Hairy Bikers and Other Petrol Heads

[Dave Holt]

500 cc Trifield I built in the 1970's. The only bikes with disc brakes were Rickman Metisses, so I designed and had made my own version, using Lockheed Racing calipers and master cylinder. I made the pattern for the cast iron discs. I went to night school to make the oil tank. The petrol tank was hand made by some bloke in the back streets of Walsall. Sadly, in these shots, it had been damaged in a road accident. The rear hub and brake were from a Suzuki 250, if I recall. The bike had a full race fairing - at one time it had a genuine JPS Norton fairing in blue and white, with Phil Reads name on it. At the time, I worked in the prototype design department at Norton Villiers and knew Peter Williams and had access to the prototype machine shop and people who could do brazing and welding, which helped a lot.


I suppose railway modelling is somewhat safer!
Dave.

 

[Boyblunder]

While searching for something else (didn't find it) I discovered this Ariel Arrow not seen for 36 years. My Brother-in-Law gave it to me for Christmas in 1984 when my wife banned me from riding the real Ariel because I was now a dad and biking was deemed too dangerous. The kit has been started, but why didn't I finish it? You see Jonathan I am consistent.

 

[simond]

I wonder at the box art. With chrome & whitewall tyres, I’m not sure a muddy field would be its expected natural habitat...

interesting that Airfix saw fit to use multiple moulding colours, and plating. Times have changed!

Atb
Simon

 

[oldravendale]

I had one of those kits. I don't remember ever getting round to building it.

Four house moves later it's very unlikely it will turn up.

B

 

[Steph Dale]

I occasionally see an Arrow around here in North Bristol/South Gloucestershire. It's in 'conserved' condition, so far from concourse, but mechanically seems very well, so it's distinctive!

Steph

 

[Boyblunder]

Simon, Airfix didn't provide coloured or chromed parts in that kit, 36 years ago I painted them with good old Humbrol. Through the mists of time I have a feeling construction stopped because I couldn't find any gold Humbrol for the tank. Brian, I found that kit in the bottom of a box of old shuttlecocks and table tennis balls while looking for a piece of plastic tube to make a smoke generator body, so don't give up; serendipity may come to your aid one day. I have found a few more old motorbike photos, I won't bore you with new Suzuki Bloop outside the gates of Bacton gas terminal in the early '70s. These 2 late '70s pictures of my 325 Bultaco outfit were taken a year or 2 apart and show the progress made: 1. Outfit clean and polished presumably near the start of a trial, passenger looking happy to give it our best shot. 2. Outfit now decidedly 2nd hand, new passenger on board as the first one had retired hurt, heavy solid steel hand guard round the throttle end of the lightweight Renthal handlebars after clouting too many trees. Happy days.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Great stuff Robin.

 

[oldravendale]

That second photo in particular is a cracker!

I'd forgotten that we had selfies even then.

Brian

 

[Dave Holt]

Thinking back to the Ariel Arrow, I had the cooking version - the Leader, complete with body panels and a bit less sporty than the Arrow. It had a two piece crankshaft joined in the middle by a taper with Woodruff key and a substantial socket head cap screw. I managed to shear the bolt off trying to undo it and went to the local dealer (George Lathe, Wolverhampton), which was of the old school. Men in brown cow-gowns and the smaller parts kept on old Oxo tins. Not a parts manual or the, then, new-fangled microfiche slides in sight. They knew all the parts from memory.
Producing my broken item I asked for "one of these, for an Ariel Leader crankshaft, please." "Sorry son" came the reply "we don't have any of those." The look of disappointment on my face must have been obvious. "If you hang on a minute, I can break one for you" he continued. Don't you just love a smart ar...alec?
Dave.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Sacrilege ..............British EV converter equips Royal Enfield with electric powerplant

Col.

 

[simond]

I'd quite like an e-Bike, having had the pleasure of a brief ride on the KTM freeride trials bike during a visit to their factory.

It's brilliant fun, hugely responsive, with amazing torque and seamless acceleration.

This isn't me

And for my few-minute commute to work, a street version would be cheap to run, pollution-free*, and wouldn't wake the neighbours.

