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Show us your bike!

The one and only motorcycle I ever owned was a much battered third hand BSA Bantam 125cc two stroke as in this picture:
Our association ended when a motorist (who claimed he hadn't seen us) in effect parked his car in the middle of the intersection, blocking our way. We ran smack into the passenger side door, breaking my wrist in the process.
My next motorised transport (substantially later) was a brand new 1959 1192 cc VW Beetle , which I owned for some 15 years,?
 
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The one and only motorcycle I ever owned was a much battered third hand BSA Bantam 125cc two stroke as in this picture:
Our association ended when a motorist (who claimed he hadn't seen us) in effect parked his car in the middle of the intersection, blocking our way. We ran smack into the passenger side door, breaking my wrist in the process.
My next motorised transport (substantially later) was a brand new 1959 1192 cc VW Beetle , which I owned for some 15 years,?
Glad your wrist healed so you could play.. Too bad you didn't keep the vw, you could buy a Gola or Excelsior.
 
[Re Schwinn Superior] Maybe not 1973 - the story I'm getting is that they discontinued it 1964, and then used the name again 1976-'78. I think both "fillet brazed" frames, assembled without lugs, but the '70s version was of course a more modern bicycle with 3 piece alloy cranks etc. Then in the early '80s there was a Superior eventually with lugged frame and Campy components.

The Schwinn Superior
 
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[Re Schwinn Superior] Maybe not 1973 - the story I'm getting is that they discontinued it 1964, and then used the name again 1976-'78. I think both "fillet brazed" frames, assembled without lugs, but the '70s version was of course a more modern bicycle with 3 piece alloy cranks etc. Then in the early '80s there was a Superior eventually with lugged frame and Campy components.

The Schwinn Superior
Hmmmmm, interesting, shows the strength of my memory, good chance mine is therefore in the 76 - 78 vintage. Thanks!
 
Interesting parallel - a few years back there was an "Other interests" discussion over at the melodeon.net forum which centres around playing British Isles folk music on diatonic boxes. Two non-musical interests that came through strongly were motorcycles, and church bell ringing.
 
Interesting parallel - a few years back there was an "Other interests" discussion over at the melodeon.net forum which centres around playing British Isles folk music on diatonic boxes. Two non-musical interests that came through strongly were motorcycles, and church bell ringing.
yes but those are melodeons

here it is motorcycles and women

(church bell ringing not far behind naturally)
 
Someone else's picture of the toy that is sitting beside my Corvette, a 1982 Honda CX500TC, one of the first turbocharged mass production bikes ever manufactured anywhere in the world, and likely even to today one of the most technologically advanced bikes ever made... twin cylinder, twin computers, water-cooled, shaft-driven turbocharged bikes. A 500CC sport tourer that does 11.5 seconds in the 1/4 mile, 48mpg at a 75mph cruise, and one of my favourite traits, in a full out rain storm, at all speeds over 30mpg, the only parts that will ever get wet are the tips of your boots and the top 1-2 inches of your helmet. :) :
Honda-CX500-Turbo.jpg

I read that there were only 2000 made for North America, around 7000 world-wide, not sure how true that is or was.
 
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I wonder if an old prinnie is officially a "classic" these days.

Best bikes ever made. :cool:
Just like the best cars ever made (SAAB), they were so good, they had to go bust.
 

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I wonder if an old prinnie is officially a "classic" these days.

Best bikes ever made. :cool:
Just like the best cars ever made (SAAB), they were so good, they had to go bust.
Planned obsolescence is the way to go if you want to keep selling stuff ;-)
 
Just discovered this thread. Most of my bike pics were lost during a computer crash, but here's my list, in approximate order of ownership;

1960's Bug mini-bike
1964 Honda 90 (My first real motorcycle)
1970 Sachs w/Earls fork
1967 Honda 305 Scrambler
1960 Harley Hummer (the only 2-stroke Harley Davidson made)
???? Matchless Single
1969 OSSA TT 250
1970 Honda Elsinore 250
1959 Arial Square Four (Purchased in London in 1970, returned with sloppy pistons in exchange for)
1968 BSA 500cc Victor (Used to tour the Isles. I still remember entering my first round-about, driving on the "wrong" side of the road, going counter-clockwise and jamming on the brake to avoid a taxi, only to downshift from 3rd to 2ed gear. Quite exciting)
1976 Bill Bell Baja Basher [Custom C&J frame w/Honda 410cc single cylinder 4-stroke, owned for 20 years)
1976 BMW R90S, Smoke/Silver paint scheme (My only real street bike)
1930's NSU 125cc vintage 2-stroke (my only other street bike)(looks like Geoff's Velo)
1960,s BSA 500cc Factory Motocrosser (sold into Japan)
1994 Fantic (Trials bike)
1996 & 97 Honda 4RT trials bikes
Currently own:
1965 Montgomery Ward Mojave (Actually a Benelli) (one of 50 made, probably only 25 or so survive. Awaiting restoration)
1956 Tote-Gote ( acknowledge by most M/C historians to be the first production dirt bike. Also, I believe this unit to be either a prototype or one of the first production run of 10)
2005 Honda XL 250 (last year for this model)
1965 Honda 250 Scrambler (awaiting restoration)

I don't ride much anymore due to loss of one eye. Depth perception being important for dirt riding.

Bicycle wise; 1946 Monarch "Hex Tube" all aluminum, balloon tire spring fork (NOS, never ridden floor display, still own)
Schwinn Phantom w/Whizzer engine, factory model
Hawthorne "Hidden" spring fork ballooner (this one resulted in two broken wrists, which bother me to this day)
Trek Mountain bike (Reynolds 531 tubing, no suspension)
Plus about 20 other balloon tire bikes that have passed thru my hands over the years.

I'll add pics later if I ever find my back-up hard drive.

Ride on....
Waldo
 
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Just like the best cars ever made (SAAB), they were so good, they had to go bust.

Know what you mean!
It bugs me a bit (I won't admit why ;) ) when people blame the "beancounters" for such things!
Blame the designers for coming up with something too expensive.
Blame production engineering for not working out how to make it cheaper.
Blame marketing for not persuading buyers to pay more.
Blame management for unsupportable overheads.

You don't blame the micrometer when it tells you that rod A is too big to go into hole B!
So don't blame the "beancounters" when they tell you you're giving money away with every item you sell!
 
I think "blaming the beancounters" is usually when a product is ruined by replacing a part with something cheaper that's not suitable.
Though that's actually a management decision (or should be).

It's up to the beancounters to accurately count the beans, I'm sure they are mostly quite good at that.
It's up to the management to make sure the company makes money.
 
Vintage bicycles is currently my other hobby

1961 Holdsworth Cyclone
as bought March this year

IMG_0004.1.jpg

and September after full restoration, including brush painting in red metal flake (it was originally Flamboyant Red).
Richmond Park:

IMG_0002.2.jpg

I've done 250 miles on it so far and it's damn fine.
Just wish it would stop raining :(
 
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