Motorbikes....what am I missing. (1 Viewer)

[Badknee]

I started on a 125 as many did, then came 250, 600,750,800,1300's.
Mrs Badknee did the same 125,250,400 as did youngest son so we have all had bikes and really enjoyed them. What we didn't and still don't is bike accidents (hence Badknee) and losing friends.
Mrs Badknee stopped riding her bike and came back as pillion when a lady friend of ours was killed and it seems it was her own fault. Then when our youngest got a bike she didn't want to come out at all because she didn't want to see him get hurt if he came off (which he did) and so it went on, lost too many friends really to SMIDSY.
So as too 'wind in your hair fun' wrong! Leathers, boots, ear plugs/ear phones for intercom, balaclava, very snug skid lid, gloves. What wind?
So a change was done, off went 1300PanEuropean in came Eunos Roadster, ah the wind in the hair was back! Sat side by side, shorts and T shirt, stereo on, top down. For half the cost of the Pan

 

[MR. FUSION]

The thing that happened in the 60's was Honda and the 'black bomber' was introduced and suddenly British bikes looked like underpowered smelly oil leaking antiques.....which largley they were!
http://www.classic-british-motorcycles.com/honda-motorcycles.html

In my youff I restored a BSA A7 (plunger) from an empty engine case and frame and a Sunbeam S7 from a basket case....great fun, but the A7 felt like it had hinge in the middle of the frame

As a manufacturer When you have to provide quite a large spare engine oil tank on your bike to replace the stuff seeping out of the crank case and going through the valves surely you should know there is a serious engineering issue

 

[Big bus man]

Love motorbikes, a stunning piece of engineering. Though not a biker myself I had a moped when I was young but the car held more of a fascination for me so I do understand the thrill but I believe there is a big difference between young and older riders, the young as well as enjoying the speed they like to show off, to keep up with their mates, an older rider however understands the road, will only speed when common sense rules, will be relaxed and alert, yes they still get frustrated with car drivers that won't let them play but that is because our roads are too busy these days so an experienced biker will head off to find the quiet fast back roads then usually only come unstuck because of a thoughtless motorist wandering off path. Bike on a motorhome though, that's the owners choice but weight and loading effort wise a dinky car surely would be better, or nowadays go electric bike, or better still....USE THE BUS!!

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[Judge Mental]

I like bikes, it's trikes I don't get, all the disadvantages of a motorbike and non of the advantages of a car ?

yeah but they BAD

 

[gus-lopez]

So do horse riders, mountaineers, car drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, etc etc, get the idea?...........

Far more cost to the NHS than smokers I'd have thought ?

That all sounds perfectly logical MinxyGirl I cant disagree with the commuting part but cars are just as enjoyable on a sunny day and you dont need all that kit on to drive one.

But the difference is the car will be stuck in the obligatory traffic jam whilst the bike disappears.

Sit in your car with a cigarette (while it is still allowed) and the smoke travels straight upwards, even when going at sixty miles an hour. No sense of speed. On a motor bike at 60 mph the wind in your face shows you how fast you are travelling.
.
.

Trouble keeping the fag alight on a bike is the problem. Although our water meter reader manages to chain smoke on his scooter.

I've seen people riding in flip flops - no protection whatsoever if they have to suddenly put a foot down even at very low speeds ... mangled toes/feet, then if they come off, wearing shorts and t-shirt ... mangled knees, elbows, hands etc. Even in summer I never ever used my bikes/scooters without a helmet, sensible shoes, clothing and gloves ... I value my 'body' much more than the inconvenience of having to dress sensibly to ride it.

!

Flip-flops , aah yes. What is an offence if found to be wearing here when driving a car&van.But isn't when on a motorbike/scooter ?? very peculiar.
Shorts, short sleeved shirt wearers here are Called Guardia Civil Trafico officers.
Supplied uniform for them in spring/summer . Short sleeved shirt with armless reflective jacket over & regulation shorts. Still with boots though.

 

[Jaws]

Ahhh.. the Black Bomber !! First bike I ever did a ( indicated ) ton on !!
On the A127 it was..

