If biker boys ain't awesome then Idk what is ✌️😋

[Raggamuffin]

@Forest Cat I agree with you on Ducati, my favourite being the the 999. They did an S and even R variants. I hope to one day own one. I adore motorbikes with this sort of exhaust positioning, although the shape of the Ducati's twin exhaust tips are particularly pleasing.

This 999S Nero Edition is very rare, but I love it as it was a black paint scheme. Only 50 in the UK, and a lot less than that now. Perhaps one day I will get my hands on one.

They look rather timeless, especially considering they were made between 2003 and 2006.

Ed

 

[AuAL]

Mike “the bike” Hailwood returned to the Isle of Man TT in 1977 (after an absence of 10 years during which he mainly drove Formula 1) riding a Ducati 900SS and won the F1 race, perhaps proving “it is the man, not the machine.”

 

[Boogs]

My last baby! Plus added left hand toecap!

Note the obligatory lack of rear seat & pegs as befits an unsociable aspie!

 

[All-Rounder]

The Norton was my third bike. I’ve racked up thousands of kilometres on two wheels over the years, many of them with her on pillion, but the TIA in the temporal lobe appears to have left me with a bit of a stumble now and then. So it seems I’m stuck as a “tin-top” from now on.

Holy snap, so Norton Command-o is a bike. Oh she didn't mind being a backpack.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear about stumbling, that's terrible for biking. Are you sure it was not imbalanced wheels, misaligned, or a new/old defective tire? Maybe a 3 wheeler would be better for stability.

 

[All-Rounder]

@Forest Cat I agree with you on Ducati, my favourite being the the 999. They did an S and even R variants. I hope to one day own one. I adore motorbikes with this sort of exhaust positioning, although the shape of the Ducati's twin exhaust tips are particularly pleasing.

This 999S Nero Edition is very rare, but I love it as it was a black paint scheme. Only 50 in the UK, and a lot less than that now. Perhaps one day I will get my hands on one.

They look rather timeless, especially considering they were made between 2003 and 2006.

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Ed

Wow, those would be some great barn finds. Although they're American their reliability in time is slightly less impressive on some models even compared to rice burners.

DUCATI 999 (2003-2006) Review | Speed, Specs & Prices

I like their tips too, very unique how they pop out of the main base. Stylish designs.

 

[All-Rounder]

Mike “the bike” Hailwood returned to the Isle of Man TT in 1977 (after an absence of 10 years during which he mainly drove Formula 1) riding a Ducati 900SS and won the F1 race, perhaps proving “it is the man, not the machine.”

You've got to get your confidence back and start riding again

 

[All-Rounder]

View attachment 134080

My last baby! Plus added left hand toecap!

Note the obligatory lack of rear seat & pegs as befits an unsociable aspie!

Wow, you guys aren't just smart and funny but also bikers, leave some talents for the rest of us!

That baby is pretty! I adore the mix of black, gold and grey and those front orange lights hehe. Long puppy! Love the toecap in the picture as well. Thanks for toe-capping us xD

 

[Boogs]

Mike “the bike” Hailwood returned to the Isle of Man TT in 1977 (after an absence of 10 years during which he mainly drove Formula 1) riding a Ducati 900SS and won the F1 race, perhaps proving “it is the man, not the machine.”

Dukes were lovely bikes, but the SS's and similar had a terrible rep for fragility of engine (I won't even mention the electrics, a classic Italian 'speciality'!
My greatest bike-lust was for an early Guzzi LeMans, but by the time I could buy one (and have somewhere suitable to keep it, etc) my back was too messed up to ride something with that positioning (turning head for the 'lifesaver' etc).
But the bike I have the best memories of owning and riding was a Eyeti Moto Morini 500 Sport. It was about the size and weight of a Jap 250, with a in-line V-twin. It was built like a tractor, very basic and crude looking, engine ran on pushrods FFS! And yet it saw off many bikes in the 750 range in town and ran like it was on rails. It's beat most things from the lights having a rare dry clutch that didn't know the word 'slip' with a lot of torque and only 5 gears that would be leaving the Japs behind as they changed to second while mine still have plenty revs to spare and pulled ahead easily.
Such an exciting bike to ride. It may not have challenged the big lads after 65 mph or so (not for motorways), but in town and country roads little could match it. If only the gear and rear brake pedals weren't reversed! That gave some fun moments coming out of corners! Whoops!

(Not mine but same model)

 

[Boogs]

Wow, you guys aren't just smart and funny but also bikers, leave some talents for the rest of us!

