The 1970s and earlier British bikes are easy to keep on the road. Parts prices are similar to vintage Japanese bikes too. Just redo the wiring and upgrade to electronic ignition for the non-magneto bikes. Most people that own British bikes have more than one, so you rotate them and don't put 1000s miles on them in a year. Also, gives you maintenance downtime to complete the bigger fixes and still ride the running ones. This is my experience and the same for all the riders in the vintage bike clubs too.
TRUTH IS that the old British Bikes have SOUL - To own one is a deep spiritual relationship rather than shallow materialistic ownership - Like any relationship though you need to do your bit to keep it on the rails - Care and regular maintenance is essential and abuse is out of the question because it willl quite rightly be repaid with some punishment - Look after your old British bike though and it will look after you - Not only by making you appear ridiculously cool to all bystanders but also by never failing to put a Big Stupid Smile on your face when open up the throttle.
I had several, Nortons, Triumphs, and BSAs. If you got them after they were "Run hard and put up wet", you could expect problems. That's the way it was if you wanted to ride. They had some of the same problems that a Harley-Davidson of the same time periods had. I could pick them up cheap in the early 70s, because they had relatively minor problems such as coil and point ignition systems not holding timing, oil leaks, clutch problems, leaky carburetors, chrome plating going bad relatively quickly, peeling paint on fairly new bikes, and general build qualities. Many owners would have a summer or 2 of fun, then ditch bikes entirely because of the problems they had, or move on to a reliable Japanese bike. If you wanted to ride you had to know how to use tools, and a voltmeter in order to keep yourself on the road. Mine were in continuous motion, as I never drove a car, if there was driving to do, my wife did it. The best British bike I had was a 78 Triumph 750 T140E, that had factory electronic ignition and had better carburetion in the form of Amal Mk 2 carburetors. Even though I ride a Sportster these days, I carry a spare clutch cable, fuses, and a nice tool roll. It does have modern amenities like tubeless tires, fuel injection, and electronic ignition, which 50 - 60 years ago, all you could was dream about things that are on every modern bike available today.
I dont know exactly what years but in Old time in UK, there was a tax on cars and motorcycles were exempt or were taxed less. So that was one reason UK had more bikes when scaled for population back then.
No, the simple reason was cost. Post WW2 the UK was basically bankrupt and people couldn't afford cars. Eastern Europe and Germany were exactly the same, hence the large production of MZ, Jawa, CZ, Minsk etc. As the economy recovered in the 1960s and cheap cars appeared, bikes started to decline.
Hi bikers, Germany here; it's the attitude needed when approaching old brit-bikes which can (if desired) be converted into something positive. Lemme explain; when I bought my 1972 Bsa 650 Lightning (which is still with me!) I learned a hell of a lot on tinkering because, you had to in order to stay on the road. This transforms into a rhythm, tappets and gaskets plus tightening up here and there. Important is to accept this as tuition instead of chores. We all need to get from a to be at some point in time however, the difference is how you get there and the feeling given when riding. A manual is a must, have fun 😅
@SherKhan-b1kes I was on them 24-7. I was in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic, so I had access to many things that most riders could only dream about, including heavy shop equipment, materials, and processes not available to most people. I was very fortunate.
I switched from Japanese to British bikes simply because of the availability of knowledge and parts availability. I can get any part for my 1971 bonneville or BSA scrambler but I was hard pressed to find parts for my 1970 XS650. The British bike community seems much more knowledgeable about rebuilds and things of that nature. My 2 cents
You can't just ride them and not look at them closely. Of course, I just took one of my vintage Japanese tourers saddlebags off to change tire. A lower shock bolt nut was off. Inspections needed. Parts for a Commando are 100% available. Not so for my 80s Japanese bikes. RDs may be a partial exception (I want a new turn signal self cancelling box). Classic Commandos, of course, never stopped being built and production continues today. My first street bike was a 1969 441 Victor Special That bike had very few parts. It was dead reliable for me. I sold my car to save for a used Westfalia and had only the BSA for about 8 months. Work 20 miles in one direction, and future wife 20 miles in the other direction. Tiny tank and no reserve. Loved that bike until a VW T Boned my on my way to work. I wanted a Commando starting in 1969 because it was the quickest bike availlable, period. No Honda person remembers that, or that Honda fours got slower each year after 1969.. The H2 was quicker, but with 20mpg, don't leave town on it. My former Boyscout Scoutmaster let me ride his early H2 when it was new, and I was 17 and quite a dumbass. It stood up when I was turning back onto our street, scattering kids playing street softball, including his son. My first Japanese street bike was a new 1976 RD400 I bought while I had relocated for work. After all the high praise, I was expecting exceptional handling. Well, if you had come off a Norton Atlas, the RD was not a great handler. Fork and shock upgrades did help.
