Back in the late 70s, I was offered a square four, it was in very poor condition but a runner for £100, I turned it down as I was a bit strapped for cash. I wish I knew then what I know now. 😲 in the words of Homer Simpson DOH!!🤦♂️ Bangs head of wall.
My grandad got offered a matchless G80 what got crashed by his old neighbour in the 60s, he was selling it for £40, he always tells me he should of brought it 😮
Hello memory lane! Yes, an old fart lke me has indeed owned more than one of these...of course, I owned them back in the day, when they were CHEAP! For example, my Square 4 set me back $400 and it actually ran, not terribly well, but everything worked...and it was pretty and garnered tons of attention wherever I rode it. I got a slightly hot-rodded Triumph TR3 car in trade for it, and I drove the TR for several years as a sunny weekend car, until the crank broke. I've never regretted the trade. Always wanted a Vincent, but they were NEVER within my price range. Never had a Rocket 3, and never really wanted one. I had and loved several Bonnevilles and one Spitfire, but never desired a triple. Old as I am, I've never even SEEN a Coventry Eagle... Never had a Venom, but I did have a Thruxton and liked it. I was young and vibration was the price you paid for riding a stunning big single. I've fathered two kids, so it didn't damage the works much. Never had an International, but I had a Manx and rode it on the street, although it wasn't really legal...and, yes, I wish I had it back (I sold it in the '60s for $1000, and that was ALL it was worth back then). Had three Goldies, 2 500s and one 350. With all those big bangers, it's amazing my plumbing DIDN'T get damaged. Prettiest big single ever, even if it could not carry the Manx's water. Oh, I did love my Bonnies...reliable if you knew your stuff, gorgeous to look at and good handling. Like Vincents, I never could afford a Brough that wasn't in pieces in boxes. I've seen a couple Rocket Goldies, but never even rode one. Good video!!
Sad that bikes are getting so expensive and becoming investments Having a feeling the bubble will burst eventually Too many old men with money Too many young guys not interested
Another excellent video from the Dood. Have watched this particular video several times just to appreciate these beautiful machines. Some of these bikes I'm familiar with, others are new to me, much to appreciate. I never saw a Panther until I saw one on another Dood video. It's probably not expensive but it was another looker that got me revved up.
Thanks for this video, excellent has usual. I had a brand new 1968 Bonneville but I had a few problems with the gearbox. It ended up going back to the Triumph factory and what good service I got from them, I ended up with a 68 with a 69 balanced exhaust....wish I still had it but don't we all, what a investment that would have been.
I have loved the Vincent Black Shadow since Jay Leno rode his into the Tonight Show building, and took it up to his office in the elevator. I have seen 2 in my lifetime.
Well he’s not that well known here to be honest I do know who he is Obviously, oh to spend a few hours in that garage But I honestly don’t remember when I first heard of Vincent I would have been very young An easy bike to love without a doubt
Kids at my school in sarth lunnon used to arrive on a Vincent combination, on the way home i’d see a gent on a jap v engine Matchless riding up Knight’s Hill on his daily commute, and there’d be a pair of Broughs parked outside a council house on the pavement in West Norwood. The Velocette owners had a club house nearby and there was Verrals in Tooting and Gus Kuhn in Stockwell. I’m not going mention Pride and Sharks..oops.
The father of a friend flew Spitfires during the war. He owned a Brough Superior but his mother thought it "a bit dangerous" so she sold it whilst he was busy doing his bit for the war. I can't imagine what he said when he came home on leave.......
In 1979 I should have bought the Triumph 650 Bonneville instead of the 1979 Yamaha 650 Special. My first bike. I do miss all the bikes I had. Take care guys. Cheers
Norton refused to sell engines for those needing them for racing F3000, so people bought bikes, used the engine and sold the chassis. The frames weren't "stolen" to make Triton until later on
@@750triton that’s true for some and that’s what started the trend but that only explains some bikes, how many chassis do you think Cooper sold, not many at all Formula 3 not Formula 3000 by the way 😂
Bought an Ariel square 4 - Atkinsons Motor Cycles East Ham about 1968 complete with side car - £30 drive away - also had the A 10 Rocket Gold Star with a double R T 2 gearbox - combination unit on low after market 16inch wheels clip ons usual converted fibre glass petrol tank - £225 all done and rode legally at the age of 16! . I’m surprised the 500 Single Panther dry sump not mentioned
My auntie is unlikely to leave me the money but it's a Vincent silver shadow. I'm ok with my little near new 25 year old Harley twin cam FXDL in the meantime. It's got an electric starter as standard and unusually for a Harley with a carb brakes that work. Was going to get a square four 1000 40 years ago when they were not expensive.
