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richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
I don't drive a car so since I was old enough to ride, I have never not ridden through the winter. The weird thing is I definitely don't get as cold these days as when I was a nipper. I'm still wearing pretty much the same riding gear as when I was sixteen - Leather jacket and denim jeans, unless I'm going very fast when I replace the denim with leather and waxed cotton over the top when it rains. I never wear a full face helmet... I sing as I ride and a full face lid would deafen me!
I'm actually using a Bucco replica at the moment. It's a nice comfortable hat, but it has magic amplification qualities that mean the engine and all it's rattles literally sound louder than with no hat at all! It's merciless on a long run!
Richie
 
Messages
10,181
Location
Pasadena, CA
Here's what happens when a Norton loses it's clutch in LA. Nowhere near as fun as your pics...

image001-2.png
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I don't drive a car so since I was old enough to ride, I have never not ridden through the winter. The weird thing is I definitely don't get as cold these days as when I was a nipper. I'm still wearing pretty much the same riding gear as when I was sixteen - Leather jacket and denim jeans, unless I'm going very fast when I replace the denim with leather and waxed cotton over the top when it rains. I never wear a full face helmet... I sing as I ride and a full face lid would deafen me!
I'm actually using a Bucco replica at the moment. It's a nice comfortable hat, but it has magic amplification qualities that mean the engine and all it's rattles literally sound louder than with no hat at all! It's merciless on a long run!
Richie

I've used all types of helmets. Half shells are brutal on the inner ear over time. I have the tinnitus to prove it. I highly recommend ear plugs for any type of highway riding, whether in a full face, 3/4 or half shell.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
Once I got an electric vest for winter riding, life got 100% better.

I used an electric vest until I was out riding in upstate NY on a Saturday night in February when the cord shorted out. Can you 'hypothermia?' I knew you could. After that I made sure I had the proper clothing to keep me comfortable sans electrics.
 

richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
Wot no spanners???? I had to use one of those tools that you hold to your ear to get my Harley home once. I'd spun the drive pulley off the splined shaft. The old Norton single is so basic, I can carry pretty much everything I need to get me home in the sidecar.
Nice Interstate!
Richie
 

richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
Yea a Commando is a bit of a handful to ride home without one. I've done it and that was on an 850 Interstate; but it got very fraught at road junctions!
The most spectacular journey I made with a broken clutch cable was on my Royal Enfield Interceptor. Not only had the clutch cable broken, but the kick start pedal had fallen off too.... And my girlfriend at the time was riding pillion.... I had to bump start it, but because I couldn't stop once the motor was running, every time I came to a junction and had to stop, we had to do synchronized running and jumping on to get moving again!
Richie
 
Messages
10,181
Location
Pasadena, CA
He woulda rode it home, but the guy just spent $1700 on a new tranny, and didn't want to jeopardize the warranty. I've done it in the dirt - that's a little more forgiving.
 

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
Yea a Commando is a bit of a handful to ride home without one. I've done it and that was on an 850 Interstate; but it got very fraught at road junctions!
The most spectacular journey I made with a broken clutch cable was on my Royal Enfield Interceptor. Not only had the clutch cable broken, but the kick start pedal had fallen off too.... And my girlfriend at the time was riding pillion.... I had to bump start it, but because I couldn't stop once the motor was running, every time I came to a junction and had to stop, we had to do synchronized running and jumping on to get moving again!
Richie

Yes, that's fun, riding sans clutch. My FJ's clutch master cylinder went south about 20 miles from home. I banged it into 2nd and hoped for the best in PM rush hour traffic on the Belt and Southern State Pkwys (downstate NYers will know what that's all about).
 

Stearmen

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,202
Here's what happens when a Norton loses it's clutch in LA. Nowhere near as fun as your pics...

image001-2.png
Your suppose to keep a spare cable coiled up in the headlight. Even I had to buy a heated liner, does make the New Year ride a lot nicer. When It gets into the 90s, is when I start taking the truck, turn the AC to Antarctica!
 

richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
It's easy with a sidecar - I carry a full set of spare cables, along with tyre tubes, spark plugs, ignition points, HT cable, fuel line, spare chain links, etc etc... My dad used to have spare cables already in place and just taped to the working cables on his Vincent twin. It looks untidy, but saves a lot of grief on dark nights when breakdowns usually happen.
I learn't my lesson regarding carrying spare cables when the Norton's throttle cable broke a couple of hundred miles from home. While I was sitting by the roadside trying to work out the safest way to ride home, a bloke pulled up and said "I've got an old sidevalve BSA at home; I'll go and get you my spare cable" True to his word, twenty minutes later he turned up with an old but serviceable cable that fitted perfectly. One of the beauties of these old British singles regarding electrics, cabling, fuel lines etc, regardless of the make, they are virtually interchangeable!
Oh... And of course you meet the nicest people on an old British bike!
Richie
 

richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
Decided to build myself a 1930s Brooklands race bike lookalike from scratch a few years ago. This picture is of Bill Lacy a very famous Brooklands racer with the kind of bike I intend to build.
Although there may be a passing resemblance, these bikes were very different to the board racers being used in the US at the time.
I decided to use a J.A.P engine, which were built in London for around seventy years. However, I had absolutely no idea how difficult these engines would be for spares! Four years down the road and I'm still struggling to find the bits to get at least one of these engines running! I have the makings of at least four engines now.

Billlacy2_zpsf2b47746.jpg
[/IMG]
 

richie1958

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Hampshire England
Here are a couple of my little engines. They were both built in 1935, the one on the left is a 350cc and the right one is a 250cc.
The rest of the bike will mostly be 250cc BSA. I have all that stuff including the girder forks; but I'm still struggling with bits like crank shaft components, which are not so straightforward to re manufacture.

IMG_9121_zps1116a637.jpg
[/IMG]
 

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