*at least, at the point of use

Trouble is, for the price of even a mediocre electric bike, I could have a new (or very nearly new) GS1250 or almost any crotch-rocket I choose, and, I'd be able to pull into a petrol station, and fill it up after 150 miles, not 80, and it would only take 5 minutes, not 5 hours to be ready to go again. And whilst the days when I do more than 150 miles are pretty few and far between, the thought of them not being possible at all is sufficient to put me off - and, I suspect, that's true for the majority of the bike-purchasing public too.

ho hum
Simon

 

[oldravendale]

And whilst the days when I do more than 150 miles are pretty few and far between, the thought of them not being possible at all is sufficient to put me off - and, I suspect, that's true for the majority of the bike-purchasing public too.

ho hum
Simon

That's pretty much true for most of the car owning public as well. In fact my own car rarely gets used for journeys of less than 150 miles or so and an electric car is therefore pretty much a no-no. Might work for Mrs D though. Hybrid doesn't work for me either - if you want an efficient car go for an economic petrol engine that doesn't have to haul many kilos of batteries around with it.

Your almost hidden comment "at least at the point of use" is well made!!

B

 

[Eastsidepilot]

Another problem I see with electric bikes is no sound, it's bad enough that some drivers seem to be blind to bikes, lost count to the number of score marks I've put down the side of cars with my motocross boots in the past , so if they can't hear them either !

Col.

 

[JimG]

it's bad enough that some drivers seem to be blind to bikes, lost count to the number of score marks I've put down the side of cars with my motocross boots in the past , so if they can't hear them either !

I was based in London for a while and my bike at the time was an ex-Met LE Velocette complete with 1/8" steel panniers which had carried their radio gear. I was filtering down the middle of a road with full headlight on and not going too fast when someome decided to turn right probably looking for another way home. The nearside pannier scored all the way across both offside doors with very deep gouges. I offered to exchange names and addresses and insurance details, but he wasn't interested. I think there was one paint chip on the pannier.

Jim.

 

[simond]

Another problem I see with electric bikes is no sound, it's bad enough that some drivers seem to be blind to bikes, lost count to the number of score marks I've put down the side of cars with my motocross boots in the past , so if they can't hear them either !

Col.

Yeah, but you could have the Star Wars “Speeder” sound, or a Merlin, or something from Whacky Races...

Or, from my days in India, where horns and reversing alarms are de rigeur, a small Tata, whose reversing alarm was “Set the controls for the heart of the sun”, which was imaginative, if ambitious...

 

[Neil]

Yeah, but you could have the Star Wars “Speeder” sound, or a Merlin, or something from Whacky Races......

maybe this ....

 

[simond]

yes, or pull away from the lights with this @ 5:15 or 14:10

 

[Eastsidepilot]

I was based in London for a while and my bike at the time was an ex-Met LE Velocette complete with 1/8" steel panniers which had carried their radio gear. ...........

Jim.

Ah yes 'Noddy Bikes ' we called 'em, but who did't want a Velo' Venom or Thruxton, .
One of my old mates, Rupert' ,not his real name, because he always wore a tartan scarf, seen here with your's truly, still got my cut down, in a posed shot for one of the 'Birds' who was keen on photographing everything !, just before we all went for a 'Burn up' darn Sarfend sea front.

At this stage I'd swopped the flat track bars for clip-ons on my Triton


The other two bike seen in this shot are a Dresda Triton and if I remember a BSA B31
Col.

 

[JimG]

IN the 1960s second hand motor bikes were almost ten a penny on Clydeside since people were buying cars. So I was part of a gang who bought second hand bikes , got them working and then using them. I had a jampot AJS, a sprung hub Thunderbird, a B31 and a Speed twin. The AJ and the Speed twin were the most used. Then my job changed and the bikes had to go. But later I moved into management and got a 250 Honda then the LE. The LE was so well balanced that I could drive from Dumbarton to Glasgow no hands most of the way, and could roll fags while travelling. But in the late 70s I got the offer to buy a BM R100S and that was my bike for the next twelve years - everywhere at 90. My motor cycling stopped when a young lady in an Alfa Romeo took me out on the M32 going into Bristol and I finished up in hospital with a lot of broken bones. My wife reckoned that I had exhausted my nine lives and put her foot down.

Jim.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

............ But in the late 70s I got the offer to buy a BM R100S and that was my bike for the next twelve years - everywhere at 90. ............

Jim.

In '86 I had an R90s, as you say "everywhere at 90"
....after that I had an ex Met Police 100RT , sadly no photo's, which still had the livery minus lettering, but it still cut a path through the traffic



Col.