Just bought a cherry mint 2008 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Vtwin day before yesterday for 1,900 US and brought it home. Now I have one big rolling piece of chrome silverware to polish for the rest of my life. My bike actually looks prettier than those new 12,000 pound bikes. Probably goes faster too, but 75 tops is plenty for me. Speedo reads 120. That said, I much rather prefer air cooled inline twins. My other two Hondas are air cooled inline twins and everything is right out there in the open for you to see and work on. You want a bike with lots of free space around everything so you can get a wrench in everywhere and pull out parts from anywhere, without having to take the whole rest of the motorcycle apart. Most manufacturers today fail to appreciate that and their designs are an absolute unnecessarily labor intensive nightmare to work on. If you are okay with that, then just buy a car instead and enjoy a climate controlled environment. You bike a motorcycle for ease of maintanace and cheap parts in exchange for being exposed to the elements in the winter. Parts for classic rare bikes like these are non-existent, so not a good buy... unless you find one free or inherit one.
Never really understood the point of very powerful cruisers The sitting position does not exactly lend itself to high speeds, fine at modes5 speeds but then if you have a ton of power you can’t use it, money wasted. More modest power an£ you can use most of what’s it’s got Seems common sense to me Must cover those metric cruisers at some point 🤔
@@bikerdood1100 Yeah, I have a 250 and 450, and a 350 would be about perfect for me. The sweet spot compromise between high mpg and power / carrying capacity. I use my 450 to haul groceries like a mule. A good motorcycle is like a hard working mule, not a race horse. I bought the 750 because it was super pretty, had an excellent reputation for reliability (as yet to be determined), and was a deal too good to refuse. Being on top of it though is like riding on top of a big heavy locomotive. An ocean of chrome to polish. Picture of it in my YTchannel Community Tab.
Nice selection. Having a Venom and a Comet, I like them being on the list. Don't have an inter, have to make do with a Manx. Had a Goldie for a few month, didn't like it. Expensive, no. Considering the joy it is riding them. All of them cost less than a new family car. For transport a 13 years old Skoda is sufficient.
No really 😂 Don’t really know why you’d put a Norton engine in a Triumph frame unless they were in desperate need of an engine of course. Don’t forget the Tribsa, a better off road choice. That’s how the Rickman Brothers got started after all. Then there’s the P11 Norton in a Matchless frame, the Feather bed is a non starter in the dirt
Many are talking ariel square 4. Original mk1s were unreliable and the mk2s were less sophisticated and still very low power for a thousand cc. I want a MK1 1000cc as my grandfather had one and found lots available. Even perfect ones are very affordable.
Mk1 1000 made 34 hp and the later models 40hp. Not bad by 30s standards but the design is inherently asthmatic and the. There’s cooling the rear cylinders Reliability is something of myth resulting from attempts to record break at Brooklands when fitted with a blower
Had a triumph 3 cylinder, unfortunately, sold it when strapped for cash, had 5 brits ar on time, now last 2 BSAs, a C15 and Super rocket . At 78, still ride, but the missus says there going or she is. No decision is necessary. Bye bye!
