Sixty years on.

[KiwiGF]

I bought a b31 basket case from a guy who lived a couple of hours drive away and had been building up the collection of parts for 35 years or so, at 70 something years old he realised he’d never finish it so sold it to me via an introduction from a mutual acqaintance. It took me a couple of years to build it and re-register it for the road. The b31 was his dream bike as he owned one in his youth but got married and sold it etc, he intended to collect parts when he could, and build a “fast” one and he had bought gold star cams for it, had it bored to 400cc and so on.

Whilst I was doing doing a long trip (during the running in period to pick up some used electric fence items, you can see them bungeed to the bike) I dropped into his place to show him the (mostly) finished bike, despite the dodgy luggage he rode it around the block (that’s him in the vid), although he said he hadn’t ridden much recently.

When he got back I said he looked fine riding, not rusty at all and when did he last ride a bike? He said probably well over 40 years ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lO28_XJTOhE

[duTch]

 

.......I would love to show my bike to previous owners.  .

 I'd have several people from all over the world looking at various bits   

[Black Sheep]

A few years ago I was parked up and an old(er) guy walked up and said 'That's my old bike'. Have met up a few times since and I now have a full oral history and recently he even dug out the original receipt for it. Of course it started first kick as he watched. Not bad for a Velocette...

[RDfella]

Those velocette kickstarts used to do my head in - or should that be ankle? Crazy cam (outside the box) meant unless you got the kickstart lever horizontal before giving it a prod, damn thing would miss the ratchet and you'd bang your ankle on that protruding cam.

[Gerry]

Yes Greybeard I can remember that "peasouper" My Dad was a bus driver for London Transport at the time and a double decker load of families of the Footscray Kent garage were on their way to Bertram Mills Circus at Earls Court I think. Dad Mum and us four boys were on the bus and the driver couldn't stop jerking the bus making people sick so my Dad took over and reduced the problem but we were all very dissapointed when he had to turn around and drive back to the garage as it was impossible to see more that a couple of feet in front of the bus. Thank God that is a thing of the past. Cheers Gerry

[Butch (cb)]

Depending on what part of the world you are in of course.

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/11/8/20948348/delhi-india-air-pollution-quality-cause

[Jules]

aaahhh, the good old days eh, amazing how we so fondly remember the (actually!) bad old days lol, however, the biggest remembering of my BSA 1961 A7 days was thinking (a) will it start? ...after it had been parked in the rain while I was in college and (b) will I reach home tonight...in the rain? Countless times I had to leave the bike somewhere "safe" because it would stop when it rained, then later go back and pick it up, when it would start and drive perfectly gggrrr!
Something to do with the magneto and I tried EVERYTHING to seal it, to no avail, used to wrap a plastic bag around it if I thought it was going to rain that day, didn't help!!

[RoyC]

aaahhh, the good old days eh, amazing how we so fondly remember the (actually!) bad old days lol, however, the biggest remembering of my BSA 1961 A7 days was thinking (a) will it start? ...after it had been parked in the rain while I was in college and (b) will I reach home tonight...in the rain? Countless times I had to leave the bike somewhere "safe" because it would stop when it rained, then later go back and pick it up, when it would start and drive perfectly gggrrr!
Something to do with the magneto and I tried EVERYTHING to seal it, to no avail, used to wrap a plastic bag around it if I thought it was going to rain that day, didn't help!!

I was 17 and went everywhere at full throttle.
I can remember changing the oil once in all the time I owned my 1961 BSA A7ss. I didn't have a hand book for the bike and , apart from the one oil change, never did any maintenance on it.
It NEVER failed to start.
It NEVER let me down.

[Colsbeeza]

Yes Roy my first bike was a 1957 BSA A7. I knew buggerall about them, but it was reliable. I rode it to Uni for night classes through 1969 but got sick of getting wet. Imagine carrying wet helmet and gear into the lectures, with my notes etc stuffed up my jacket. So I bought my Grandfathers 1952 Holden FX, which I drove up to 1990 - or the Mrs drove it to work for years in it and lugged the kids around.
I still have the FX, but needs ground-up restoration. The family won't let me get rid of it.
I sold the BSA after 18 months wanting a bit more power, as I fell for a 1959 Matchless 600 twin with aluminium guards, purple metalflake paint and grasshopper knobbly tyres. It turned out to be a bit of a dog. But it did turn heads.! I sold it to my old mate Phil who is in the photo.
Col

[RoyC]

but got sick of getting wet.

 

The rain never bothered me.
If I was going to work, I would put my waterproofs on, If going home I never bothered.
My black jeans with green cotton and zips up the inside of the legs were so tight that the rain just ran off them once they had got sodden.

I did eventually sell it and got a Ford Thames van, (much better for courting purposes  )
It used more oil than petrol.

[KiwiGF]

Roughly on topic here’s some pics of me (black helmet) on various bikes I owned, including my A10 which I owned in 1974 ish when I was 16 and too young to ride it (it was very unreliable mainly due to my ignorance on the mechanical side so I tried a Suzuki 350, then triumph bonnevilles 650 and 750 (seized on motorway in Scotland), and then a ex police Honda 500-4 which turned out to have a knackered primary chain (split cases job).

[RogerSB]

Here's my future wife cleaning mine in 1966  .