"You're not going to ride a 50 or 60 year old bike to work every day"..... I might though? I ride my 46 year old bike daily, except during winter. What's a few more years?
If you do not either possess a lathe or know someone who does, do not buy a Velocette or a Vincent. You will need to bore out and ream bearings, and probably hand fit old parts. But when they are properly together, they are reliable.
Both bikes on my list of one day someday owning. I guess I will see what happens. There are great shops, yes a little pricey but worth it if something goes wrong. Like you said once properly redone you will be good.
@@navscycles Avoid post-magneto Velos and the over tuned ones. Straight Venoms are rather lovely. The electrics are pretty useless but they run without them. Vincents are a world of pain. I once got into a discussion at the main London Vincent specialist with another customer and remarked that once I had collected the new piston and liner I was there for, I hoped to have it back on the road in a month. He replied "I think I'm looking at about three years."
It is possible to get excellent results using even the oldest British motorcycles however it's very costly and requires a lot of re engineering and custom restoration work. Best left to the likes of Jay Leno the billionaire collector.
You seem to be talking some sense through the vague generalisations but that wretched and totally unnecessary music in the background put me right off! So I'm off!
The 1970s and earlier British bikes are easy to keep on the road. Parts prices are similar to vintage Japanese bikes too. Just redo the wiring and upgrade to electronic ignition for the non-magneto bikes. Most people that own British bikes have more than one, so you rotate them and don't put 1000s miles on them in a year. Also, gives you maintenance downtime to complete the bigger fixes and still ride the running ones. This is my experience and the same for all the riders in the vintage bike clubs too.
TRUTH IS that the old British Bikes have SOUL - To own one is a deep spiritual relationship rather than shallow materialistic ownership - Like any relationship though you need to do your bit to keep it on the rails - Care and regular maintenance is essential and abuse is out of the question because it willl quite rightly be repaid with some punishment - Look after your old British bike though and it will look after you - Not only by making you appear ridiculously cool to all bystanders but also by never failing to put a Big Stupid Smile on your face when open up the throttle.
I had several, Nortons, Triumphs, and BSAs. If you got them after they were "Run hard and put up wet", you could expect problems. That's the way it was if you wanted to ride. They had some of the same problems that a Harley-Davidson of the same time periods had. I could pick them up cheap in the early 70s, because they had relatively minor problems such as coil and point ignition systems not holding timing, oil leaks, clutch problems, leaky carburetors, chrome plating going bad relatively quickly, peeling paint on fairly new bikes, and general build qualities. Many owners would have a summer or 2 of fun, then ditch bikes entirely because of the problems they had, or move on to a reliable Japanese bike. If you wanted to ride you had to know how to use tools, and a voltmeter in order to keep yourself on the road. Mine were in continuous motion, as I never drove a car, if there was driving to do, my wife did it. The best British bike I had was a 78 Triumph 750 T140E, that had factory electronic ignition and had better carburetion in the form of Amal Mk 2 carburetors. Even though I ride a Sportster these days, I carry a spare clutch cable, fuses, and a nice tool roll. It does have modern amenities like tubeless tires, fuel injection, and electronic ignition, which 50 - 60 years ago, all you could was dream about things that are on every modern bike available today.
I dont know exactly what years but in Old time in UK, there was a tax on cars and motorcycles were exempt or were taxed less.
So that was one reason UK had more bikes when scaled for population back then.
No, the simple reason was cost. Post WW2 the UK was basically bankrupt and people couldn't afford cars. Eastern Europe and Germany were exactly the same, hence the large production of MZ, Jawa, CZ, Minsk etc. As the economy recovered in the 1960s and cheap cars appeared, bikes started to decline.