When I started riding bikes in the 70s two of my friends ran Rocket Gold Stars. I'l a Norton specialist. I probably have never seen a real factory RGS. It was so easy and cheap to make one. You got an A10 which was a cheap, semi obsolete bike, stuck in Hi compression pistons, a spitfire cam, a concentric carb, then you got the tank, seat, pipes, redo chrome and you are in business. The only expensive RGS part was a real RRT2 gold star gearbox. Which you didn't want because you were riding on the road.so they didn't fit them. I am sure that 98% of RGS are bastard Bitzas. How you tell if you have a real one? I don't know. I'm a Norton specialist. However, paying 25k for a Bitza is mental. I picked up a 63 Norton 650SS a couple of years ago, £6000 Concours, right down to the 1964 tax disk OK post brexit getting it into France cost an extra 4000 Euros. Everything is right, even the fasteners, chronometric clocks. Only critiscisms, some fastners were replaced using stainless, but I do that too on my other bikes. In 1963 the 650SS was tested at 119 Mph by MCN, the 63 Bonnjeville at 109mph, the RGS at what? The Norton had superb build quality. Race success. OK a real RGS was hand built, but all motorcycles were hand built at this time. You want to ride a real norton, call me. But be ready to pay a LOT of beer.
So many of these marques have been revived, but i think only the new Brough Superior have managed to keep that air of exclusivity. Maybe Norton as well, but to a lesser extent.
Slight difference between the exclusive ownership of the old and new brough superior. The old ones everyone wants but few can afford or find one for sale. The new ones nobody wants.
Coloured paint, chrome, mudguards and centre stands, even rear wheel stands, how dare they? Get down with the black plastic monotonous monochrome austerity. I used to laugh at the “it’s black” skit on The Fast Show, but now i look back and see it was just propaganda. Cars too, any colour you like as long as it’s black, grey, or white. Just leave it all up to the brightest and the best.🤬🤮
Thanks for an enjoyable video. I have ridden some of these bikes and I know it's extremely subjective but I can't say any of them were actually worth the high prices they fetch. I've never ridden a Vincent and I do wonder if it would be disappointing as most of these bikes just performed well during that 'particular' period they were the thing to have. I once had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini Countach LP500, it was the most disappointing experience of my life! I couldn't sleep the night before as I was so excited. I guess it might be a case of never meeting your heroes 😁
Worthy for sure but of the prices making them unavailable for the average and more importantly younger riders I’d have to disagree because if classic bikes to become more attractive to younger people rather than collectors then I’m afraid the future is bleak
@@bikerdood1100 That's exactly what I'm saying, the prices they fetch are totally disproportionate to their performance. They do seem, not always, but mainly in the ownership of people who just want to possess them rather than use them. The whole motorcycling thing does seem designed to put younger people off though. If an enthusiastic young person asked me what I thought was a modern classic to buy now I'd go for something like a Ducati 748 as I'd bet they wouldn't be disappointed like they'd be if they shelled out for a Velocette Thruxton!
Back in the late 70s, I was offered a square four, it was in very poor condition but a runner for £100, I turned it down as I was a bit strapped for cash. I wish I knew then what I know now. 😲 in the words of Homer Simpson DOH!!🤦♂️ Bangs head of wall.
Oh we all have those moments I’m afraid
My grandad got offered a matchless G80 what got crashed by his old neighbour in the 60s, he was selling it for £40, he always tells me he should of brought it 😮
@@T3-RIDER at today’s prices he definitely should have
Thanks for another excellent video! Some serious eye candy.
Thank. You 👍🏻
The X75 Hurricane is my all time dream bike. But any of the others would be very welcome in my garage! Another great video, thanks for sharing it.
Was a looker
I think some of the managers at Triumph were too old to get it or maybe the Ogle design failure had made em cautious
Hello memory lane! Yes, an old fart lke me has indeed owned more than one of these...of course, I owned them back in the day, when they were CHEAP! For example, my Square 4 set me back $400 and it actually ran, not terribly well, but everything worked...and it was pretty and garnered tons of attention wherever I rode it. I got a slightly hot-rodded Triumph TR3 car in trade for it, and I drove the TR for several years as a sunny weekend car, until the crank broke. I've never regretted the trade.
Always wanted a Vincent, but they were NEVER within my price range.
Never had a Rocket 3, and never really wanted one. I had and loved several Bonnevilles and one Spitfire, but never desired a triple.
Old as I am, I've never even SEEN a Coventry Eagle...
Never had a Venom, but I did have a Thruxton and liked it. I was young and vibration was the price you paid for riding a stunning big single. I've fathered two kids, so it didn't damage the works much.