That baby is pretty! I adore the mix of black, gold and grey and those front orange lights hehe. Love the toecap in the picture as well. Thanks for toe-capping us xD

I honestly don't know about talent, and I can't say I was the best rider around (though how you measure 'best' is another matter).
But in my time (80's and 90's mostly) being a biker was a much more cultural thing and not the same as many modern motorcyclists. It was your only form of transport, rain or shine, summer or winter it didn't matter. You lived in your leathers, and rode to go places not to ride (that's not to say the bike wasn't important). You always rode rat bikes, not for the image but because that was all you could afford.
You spent every penny you had on your bike and only worried about protective gear long afterwards! (usually after skidding down the road on yer arse after the autumns first rainfall when the rubber and diesel on the road made for friction free travel and close examination of tarmac at 30 or 40 mph!)

You didn't wash your bike before going on a ride, you washed after it was full of mud and road crap and salt from spraying etc. so the wheels would start going round again and the brakes stopped binding!

When I got the Triumph about 8 years ago, all the bikers I came across were weekend riders, not bikers at all. They'd spend hours washing and polishing their bikes to take out once or twice a month on a Sunday, and all go to visit some wretched café in the countryside - I tried joining in and lasted two rides before swearing never to do it again!
But the saddest thing was I too was no longer a biker, but just a mere motorcyclist!

As for the toecap, my guess is it was feeling a little downtrodden, being used only for changing gear, and wanted to get in on the action a little. I felt a little mean at the idea of cropping it out, and in return it promised to avoid ingrown nails for at least a few months! Sweet!

 

[agateboy]

I'll post a picture of mine just because I can

 

[Boogs]

I'll post a picture of mine just because I can
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Nice! One of the better looking Harleys (imho)!

 

[All-Rounder]

I honestly don't know about talent, and I can't say I was the best rider around (though how you measure 'best' is another matter).
But in my time (80's and 90's mostly) being a biker was a much more cultural thing and not the same as many modern motorcyclists. It was your only form of transport, rain or shine, summer or winter it didn't matter. You lived in your leathers, and rode to go places not to ride (that's not to say the bike wasn't important). You always rode rat bikes, not for the image but because that was all you could afford.
You spent every penny you had on your bike and only worried about protective gear long afterwards! (usually after skidding down the road on yer arse after the autumns first rainfall when the rubber and diesel on the road made for friction free travel and close examination of tarmac at 30 or 40 mph!)

You didn't wash your bike before going on a ride, you washed after it was full of mud and road crap and salt from spraying etc. so the wheels would start going round again and the brakes stopped binding!

When I got the Triumph about 8 years ago, all the bikers I came across were weekend riders, not bikers at all. They'd spend hours washing and polishing their bikes to take out once or twice a month on a Sunday, and all go to visit some wretched café in the countryside - I tried joining in and lasted two rides before swearing never to do it again!
But the saddest thing was I too was no longer a biker, but just a mere motorcyclist!

As for the toecap, my guess is it was feeling a little downtrodden, being used only for changing gear, and wanted to get in on the action a little. I felt a little mean at the idea of cropping it out, and in return it promised to avoid ingrown nails for at least a few months! Sweet!

Oh poor salty rat bikes with defective brakes! What about chain oil, did people not do that either? And poor soggy arse!
Yet there's nothing like rust nowadays, its value increased over time due to the steampunk vibe at least until something gives in

Blasted weekend bikers! It's either a lifestyle come rain in may or it's no riding. I would definitely get addicted to the feeling and the wind. Even falling sounds lovely.

Now to get the other toecap to promise!

 

[All-Rounder]

I'll post a picture of mine just because I can
View attachment 134088

Nice Harrrley, shiny and bright like fire. That chrome filter cover is such a mirror~

On your seat it says something "luck"

 

[All-Rounder]

Taco sign

 

[Boogs]

And poor soggy arse!

Don't even mention soggy arse! Waterproofs were not the best in those days and I live in arid rain-free England (although wax cotton Barbers were still affordable!).

Yet there's nothing like rust nowadays, its value increased over time due to the steampunk vibe at least until something gives in

Actually, you may be laughing about it, but people now sell custom rat bikes, made from a decent bike but tarted up to look rusty and ratty! And some of the crappest bikes in my day now sell as classics for thousands. Amazing!

I would definitely get addicted to the feeling and the wind. Even falling sounds lovely.

Weeeaall, you know how you look back on an awful holiday from ages ago with fond memories, completely forgetting all the discomfort and hassle and stress and ...?
It's a bit like that.
It was the only group, very loose as it was, that I was really a part of (and even then, maybe 10 bikers give or take, really friends who were bikers, not all members of some club), and the danger and exclusivity and shared experiences give it a sheen in later years it likely never had back then! And you may have picked up on a little arrogance back there toward perfectly normal reasonable people who like to ride a bike of the odd Sunday, so I've also used a little unfairly (making like I was special because I rode bikes all the time, etc).

