Idle thought

[robG]

I'd like to have another Tiger Cub just to see. However the accountants have got their teeth into them now and they've become investments.
I also like the idea of a G3 or G80 Matchless.

Rob.

[Steffan]

It's pretty easy to replicate the Brit bike experience, cross your legs and drain half the fluid out of your brake's master cylinder.

GC

Only half?

[steveD]

My first thumper was a pretty little Tiger cub reg 850 CAT (the 850 Ducati had just come out!)
Then a C15 Star reg 444 CAC Plain bearing timing side was a 'mare!
Then a 3TA reg 255 KH Beautiful silky smooth and went like a scalded cat
Then a Featherbedded ES2 (proper model) amazingly torqey, stay in top all day long!
Then a B31 ran great just toooooo slow in modern traffic.

Out of all of them I would have the 3TA back again, real performer, just put on a front disc and it would be OK on todays roads no problem.

[guest868]

Cheat  

I've always heard good things about the MatchlessG80/AJS model18. A good solid workhorse apparently.

After reading 'The Last Hurrah!' I have to say that I hanker after a big Panther.

GC

I went looking for one of the Matchless/AJS's a couple of years ago, but couldn't turn anything up within budget. I want to chop one. I'd love a Panther, my mate Dave has built a very nice Panther trike. Never owned a brit thumper, but I do own a 94 Speed Triple which also possesses some maladies from time to time...

[guest905]

Is the Duckhams linklife a big tin or greeny/brown wax that you heat on a stove then dip your chain in it? If so then i still have a tin of the stuff under the bench in the garage..... Only problem is that the chain is link less on the Tenere.
Crusty

[Ian]

Had 4 (Four) Tiger Cubs , 2 Standards, one T20SH Sports Cub(used to spit big ends out regularly) and 1 "Super Cub" (Cub engine in a bantam frame) and had trouble selling them all except the Super Cub which I put in part exchange for a Honda CB175 (5 speed box and twin leading shoe no less!!) I think that the Super Cub would have been ok used daily (I didnt own it long enough to find out, made a profit of £5 on the deal tho) but none of the others...they were far too fragile.

Ian

[guest146]

I didn't think you was old enough to have those bikes Steve

Ken


[



quote author=steveD link=topic=4103.msg27097#msg27097 date=1264152399]
My first thumper was a pretty little Tiger cub reg 850 CAT (the 850 Ducati had just come out!)
Then a C15 Star reg 444 CAC Plain bearing timing side was a 'mare!
Then a 3TA reg 255 KH Beautiful silky smooth and went like a scalded cat
Then a Featherbedded ES2 (proper model) amazingly torqey, stay in top all day long!
Then a B31 ran great just toooooo slow in modern traffic.

Out of all of them I would have the 3TA back again, real performer, just put on a front disc and it would be OK on todays roads no problem.
[/quote]

[squirrelciv]

Never owned a Brit bike and don't think I'd want to either. All the horror stories of oil leaks and dodgey reliability quite put me off. Character will get you so far, but most of the time you want your bike to start when you ask it to and run till your ready to stop. Then STOP!

[Andy M]

The Hinckley Triumph has been the most reliable bike I've ever had. If you want something to leak oil and be a PITA get a BMW IMHO. The Enfield was reliable too so long as you sympathetic to it's limitations. I'd quite fancy 70's Triumph but it'd have to be rebuilt from the ground up using modern parts and a new loom and then equipped Ted Simon style. No old thumpers for me though, with that level of metallurgy 500cc is just too limited.

Andy

[guest7]

My Brit thumper wish list would be:

BSA B33


Featherbed ES2


Arial Red Hunter (single saddle version)


Manx Goldie


Of course if someone could 'liberate' GOV132 then that would be nice to have 



GC

[Richard]

Andy writes.............."If you want something to leak oil and be a PITA get a BMW IMHO."

I beg to differ, though  speaking only of airheads.

At some point every bike I have owned has leaked oil, probably more to do with a hamfisted owner than the bikes though.

RIchard

[mini-thumper]

In 1975 I had a C15 trials bike. When it was working it was good fun, but 90% of the time it didn't want to play. Must have pushed it a hundred times further than I rode it in a effort to bump starting the ......... thing. Swopped the C15 for a 250 Cotton/Villiers trials bike which was much better (two-stroke), but that was stolen only a few weeks after I got it! Both were bashed about but if they are still alive somewhere are now probably too expensive for what they are/were!

Anyone want to borrow my rose tinted specs?

Boyd

[Andy M]

Andy writes.............."If you want something to leak oil and be a PITA get a BMW IMHO."

I beg to differ, though  speaking only of airheads.

At some point every bike I have owned has leaked oil, probably more to do with a hamfisted owner than the bikes though.

RIchard

Talking of bikes of this era I should have thought of the airhead. I came within a few minutes of buying one but stupidly bought the F650.The airhead is of course the bike that was so far above competition it made the reputation that F's and oilheads fail to live up to.

Andy

[guest146]

What is that last bike on the list. Royal Enfield?

Ken

My Brit thumper wish list would be:

BSA B33


Featherbed ES2


Arial Red Hunter (single saddle version)


Manx Goldie


Of course if someone could 'liberate' GOV132 then that would be nice to have 



GC

[002]

Ariel HT5 Trials bike.
Sammy Millers no less !

Jethro