Never had an International, but I had a Manx and rode it on the street, although it wasn't really legal...and, yes, I wish I had it back (I sold it in the '60s for $1000, and that was ALL it was worth back then).
Had three Goldies, 2 500s and one 350. With all those big bangers, it's amazing my plumbing DIDN'T get damaged. Prettiest big single ever, even if it could not carry the Manx's water.
Oh, I did love my Bonnies...reliable if you knew your stuff, gorgeous to look at and good handling.
Like Vincents, I never could afford a Brough that wasn't in pieces in boxes.
I've seen a couple Rocket Goldies, but never even rode one.
Good video!!
Sad that bikes are getting so expensive and becoming investments
Having a feeling the bubble will burst eventually
Too many old men with money
Too many young guys not interested
Iliked the specials but ended up w/Norton SS and 2 dozen bikes later still have it along w/ the shovelhead & tiger
Nice mix
Another excellent video from the Dood. Have watched this particular video several times just to appreciate these beautiful machines. Some of these bikes I'm familiar with, others are new to me, much to appreciate. I never saw a Panther until I saw one on another Dood video. It's probably not expensive but it was another looker that got me revved up.
Brilliant we like to bring different machines to people’s attention
All about the bikes for us
Thanks for this video, excellent has usual. I had a brand new 1968 Bonneville but I had a few problems with the gearbox. It ended up going back to the Triumph factory and what good service I got from them, I ended up with a 68 with a 69 balanced exhaust....wish I still had it but don't we all, what a investment that would have been.
Oh we all have the wish I’d never bikes
I no I do
I have loved the Vincent Black Shadow since Jay Leno rode his into the Tonight Show building, and took it up to his office in the elevator. I have seen 2 in my lifetime.
Well he’s not that well known here to be honest
I do know who he is
Obviously, oh to spend a few hours in that garage
But I honestly don’t remember when I first heard of Vincent
I would have been very young
An easy bike to love without a doubt
Kids at my school in sarth lunnon used to arrive on a Vincent combination, on the way home i’d see a gent on a jap v engine Matchless riding up Knight’s Hill on his daily commute, and there’d be a pair of Broughs parked outside a council house on the pavement in West Norwood. The Velocette owners had a club house nearby and there was Verrals in Tooting and Gus Kuhn in Stockwell. I’m not going mention Pride and Sharks..oops.
@@mygreatbigfoot1679 guessing that’s a while ago 😂
@@bikerdood1100 Sad but true.😖
The father of a friend flew Spitfires during the war. He owned a Brough Superior but his mother thought it "a bit dangerous" so she sold it whilst he was busy doing his bit for the war. I can't imagine what he said when he came home on leave.......
Sound like grounds for divorce to me
If she’s lucky 😂
In 1979 I should have bought the Triumph 650 Bonneville instead of the 1979 Yamaha 650 Special. My first bike. I do miss all the bikes I had. Take care guys. Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it
Last of the Triumph Trident thanks👌
Ahh the T160
Coming up soon n a video as it happens
Did I miss hear you, or did you say Feather bed frames stolen to make Tridents? (10.10). I think you meant to say Tritons.
Tritons of course
Although some tritons used Triton engines of course 🙄
Trident used a pretty standard T120 frame, T150 to be clear 😂
Norton refused to sell engines for those needing them for racing F3000, so people bought bikes, used the engine and sold the chassis. The frames weren't "stolen" to make Triton until later on
What's a Triton engine?
@@geoffgr88 well it could be a trident
Any old Triumph will do
Pre-unit the most classy
Triple less so of course
@@750triton that’s true for some and that’s what started the trend but that only explains some bikes, how many chassis do you think Cooper sold, not many at all
Formula 3 not Formula 3000 by the way 😂
Bought an Ariel square 4 - Atkinsons Motor Cycles East Ham about 1968 complete with side car - £30 drive away - also had the A 10 Rocket Gold Star with a double R T 2 gearbox - combination unit on low after market 16inch wheels clip ons usual converted fibre glass petrol tank - £225 all done and rode legally at the age of 16! . I’m surprised the 500 Single Panther dry sump not mentioned
Holy crap
Could get the bloody tyre for that now 😂
My auntie is unlikely to leave me the money but it's a Vincent silver shadow. I'm ok with my little near new 25 year old Harley twin cam FXDL in the meantime. It's got an electric starter as standard and unusually for a Harley with a carb brakes that work.