But there again, it was a thrilling way to live, always riding close to the edge, and the intensity of what you have to do to stay out of trouble while pushing to the limits. Feeling the road through the bars and pegs, feeling the tires nearly losing grip on the corners, bouncing over the pot holes and drain covers on a tight bend thinking you're going to lose it any second. A powerful adrenaline rush! I could never ride like that now, but back then the reflexes and acute situational awareness were much better (also, I could turn my head properly!). Besides, that was in London, and now it's wall to wall scooters, back then it mostly just despatch riders doing the same as me riding the middle white line to overtake the cars (no one rode in the lane, may as well buy a car then! ).

Oh yeah, nearly forgot, no speed cams in those days either! Wayhey!

Oh! The falling hurt, by the way! Especially the repair bill!

 

[All-Rounder]

Some from today

Stingy Honda "Black Widow"

And a bike that likes to get dirty! Dirtbike?

 

[agateboy]

Thank you both) it actually is the brand name of the seat "saddlemen" but it does look like it spells luck for some reason

 

[AuAL]

OK, so I found a print of the Norton, from back in the 80s.

Those familiar with the model will notice a few mods. Easy to spot is the resprayed interstate tank, missing the decal, the single megaphone muffler, and the fat rear tire. The bloke I bought it from tried to make a café racer - the fat tire was so fat it disabled the Norton quick release rear hub. (You could undo the nut on the axle, draw it out on one side and the rear wheel could be slid off the studs and drop right out. However, the fat tire would catch on the studs if it was inflated.) He also put in a set of racing cams, so the engine needed to get above 5000 rpm to come “on song”. For some reason he then put a tall drive sprocket on it, dropping the cruising revs. Flat bars to lean forward, but he didn’t put rear-sets on, so the riding position was a bit cramped. Difficult to spot is the oil cooler - a radiator tube from a Leopard bus spliced into the oil feed line and strapped to the front stay. You may also have spotted the twin carbies have been replaced by one, big carb on a Y-tube intake, in an effort to avoid the problems with tuning the carbs - ah, the old hose down the throat and tune the whistle to match both sides.

The Commando also had the isolastic engine mounts, to cut the vibrations for which the Dominator was notorious. However, this meant the front and rear wheels were not held rigidly in the same plane, which sometimes made for “interesting” cornering. I had plans to replace the rear engine mounts with tapered, roller bearings - this would have allowed vibration damping through the front mounts but held front and rear wheels aligned - but I never got a round tuit.

I still have this bike, in the garage, under a tarp.

 

[Forest Cat]

These are fun, Swedish dirtbike. The Husqvarna FE 501. Goes like stink. But this is more a toy than a serious bike.

 

[Boogs]

OK, so I found a print of the Norton, from back in the 80s.

View attachment 134106

Those familiar with the model will notice a few mods. Easy to spot is the resprayed interstate tank, missing the decal, the single megaphone muffler, and the fat rear tire. The bloke I bought it from tried to make a café racer - the fat tire was so fat it disabled the Norton quick release rear hub. (You could undo the nut on the axle, draw it out on one side and the rear wheel could be slid off the studs and drop right out. However, the fat tire would catch on the studs if it was inflated.) He also put in a set of racing cams, so the engine needed to get above 5000 rpm to come “on song”. For some reason he then put a tall drive sprocket on it, dropping the cruising revs. Flat bars to lean forward, but he didn’t put rear-sets on, so the riding position was a bit cramped. Difficult to spot is the oil cooler - a radiator tube from a Leopard bus spliced into the oil feed line and strapped to the front stay. You may also have spotted the twin carbies have been replaced by one, big carb on a Y-tube intake, in an effort to avoid the problems with tuning the carbs - ah, the old hose down the throat and tune the whistle to match both sides.

The Commando also had the isolastic engine mounts, to cut the vibrations for which the Dominator was notorious. However, this meant the front and rear wheels were not held rigidly in the same plane, which sometimes made for “interesting” cornering. I had plans to replace the rear engine mounts with tapered, roller bearings - this would have allowed vibration damping through the front mounts but held front and rear wheels aligned - but I never got a round tuit.

I still have this bike, in the garage, under a tarp.

Now that's a bike!
(ok, I'm an old git! Don't hold it against me! )
I always lusted after a Triton myself, but never had the space, workshop and dosh to get one when I was still young enough to ride one without spinal injury after the first 5 miles! (not the most ergonomic of riding positions)