I have a rocket 3, 2005 model. Many people in my area have old bsa bikes and still keep them looking great.
Hi bikers, Germany here; it's the attitude needed when approaching old brit-bikes which can (if desired) be converted into something positive.
Lemme explain; when I bought my 1972 Bsa 650 Lightning (which is still with me!) I learned a hell of a lot on tinkering because, you had to in order to stay on the road.
This transforms into a rhythm, tappets and gaskets plus tightening up here and there. Important is to accept this as tuition instead of chores.
We all need to get from a to be at some point in time however, the difference is how you get there and the feeling given when riding.
A manual is a must, have fun 😅
@SherKhan-b1kes I was on them 24-7. I was in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic, so I had access to many things that most riders could only dream about, including heavy shop equipment, materials, and processes not available to most people. I was very fortunate.
Great review and opinion. Kind of wish you tuned down the music though.
It’s the audio not the music. Unfortunately the audio got messed up which makes it a little harder to hear.
@@navscycles But the Net result is the music is too loud
I switched from Japanese to British bikes simply because of the availability of knowledge and parts availability. I can get any part for my 1971 bonneville or BSA scrambler but I was hard pressed to find parts for my 1970 XS650. The British bike community seems much more knowledgeable about rebuilds and things of that nature. My 2 cents
The Japanese community has come a long way now. But the I do agree that at a time certain models did lack info on both sides
You can't just ride them and not look at them closely. Of course, I just took one of my vintage Japanese tourers saddlebags off to change tire. A lower shock bolt nut was off. Inspections needed. Parts for a Commando are 100% available. Not so for my 80s Japanese bikes. RDs may be a partial exception (I want a new turn signal self cancelling box). Classic Commandos, of course, never stopped being built and production continues today. My first street bike was a 1969 441 Victor Special That bike had very few parts. It was dead reliable for me. I sold my car to save for a used Westfalia and had only the BSA for about 8 months. Work 20 miles in one direction, and future wife 20 miles in the other direction. Tiny tank and no reserve. Loved that bike until a VW T Boned my on my way to work. I wanted a Commando starting in 1969 because it was the quickest bike availlable, period. No Honda person remembers that, or that Honda fours got slower each year after 1969.. The H2 was quicker, but with 20mpg, don't leave town on it. My former Boyscout Scoutmaster let me ride his early H2 when it was new, and I was 17 and quite a dumbass. It stood up when I was turning back onto our street, scattering kids playing street softball, including his son. My first Japanese street bike was a new 1976 RD400 I bought while I had relocated for work. After all the high praise, I was expecting exceptional handling. Well, if you had come off a Norton Atlas, the RD was not a great handler. Fork and shock upgrades did help.
"You're not going to ride a 50 or 60 year old bike to work every day"..... I might though? I ride my 46 year old bike daily, except during winter. What's a few more years?
I also did say “probably not but you could”
If you do not either possess a lathe or know someone who does, do not buy a Velocette or a Vincent. You will need to bore out and ream bearings, and probably hand fit old parts.
But when they are properly together, they are reliable.
Both bikes on my list of one day someday owning. I guess I will see what happens. There are great shops, yes a little pricey but worth it if something goes wrong. Like you said once properly redone you will be good.
@@navscycles Avoid post-magneto Velos and the over tuned ones. Straight Venoms are rather lovely. The electrics are pretty useless but they run without them.
Vincents are a world of pain. I once got into a discussion at the main London Vincent specialist with another customer and remarked that once I had collected the new piston and liner I was there for, I hoped to have it back on the road in a month. He replied "I think I'm looking at about three years."
It is possible to get excellent results using even the oldest British motorcycles however it's very costly and requires a lot of re engineering and custom restoration work. Best left to the likes of Jay Leno the billionaire collector.
I really don’t think so. They are simple machines and not made to be highway riders. In reality anyone can fix them if you put your time into it
@@navscycles OK Nav.
I love to ride therefore I ride Japanese bikes
That’s why I have both
You seem to be talking some sense through the vague generalisations but that wretched and totally unnecessary music in the background put me right off! So I'm off!
It’s not the music but the audio distortion. I mentioned it in other comments the audio came out awful and did what I could in post.