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[buttons]

I had to grin at your description in the OP Buttons

It seems to be almost a copy and paste from a publication of the 1950's

Everything you say WAS true..
But that was back in the day when bikes were, in the main, an alternative and very cheap form of transport

Yes, from day one there were always the passionate about bikes, but something changed in the early 60's
I have no idea what or why, but bikes moved on from being just a way to get to work to something more akin to a lifestyle thing

On a personal level, I found I had a deep interest in 'things mechanical'. I could work on an old bike in the shed.. I could never do that with a car.. In fact thinking further, a motorcycle was the natural progression from pushbikes

Once someone has becoming mechanically connected ( for want of a better term ) to anything, a bond forms.
Unlike car ownership, bike ownership is involving.. years ago a huge percentage of folk worked on their cars and modified them.
Custom cars were BIG business
That trend died out and it is rare to see a car that is not pretty much stock.

Bikes on the other hand seem to evolve with ownership.. You buy a bike and then start turning it in to the bike you really wanted but is not made ..
You are, in other words, involved with the machine.. It is not merely rented off Mr Honda etc ( so to speak ) but becomes YOUR bike

They were indeed dirty and smelly way back.. But ( apart from off road stuff ) are definitely no longer like that
They were uncomfortable .. Not any more.. Haven't been for maybe 30+ years .. I would much rather do a 1000 mile run on a bike than in a car
The riding gear was awful.. smelt terrible, leaked like a sieve and really offered so little protection as to be valueless.. Modern riding gear is amazing !

Riding a bike is summed up in a few words... In fact one really... Freedom

Might sound corny but it is actually a feeling you get.. that you are free from constraint and the cares of the world.. Most especially as you sail past all the tin cans stuck in a traffic jam !

And yes, ParkNride is spot on.. It really does seem to be in the blood.. something that people are born with.

My grandfathers had bikes, my father had bikes, I had bikes, my son and both daughters ride, and my sons sons ride

With that in mind, I suspect those who do not ride have a slightly different mental make up to those that do, and as such will probably always struggle to understand what anyone could possibly see in riding..
Just the same for the average biker. We, in general, cannot grasp how anyone can NOT see why someone would not want to ride

I have just thought of a comparison
Ask a pilot why he flies ... Anyone who has owned a small lower end of market plane will know flying one is cold, uncomfortable and bloody expensive
Yet they love doing it.. Love the tinkering... in fact love the FREEDOM !!

That all makes perfect sense Jaws but I'm afraid it didn't get my juices flowing. Not in the least so I guess you must be right I don't like Marmite either.
I spent my youth tinkering with cars and enjoyed it but alas I have now grown out of all that. As far as the popularity of specialist cars, it is as big as it ever was. Park up at Toddington services on a Sunday morning you will see hundreds on their way to one meet or another. VW have a huge fan base with meets throughout the summer months. Essex is loaded with car specials, fantastic machines treated with the love and respect of their owners.
I wouldn't give a bike a second look but I still enjoy looking around a good car show. I don't like oysters either.

 

[Jaws]

Oh I fully understand Buttons..
As you say they a real marmite thing.
But have to disagree re cars mate.
Back in the 70's you could not walk down a street or drive anywhere without seeing one or two modified cars
Nowadays about the only place you do see them is at dedicated shows
Just try and buy aftermarket goodies such as spats, wheel spacers, pods to mount extra gauges in etc etc and you have to search around to find it all.. Back in the day every small car shop had it all right there on the shelf !

 

[GWG]

What is the attraction of a motorbike........

This must be a wind up !! Surely.

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[Zains Pops]

Oh I fully understand Buttons..
As you say they a real marmite thing.
But have to disagree re cars mate.
Back in the 70's you could not walk down a street or drive anywhere without seeing one or two modified cars
Nowadays about the only place you do see them is at dedicated shows
Just try and buy aftermarket goodies such as spats, wheel spacers, pods to mount extra gauges in etc etc and you have to search around to find it all.. Back in the day every small car shop had it all right there on the shelf !

But then cars were simple things that you could sort with a simple set of hand tools a jack and some stands. Today even the boy racer Corsa's are loaded with electronics and generally discourage tinkering.
I also think there has been a shift in attitudes of the young, when I was in my teens we all fixed and fettled our own motors. When my son was that age he was considered a Mr fixit as he could change a flat tyre (his dad had taught him) most of his mates were mechanically useless. Mind you didn't do him any good as now he is a lawyer.

 

[Minxy]

Oh I fully understand Buttons..
As you say they a real marmite thing.
But have to disagree re cars mate.
Back in the 70's you could not walk down a street or drive anywhere without seeing one or two modified cars
Nowadays about the only place you do see them is at dedicated shows
Just try and buy aftermarket goodies such as spats, wheel spacers, pods to mount extra gauges in etc etc and you have to search around to find it all.. Back in the day every small car shop had it all right there on the shelf !

