HD ;)
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An hydraulic drum brake on the front....how unusual.
Dave.
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An hydraulic drum brake on the front....how unusual.
Dave.
it`s a covered in disc..
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Which Honda copied.
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VT 500 ?
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+ CBX550 - a proper hassle to work on as I remember.
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+ CBX550 - a proper hassle to work on as I remember.
and the vt500, possibly others
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.......it`s a covered in disc....
Well I never....why make something simple when make it complicated....must have had a German brake designer on the team.
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IIRC the idea was so that the disc worked in the wet. Those with long riding experience will remember the experience - you pull the lever gently - nothing happens - pull it a bit harder - still nothing - then as your knuckles whiten the water eventually gets wiped off and the front wheel locks.......
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I had a CBX550 about three years ago, nice enough bike but pretty gutless and the enclosed, vented front discs were a nightmare. It used to wobble when slowing down from about 30mph if you took one hand of the bars? Apparently they did this but don`t know why? Don`t know why they even enclosed the discs?? Would I have another? ..... probably not. :-\
PS. Sanglas is nice but I think fate has dealt you the right hand Rufus, HD for me ;)
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Still haven`t been to see the local Sanglas, however i have found one in spain that is half the price and i can get it shipped home for £450, something to think about and this one has a drum front brake, so... do i want to sell my ss350 ? :-\
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NO!
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Ha, that`s told me ! i will think about it, it`s cos it`s winter and the ss350 is hidden away..
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I'm with Bill. Don't do it Rufus! But then, I don't even listen to my own advice ;)
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I still haven`t been to see the sanglas in Newcastle, but a friend has and he says it is a bit of a dog, ripped seat, bigpool of oil, generally well overpriced, however i am still dithering over the spanish one... but i would have to sell my HD, not much chance of that this time of year methinks, :-\
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how do you know that the one in spain isnt an equally rabid dog but just further away, and with the disadvantage that by the time you actually get to see it, then its too late cos youve paid and the seller has pretty much had plenty of time to sell it.
as for inboard disks, they were a solution to a problem that neednt have existed but for vanity.
bike disks live out in the open air and so corrode, but manufacturers dont want people to see their product with rusty bits exposed to view. so, in the 1970s when disks were becoming the norm for all bikes, they experimented with stainless steel and chrome plated disks. they looked great, they didnt rust, problem solved but for one tiny issue, they didnt work (chrome) and they didnt work in the rain (chrome and stainless) many bikes had chromed disks, iirc triumph and honda used them, most owners hated them till the chrome wore off by which time they were passable. bmw used stainless which were poor in the dry and awful to the extent of being dangerous in the wet. solution was to drill vent holes in the disks, thus allowing the pads to scrub the water away and grip the disk cos of the edges of the holes. they were still bad, but they werent quite as bad. (although the stainless disks would then crack between the holes due to stainless steel becoming more brittle when it got hot and the expansion due to brake heat meant that most drilled beemer disks either have cracks or will have cracks soon.
meanwhile over in italy they didnt really care about a light dusting of oxide, so they fitted cast iron disks to their bikes and they would stand on their nose wet or dry. soon enough metalurgy caught up and steel disks were formulated that wouldnt rust as readily as iron but werent entirely stainless. meanwhile the onboard ventilated disk was invented, oddly it used an iron disk which would have been fine out in the rain, but stuck inside the wheel the heat build up meant that many would crack in use and need replacing.
some wags in the bike press contended that the onboard ventilated disk was hondas way of recouping all the man hours its dealers lost fixing camchains in their v4's by adding another hour or 2 to every service due to the time it took to strip the brakes to check them.
personally, having a bsa in the shed, im well aware of the true meaning of crap brakes!