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

[All-Rounder]

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!).


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!

And old rusty trucks that have become vintage hot rods, they look like heaven in rat land.

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.

And broken arms and legs . And numb butts and saddle sores. Painfully pleasant.

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).

Well you were special in comparison, having lived in special times and your rat bikes were special too

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!

Right... riding the middle line, smashing some pumpkins' mirrors... comes with the territory. Less cars and more motorcycles, the right way to live.

And here are some rat boys

 

[All-Rounder]

 

[AuAL]

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)

From one old git to another, glad you liked it. My dream bike was a Vincent Black Shadow. I saw one on the bench during a rebuild (owned by another old git who was a mate of mine.) That was a vision of perfection - get rid of everything that was not absolutely essential and that was the motorcycle you were left with.

 

[All-Rounder]

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.

Awesome to have mods that work together and create a different experience. Thanks for explaining what it got modified. Hot wheels!

 

[All-Rounder]

From one old git to another, glad you liked it. My dream bike was a Vincent Black Shadow. I saw one on the bench during a rebuild (owned by another old git who was a mate of mine.) That was a vision of perfection - get rid of everything that was not absolutely essential and that was the motorcycle you were left with.

Some guy's bottom parts fell off in his yard and he just left it like that, since it was still working well, those were not necessary though it seemed like half of the bike fell down, and probably weight it down.

 

[All-Rounder]

"Powered By An Engineering Marvel Of A V-Twin
Horsepower: 45 HP
1949 Vincent Black Shadow 2Mecum
Obviously, the focal point of the Vincent Black Shadow was its 50-degree V-Twin that propelled this bike into the record books. While there are several famous V-Twin engines known for their design and power output, this particular engine holds a special place in motorcycling history. It produced 45 horsepower at 5,600 RPMs, thanks to its small carburetors, a 6.8:1 compression ratio, and mild cams, which enabled top speeds of upto 112 miles per hour. Coil valve springs were used over hair pins because they could be more easily enclosed, all while utilizing the same pre-war double-valve guide system with forked rockers.

Of course, this British V-Twin was known for more than just its power output. Its blacked-out finish gave it a sense of mystery, leaving interested parties in anticipation of the kind of thrills they were in for. Not to mention, the construction itself was a piece of engineering artwork. Motorcycle historians praise the Black Shadow's use of parallel headers, visible pushrod-tubes, delicate cooling fins, and attention to detail in order to maintain performance while keeping it as light as possible. Though the total production number is very small (well under 2,000 units), the cultural impact it had was massive.

It reminded competitors to always strive for new heights and to raise their standards of performance to satisfy the growing populace of passionate riders. Even today, with millions of riders around the world, global manufacturers are always pushing the envelope and developing new ways for riders to achieve higher thrills through innovations in engineering, design, and technology. These days, the landscape for motorcycling is constantly changing, and we can thank the Vincent Black Shadow for being the spark that set it all in motion."
xx
Sounds perfect for Ghostriders

Vincent Black Shadow: The Legendary Motorcycle Of The 1940s

 

[Boogs]

From one old git to another, glad you liked it. My dream bike was a Vincent Black Shadow. I saw one on the bench during a rebuild (owned by another old git who was a mate of mine.) That was a vision of perfection - get rid of everything that was not absolutely essential and that was the motorcycle you were left with.

Ah yes, that's legend territory! But never one I even aspired to (my wallet wouldn't even get a gasket set for a Vinnie).
Imagine a Vinnie V-twin in a featherbed frame, rear sets and clip-ons - yum yum! Ogri material!

(even got the vinnie engine correct in the piccies)

 

[Boogs]

Bloody 'ell, I thought I'd lost this one (maybe I should have deleted it! )

Bike: about 1 year old.
Leathers: about 35
Me: well, we'll draw a discrete veil over that one!