Part of the reason is probably due to insurance, it's bad enough getting cheap insurance for a car for a youngster ... try getting it for a modified one and I think the premiums could be even more eyewatering!

 

[awg]

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[TheTwoOfUs]

If you need to ask, you'll never understand.

 

[johnp10]

Let's ban motorbikes as well as everything else that folk enjoy, eh, Buttons?

 

[Big bus man]

I remember once on site watching two motorhomes turn up towing walk-in trailers, they parked up next to us, turns out it was father and son each with a Honda Goldwing, they would travel to shows then stay a few days so they could go off and tour the local area with their respective wives. Not a bad way of living but you should have seen them trying to get the bikes back in the trailers without dropping them, unfortunately the son nearly failed!
Who knows they might be reading this

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[Don Quixote]

In 1969 I was given yes given a Triumph Bonneville by the nice man next door ( in later years discovered he was dying ) and at the age of 12 I had no idea what a gem I was given.
It sat in the garage until I was 15 and then one day when my father was at work I thought why not take it out for a ride. Now being from Belfast I had already driven cars ( long story ) and the odd lorry!!! and as my mates had the then Yamaha 50cc FS1-E Fizzy moped which had pedels .... and I had a Bonneville. No licence no worries I thought the Police had better things to do chasing the IRA etc, so got on the bike started it and in first gear off I went up our street at mac 10 ( well that what it felt like )
Now it hard to put into words the feeling, but heart pumping like mad, legs shaking, grinning from ear to ear and more adrenaline than my body could cope with I went up and down the street 10 times.
Bike back in garage I thought no problem my father will never know........ He came home and his friend across the road came over and told him the events of the day and I got the beating of my life and the bike was sold.
To this day when I ride a motorcycle I still get the that little tingle I got way back then. Love them or hate them there is nothing like them.

 

[laird of Dunstan]

I ride a Honda f6c ,its a 1600 flat six cruiser ,its very big and heavy ,I enjoy riding it very much but the weight is becoming a problem , on the open road on a sunny day with my flip up helmet open ,its been a great. Way for me to let go of stress, ambling through the country side twisting lanes and all

I've ridden other bikes in all weathers doing 1000 miles a week ,I had heated gloves,heated vest ,full leathers on ,waterproof gear ,how I survived the m25 almost every week day is down to skill full riding and treating every other road user as an idiot and a fair bit of luck

These days I'm considering swapping the bike for a small sports car

 

[alfandM]

Motorbikes apart from being easy to carry on your motorhome I have never seen the attraction, they are uncomfortable wet cold windy noisy, you cant ride them without a helmet they smell, list of negatives goes on. What is the attraction?
I enjoy fast cars and speed but I'm afraid that motorbikes dont do it for me at all.
What is the attraction of a motorbike........

In a word Freedom ,you should try it regards Alf.

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[alfandM]

In 1969 I was given yes given a Triumph Bonneville by the nice man next door ( in later years discovered he was dying ) and at the age of 12 I had no idea what a gem I was given.
It sat in the garage until I was 15 and then one day when my father was at work I thought why not take it out for a ride. Now being from Belfast I had already driven cars ( long story ) and the odd lorry!!! and as my mates had the then Yamaha 50cc FS1-E Fizzy moped which had pedels .... and I had a Bonneville. No licence no worries I thought the Police had better things to do chasing the IRA etc, so got on the bike started it and in first gear off I went up our street at mac 10 ( well that what it felt like )
Now it hard to put into words the feeling, but heart pumping like mad, legs shaking, grinning from ear to ear and more adrenaline than my body could cope with I went up and down the street 10 times.
Bike back in garage I thought no problem my father will never know........ He came home and his friend across the road came over and told him the events of the day and I got the beating of my life and the bike was sold.
To this day when I ride a motorcycle I still get the that little tingle I got way back then. Love them or hate them there is nothing like them.
View attachment 82755

Lovely what a cracker of a good classicRegards Alf.

 

[Jaws]

This must be a wind up !! Surely.
View attachment 82748

Now this is interesting..
Apart from the bike being kinda pretty to look at it does nothing for me at all
I think the years of having no choice but brit crap has more than tainted their appeal for me
Unreliable ( in general ), slow, dirty ( often ! ) and uncomfortable ..
In fact they fulfill all the issues Buttons started the thread off with !!

