| Norton motorcycles 16:43 - Jan 30 with 1608 views | colinallcars |
In administration. It doesn't seem so long ago that British motorbikes ruled the world, although it is of course about 50 years ago. I had a number of them in my youth, Triumphs, Royal Enfields, Ariel etc. Oh, and a BSA. Bloody Sore Arse we used to call them.
Anyone else with fond memories of British bikes ? They were leaky and vibrated but they had style. |  | | |  |
| Norton motorcycles on 16:48 - Jan 30 with 1589 views | loftboy |
My brother in law had a norton commando in the early 70’s when he met my sister, she was 16 and went to grammar school and he was 23 and a member of the Bracknell chopper club, drove my dad mad but 47 years later they’re still married. |  |
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| Norton motorcycles on 17:49 - Jan 30 with 1538 views | Benny_the_Ball |
To this day but my father still reminisces about his BSA with drop handlebars. I've never heard the 'Bloody Sore Arse' tag before. I'll be sure to drop that in the next time he takes a trip down motorcycle memory lane. |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 18:34 - Jan 30 with 1517 views | colinallcars |
| Norton motorcycles on 17:49 - Jan 30 by Benny_the_Ball |
To this day but my father still reminisces about his BSA with drop handlebars. I've never heard the 'Bloody Sore Arse' tag before. I'll be sure to drop that in the next time he takes a trip down motorcycle memory lane. |
I think the Bloody Sore Arse name started in the army who used the BSA B31 as a messenger bike. It spilled over into civvy street as did many other sayings. My brother was in the navy and called sleep Kippo Marino. | | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 18:35 - Jan 30 with 1513 views | Juzzie |
Triumph have been the real success story of British motorbikes the last couple of decades but sadly there was never going to be room for more.
Norton have tried but just never captured the market in the way Triumph have.
Maybe they tried to keep it niche but that’s such a risk. |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 18:50 - Jan 30 with 1485 views | flynnbo |
Haven't Royal Enfield produced some retro bikes? |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 19:23 - Jan 30 with 1446 views | Boston |
| Norton motorcycles on 16:48 - Jan 30 by loftboy |
My brother in law had a norton commando in the early 70’s when he met my sister, she was 16 and went to grammar school and he was 23 and a member of the Bracknell chopper club, drove my dad mad but 47 years later they’re still married. |
Good to know she's a fan of his chopper. |  |
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| Norton motorcycles on 19:42 - Jan 30 with 1420 views | Benny_the_Ball |
Yesterday at the traffic lights I briefly spoke with a Sikh gentleman about his retro Royal Enfield. Very popular in India apparently. By the way, genuine question; can you ride a motorcycle on UK roads without a helmet if you wear a turban? [Post edited 30 Jan 2020 19:45]
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| Norton motorcycles on 20:35 - Jan 30 with 1370 views | Juzzie |
| Norton motorcycles on 19:42 - Jan 30 by Benny_the_Ball |
Yesterday at the traffic lights I briefly spoke with a Sikh gentleman about his retro Royal Enfield. Very popular in India apparently. By the way, genuine question; can you ride a motorcycle on UK roads without a helmet if you wear a turban? [Post edited 30 Jan 2020 19:45]
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Yes, if you are genuinely a Sikh. | | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 21:47 - Jan 30 with 1316 views | johncharles |
| Norton motorcycles on 18:34 - Jan 30 by colinallcars |
I think the Bloody Sore Arse name started in the army who used the BSA B31 as a messenger bike. It spilled over into civvy street as did many other sayings. My brother was in the navy and called sleep Kippo Marino. |
My brother had a B31. 350 single. Like sitting in an armchair. Lovely bike. |  |
| Strong and stable my arse. |
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| Norton motorcycles on 22:23 - Jan 30 with 1283 views | longbottom |
Very sad about Norton of course. As a young 'un my dad had a Vincent ' black shadow', still the best bike ever built. |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 22:55 - Jan 30 with 1264 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Norton motorcycles on 20:35 - Jan 30 by Juzzie |
Yes, if you are genuinely a Sikh. |
No, it’s a Turban myth. |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 23:31 - Jan 30 with 1243 views | queensparker |
I rode an Enfield Bullet around India in the early 90s, had a bloody sore arse for a lot of that time but down to the terrible food not the bike. Was a solid old thing that bike.
