Classic motorbikes

Phil Robson

Phil Robson

Well-Known Member
I've been a bit of a closet classic bike fan for a number of years now (never told my wife, though ;)) & wondered what you guys would suggest as a good starting point?

I'm interested in preferably a British bike from the '60s with an engine that's not overstretched, although I'm not intending to do particularly long distances or 'razzing about' on it (country roads in good weather are what appeals)! Something that can be fixed if it breaks & it has to sound lovely.

I've got virtually no knowledge of these things. I like the look of some of the Triumphs, BSAs & Velocettes :). Four stroke would be better I think, to reduce smoking, but I'm not sure how many cylinders are best, or if the drum brakes are any good, etc, etc.....

Any ideas?
 
Have a word with Allen Millyard. You want something small and discrete to start with, he builds bikes that fit the bill. :)


Or if that's not quite big enough........
 
:D

I've seen that before - unfortunately I've been watching "Shed & Buried" & other middle-aged men's (& women's) programmes :LOL::LOL:
 
What you don't say is, whether or not you have a full unlimited bike license, whether you have motorcycling experience, whether you want a restoration project, whether the aim is to invest in something that will hopefully appreciate, what era of machine, foreign or British, and so on, and so on.

There is lots of considerations before the issue of drum brakes become a problem.

OK so British, missed that.
I had a 1976 T140 Bonneville US spec, it was an OK bike, didn't set the world on fire, but kept up with modern traffic, just about managed to stop with disc brakes, was user friendly. There are lots of choices.
Whatever you buy will consume time and effort to keep nice.IMG_0012.JPG
 
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cobraboy said:
What you don't say is, whether or not you have a full unlimited bike license, whether you have motorcycling experience, whether you want a restoration project, whether the aim is to invest in something that will hopefully appreciate, what era of machine, foreign or British, and so on, and so on.

There is lots of considerations before the issue of drum brakes become a problem.

OK so British, missed that.
I had a 1976 T140 Bonneville US spec, it was an OK bike, didn't set the world on fire, but kept up with modern traffic, just about managed to stop with disc brakes, was user friendly. There are lots of choices.
Whatever you buy will consume time and effort to keep nice.View attachment 24356
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I did mention "60s, but would go to 70s. That picture is what I have in my mind :)

I do not have an unlimited bike licence & would have to learn & pass the test. I'm retiring soon, so it's something new I could get to grips with.

I've only ever been a motorbike passenger before, but was knocked over by a Velocette when I was little ;) (it was a family friend & they told us what it was).

I'm not bothered about values going up.
 
Well, I would get the test first, and try to ride a few types. There are night and day differences between singles, twins, and multi cyl machines.
Daughters boyfriend woke up one morning and decided to be a motorcyclist, passed his test and bought an Enfield 500 Bullet, he does not ride it much, personally it does not inspire me.
I don't ride anymore, although I have never been without a bike in 50 years, I still have my first bike, a 1965 Honda !
 
You would be wise to follow the trajectory of a younger rider, even if not constrained by cost - that is, start with something smaller before going for more power (ie more weight - and it’s weight that overcomes new riders…).

I’ll pop in a couple of suggestions that swim against your current tide of thought - look to start with an early 70s Honda CB200; if you decide after a while you need more, then a mid-70s Honda CB400/4.

The latter is pretty and approximately equivalent in performance to any Brit 500 or single-carb 650, and handles better. Plus it won’t be too heavy for you as you age from retirement on up.

My qualifications to give an opinion? I’ve owned 170 motorcycles, including pretty much everything you might imagine from 1930s to 2020s machines; have covered over 1 1/2 million road miles on bikes in a number of countries; was a magazine road tester of motorcycles in the 1970s through the 1990s; ran and instructed in 2 motorcycle rider training schools, in charge of the advanced courses; life member of my classic bike club; my 48-year road racing career is irrelevant.
 
I always fancied one of these, then I bought a rough old one and rebuilt it.

Certainly not for a beginner though :hmm:

IMG_3371_zps2fkhmno3.JPG
 
Phil, I've owned a BSA Starfire for the last 40years. Use use it regularly and it keeps up with modern traffic; not the individual car driven hard, but with the traffic bubbling along at 50mph.
Don't put too much thought into the performance of your first bike, just buy one and use it.

I agree with what PJay has said above.
PJay said:
start with something smaller before going for more power (ie more weight - and it’s weight that overcomes new riders…)
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I'll give two reasons why I agree.
1. Weight is what the older folk seem to struggle with the most; i.e. pushing the bike around a garage, lifting onto centre stand, reversing out oif a parking spot etc. The issue when your foot slips on the road as you pull up sharply behind a modern ABS equipped car at a red light. You'll be glad of a lighter bike.
2. I think I have more fun on my small sub-300lb BSA, than my big (sub 200kg) 70s Italian twin. Problem with more power is you accelerate towards dangers. If you want a bike for country roads all you need is a 250/350.