 

[Zains Pops]

And what have you done with all that money you earned,? hope you didn't waste it on wine and women...BUSBY.

The money was used towards a car. I bought it with the addition of some money from Dad. A 105E Anglia which I fixed and fettled through my student years. My driving was best described as 'spirited' and I am sure that if I had gone down the bike route and ridden in the same manner I would have fallen off on numerous occasions, my mates who had bikes all did and mostly got away with it.

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[buttons]

Oh I fully understand Buttons..
As you say they a real marmite thing.
But have to disagree re cars mate.
Back in the 70's you could not walk down a street or drive anywhere without seeing one or two modified cars
Nowadays about the only place you do see them is at dedicated shows
Just try and buy aftermarket goodies such as spats, wheel spacers, pods to mount extra gauges in etc etc and you have to search around to find it all.. Back in the day every small car shop had it all right there on the shelf !

The hot ford anglia when everyone's dream was a lotus cortina, music to ones ears. I think the reason you dont see them on on the road so much now is twofold, the old bill give them a hard time and the potential for vandalism.
Young people spend a fortune and hours of their time creating these works of art and they dont want them damaged. I was in Southend for a drive-by recently, those Essex boys know how to turn heads.
Not saying a well groomed motorbike doesn't demand the same admiration cause it does but being addicted to riding them is a different matter altogether.

 

[buttons]

Let's ban motorbikes as well as everything else that folk enjoy, eh, Buttons?

If you say so John.... This thread is nothing to do with banning motorbikes it is it is an attempt to understand why the silver surfers are now turning to riding them.

 

[alfandM]

Here, mine it belonged to my brother and left to me on his passing,so i rode it back to Scandinavia in add to pilgrims hospice. Regards Alf

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[Don Quixote]

If you say so John.... This thread is nothing to do with banning motorbikes it is it is an attempt to understand why the silver surfers are now turning to riding them.

The reason the "Silver Surfers" are turning to riding a motorcycle is it can work like these:

 

[Ivory55]

Let me think. Riding on a freezing day and can not feel your fingers, stop for fuel have to take your lid off or they will not switch the pump on and your fingers are so cold they will not undo it. Then riding home from work on a wet night and all the rain in the world has found its way through a really small hole in your crutch and your riding home with soaking wet pants. When you break down and have to push it saying I must get fit as the sweat pours off of you. It's great what's not to like about bikes. Haha

 

[Jaws]

Again I feel compelled to agree Buttons
In the very early 70's I was right in to Swedish chops.. For those not in to that sort of thing, great big long forks and really an art form.. In the UK it was I think inspired by the film Easy Rider

By 1974 I had moved on to cars..
Whilst myself and a few other local lads were well in to the severely modified stuff ( massive engines, roof chops, whole front / rear end remodeling etc ) there were far more doing purely bolt on cosmetic stuff..

It is that second type that seems to have just died away completely
I was privy to a conversation that went on for at least 20 minutes between 5 lads who were discussing upgrades to their motors..
About the WILDEST thing that came out of the meet was that one of them was 'thinking' about changing his aerial for a bee sting and another had ordered some special mats

When I put forward a few suggestions they were amazed at what could be done.. even more amazed to find out they could do the stuff them selves and without spending an arm and a leg..

Two of the lads have already started.. And one ( Mr Sensible ) got a full list off his insurance company of all the things they consider modifications that need to be declared ( quite a list but as he discovered it left plenty of scope to allow him to make his car stand out from others without incurring the wrath of said insurers )

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[buttons]

The reason the "Silver Surfers" are turning to riding a motorcycle is it can work like these:
View attachment 82757

I had better confess that I have no idea what that blue vag thing is but if you are suggesting that bikes have sex appeal, they do until the rider takes his helmet off

 

[Enword]

Same answer to "Why do you race?" If you have had to ask the question you will never understand the answer.

 

[Jaws]

Let me think. Riding on a freezing day and can not feel your fingers, stop for fuel have to take your lid off or they will not switch the pump on and your fingers are so cold they will not undo it. Then riding home from work on a wet night and all the rain in the world has found its way through a really small hole in your crutch and your riding home with soaking wet pants. When you break down and have to push it saying I must get fit as the sweat pours off of you. It's great what's not to like about bikes. Haha

LOL !!! Get some decent kit and a decent bike is the answer ( though I cannot deny 30+ years ago that would have been a spot on discription of me !! )

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