Also bumped into the ex Rangers and Wales centre back Brian Law on that trip who had been forced to retire through injury and was pootling around the world, nice bloke he was, anyone remember him? |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 07:19 - Jan 31 with 1190 views | loftboy |
| Norton motorcycles on 23:31 - Jan 30 by queensparker |
I rode an Enfield Bullet around India in the early 90s, had a bloody sore arse for a lot of that time but down to the terrible food not the bike. Was a solid old thing that bike.
Also bumped into the ex Rangers and Wales centre back Brian Law on that trip who had been forced to retire through injury and was pootling around the world, nice bloke he was, anyone remember him? |
I remember him getting sent off at Wimbledon for butting Fashanu in the gut. | |
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| Norton motorcycles on 12:09 - Jan 31 with 1151 views | rrrspricey |
Triumph are doing well though, currently supplying all the engines in the Moto 2 Championship |  | | |
| Norton motorcycles on 15:20 - Jan 31 with 1090 views | Monahoop |
| Norton motorcycles on 12:09 - Jan 31 by rrrspricey |
Triumph are doing well though, currently supplying all the engines in the Moto 2 Championship |
My first bike was a 1961 BSA Bantam 175. It was given to me by a family friend. It was a former Post Office bike but had been painted in yellow and black stripes. It worked for 20 minutes at a time before sputtering out. 20 minutes literally. You could set your watch to it.
After that I purchased an oily old Royal Enfield 350. A real bird puller! At school sixth form me and me mates used to lay bets on how many kicks I could get it to start. But once it went, it went. I had a number of bikes after that, both Jap and Italian [ Guzzi's were my favourite]. I did have a Triumph Bonneville 750. I put Norton peashooter silencers on it which gave it a pleasant grunt. But it was an unreliable pig which typified appalling British engineering standards of both bikes and cars of the 70's and 80's.
I haven't ridden now for a while, but I would love a new Triumph.
Didn't Norton on their resurrection in the late 80's produce a rotary engine machine? I think the police may have trialled them for a short while.
Remember Heskeths anyone? |  |
| There aint half been some clever bastards. |
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| Norton motorcycles on 15:45 - Jan 31 with 1066 views | Juzzie |
| Norton motorcycles on 15:20 - Jan 31 by Monahoop |
My first bike was a 1961 BSA Bantam 175. It was given to me by a family friend. It was a former Post Office bike but had been painted in yellow and black stripes. It worked for 20 minutes at a time before sputtering out. 20 minutes literally. You could set your watch to it.
After that I purchased an oily old Royal Enfield 350. A real bird puller! At school sixth form me and me mates used to lay bets on how many kicks I could get it to start. But once it went, it went. I had a number of bikes after that, both Jap and Italian [ Guzzi's were my favourite]. I did have a Triumph Bonneville 750. I put Norton peashooter silencers on it which gave it a pleasant grunt. But it was an unreliable pig which typified appalling British engineering standards of both bikes and cars of the 70's and 80's.
I haven't ridden now for a while, but I would love a new Triumph.
Didn't Norton on their resurrection in the late 80's produce a rotary engine machine? I think the police may have trialled them for a short while.
Remember Heskeths anyone? |
British design was decades ahead of the world and the Japanese really admired what was done and often came over to the UK to look at our bikes, and then copied it.
Their manufacturing was so much better than ours and made for so much easier, cleaner and reliable bikes. The Honda CB750 introduced in 1969 effectively killed off the British bike industry overnight, it was that good.
Norton tried out a rotary bike. With a forward rotating engine (same as the wheels) so less power sapping crankshafts and 90o angled gearing to go through making it more efficient than a UJM engine but no one could agree on what it's CC was as there was no bore & stroke to measure against. You then had the problem that the rotary tips would wear out too quickly. Shame because in principle it's a good engine but only the Mazda RX7 car had any sort of success with it.
Heskeths!! 1000cc of V-twin brute. Lord Hesketh and James Hunt good pals back in the day.
[Post edited 31 Jan 2020 15:46]
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| Norton motorcycles on 17:42 - Jan 31 with 1024 views | colinallcars |
There used to be a rotary engine that gloried in the name of W***el ( the filter wouldn't let me spell the name ).
The British motorbike industry was hit by the emergence of affordable small cars like the Mini which meant a lot of blokes who may have turned to a motorbike and sidecar after marrying bought a small car instead. Ariel and Panther were hit particularly hard. Then of course the aforementioned Japanese bikes - more advanced design with things like electric starters and really well made although the earlier ones had crap paint and chrome.
My brother had a funny little bike called a Rumi. Amazing fuel consumption. You could spit in the tank and go a hundred miles. | | | |
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