I was going to disagree with PJay: 'mid-70s Honda CB400/4 handles better than Brit 500s'o_O; then I read his Résumé and will let it go!:)


Any progress on your thoughts?
G.
 
A couple of observations on the handling characteristics of old Japanese bikes cf Britbikes (1950s/60s/70s ones…):

1. Modern tyres make an unbelievable difference. Ride an H2 Kawasaki (750 triple) nowadays, and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. As for TZ750 Yamahas, that I still see some of the magazine articles describe as “widowmakers”, give me a break. I raced 2 of these in Historics for a few years in the early 2000s, and I am here to tell you that a standard TZ750 on modern tyres is a pussycat.

2. In contrast, 1960s and 1970s Triumphs were known for their wayward handling, and are still no great improvement with modern tyres. More or less redeemed by their minimal power. But why were people building TriBSAs and Tritons? - it wasn’t because all the BSA and Norton engines blew up (though lots did…); it was because the Triumph chassis weren’t all that great.

3. I have raced Manx Nortons (both Garden Gate and Manx), 7R AJSs, and still own the 1951 Royal Enfield Bullet I built up for classic racing in 1985/6. Won a couple of championships with the Enfield, too. All of these things are much, much better handling on modern tyres than on the things we used to decorate their wheels with way back when, but they’re none of them all that brilliant handlers.
 
Just in case anyone is wondering.

If Jacqui and I did not like our British cars and motorcycles - present total 3 each of cars and bikes - we wouldn’t continue to own them.

Being clear-eyed about their deficiencies, however, is all part of our fun of ownership.
 
Not so sure about the older bike handling thing. I recently had a 1973 Suzuki GT550 and it was all original (except tyres) with only 11K miles on but the handling did leave a bit to be desired. It was basically unforgiving. If you went into a corner on the wrong line it was just a case of holding on and praying! I had an RD400 Yamaha too which was somewhat better but nothing like a new bike. Older bikes frame and steering geometry is different and they do feel less stable. I do ride a Kawasaki Ninja H2 though so it probably isn't a fair comparison!!
 
No, I would not suggest for an instant that a classic bike would handle like a modern.

But interesting that you mention the GT550 and RD400. My touring bike when I first production raced an RD350 was a GT550K. The latter’s cornering ground clearance was even worse than a Triumph Trident’s, but I went on to race RD400s, and indeed I sold my last road-registered standard RD400E only 2 years ago.
 
Hey, I love classic bikes too. Mine is an SR 500 from 1980 bored out to 600cc.
Best regards
Bernd
 

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Wow - a lot of information here - thank you guys!

I'm a little wary about having 'the cart before the horse' & wonder if I should get a 50cc bike in the first instance, just to establish whether I like the idea & to give me some practical experience of riding a bike before I look at doing the tests. I understand that I could ride one with 'L' plates under my existing driving licence. Otherwise, I'm going to be totally unfamiliar with actually riding a bike. Of course, I may not like it......

There are some modern bikes (incl. Chinese :oops: :hmm: ) which I could go for.
 
PJay said:
No, I would not suggest for an instant that a classic bike would handle like a modern.

But interesting that you mention the GT550 and RD400. My touring bike when I first production raced an RD350 was a GT550K. The latter’s cornering ground clearance was even worse than a Triumph Trident’s, but I went on to race RD400s, and indeed I sold my last road-registered standard RD400E only 2 years ago.
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Definitely the RD400 is a generation of from the GT550! Both fun to ride but I did like the Suzuki triple engine. It was very smooth. The RD liked to have the throttle open!
 
I had a GT380, the 550's little brother and that was a lot of fun.

To be honest though, my favourite bike of the 70s and 80s was a GT185 Suzuki. XJT 511M, metallic blue. I took that around the TT circuit, best fun of my life, especially when a Z1B pulled up next to me and the rider said that he had been chasing me for quite a while and only caught me as I stopped for a junction. He couldn't believe it was just a 185. I explained that I didn't slow down for corners :)
 
got my full bike licence when I was 71! not ridden a bike form 1972( Honda 90 where I came off on diesel fuel at a roundabout and broke collar bone and got concussion) I rode my first bike under a car licence on an L plate! would suggest starting with a learner course as I did where u go to a bike school and they train you on a small (under125cc) bile around a course then on road to get that pass for small bikes. run a small cheap bike ( I bought Honda 125) for say 6 months or a year to get feel of biking and if we really want to carry on. then go for then next learner stage where y learn on bikes with bigger CC (250cc?) but power restricted .if you pass that test u get full license and can choose to ride any bike. Pay has given a really good way to expand your self and yes 70's bikes are pretty decent . do join ro check out bikers clubs local meets .gio chat bikers. they are friendly and can often advise on specific makes . good luck.
 
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