Was going to get a square four 1000 40 years ago when they were not expensive.
New is a relative term I guess
I got to work on a MKII Aerial Square 4 and I marveled at how restrictive the intake tract was.
It’s something of a flawed design really, people tend to focus on overheating but breathing is much more difficult to overcome
My dream bike!!!! Excelsior 350 manxman.
I know exactly what you mean
Just bought a cherry mint 2008 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 Vtwin day before yesterday for 1,900 US and brought it home.
Now I have one big rolling piece of chrome silverware to polish for the rest of my life.
My bike actually looks prettier than those new 12,000 pound bikes. Probably goes faster too, but 75 tops is plenty for me. Speedo reads 120.
That said, I much rather prefer air cooled inline twins. My other two Hondas are air cooled inline twins and everything is right out there in the open for you to see and work on.
You want a bike with lots of free space around everything so you can get a wrench in everywhere and pull out parts from anywhere, without having to take the whole rest of the motorcycle apart. Most manufacturers today fail to appreciate that and their designs are an absolute unnecessarily labor intensive nightmare to work on. If you are okay with that, then just buy a car instead and enjoy a climate controlled environment. You bike a motorcycle for ease of maintanace and cheap parts in exchange for being exposed to the elements in the winter.
Parts for classic rare bikes like these are non-existent, so not a good buy... unless you find one free or inherit one.
Never really understood the point of very powerful cruisers
The sitting position does not exactly lend itself to high speeds, fine at modes5 speeds but then if you have a ton of power you can’t use it, money wasted.
More modest power an£ you can use most of what’s it’s got
Seems common sense to me
Must cover those metric cruisers at some point 🤔
@@bikerdood1100 Yeah, I have a 250 and 450, and a 350 would be about perfect for me. The sweet spot compromise between high mpg and power / carrying capacity. I use my 450 to haul groceries like a mule. A good motorcycle is like a hard working mule, not a race horse.
I bought the 750 because it was super pretty, had an excellent reputation for reliability (as yet to be determined), and was a deal too good to refuse. Being on top of it though is like riding on top of a big heavy locomotive. An ocean of chrome to polish. Picture of it in my YTchannel Community Tab.
Expensive they certainly are, but there's some very tasty bikes in that selection! 👍
Not sure I’d want to own some if I’m honest
I see like a litre sports bike
I’d have a go but owning not so much
Others I’d take in a heartbeat
Nice selection. Having a Venom and a Comet, I like them being on the list. Don't have an inter, have to make do with a Manx. Had a Goldie for a few month, didn't like it.
Expensive, no. Considering the joy it is riding them. All of them cost less than a new family car. For transport a 13 years old Skoda is sufficient.
Oh I never like spending money on cars
Money spent on cars is money wasted 😂
A Squreial as we used to call them.
Didn’t I call it that in the vid ?
I usually do
Hi, I would very much like to see more about the Sunbeam motorcycle company and bikes
Especially the B24,25,26 range from 1939
Thanks Martin.
Ooh very specific
Like the idea though
The Norton Featherbed frame and Triumph Engine was known as a Triton
The other way round with Triumph Frame and Norton Engine was Nortumph
No really 😂
Don’t really know why you’d put a Norton engine in a Triumph frame unless they were in desperate need of an engine of course.
Don’t forget the Tribsa, a better off road choice. That’s how the Rickman Brothers got started after all.
Then there’s the P11 Norton in a Matchless frame, the Feather bed is a non starter in the dirt
I think I recognise Sammy’s place there!
Not sure you did
It’s In perhaps 1 photo
No video was shot there at all only stills
I would love a thruxton i think it is beautiful
So would many of us, unfortunately it’s on this list for a reason $ € £
It would have to be a pretty special Vincent to make 250000.Usually 40 to 60 grand.
All about the history attached to it I suppose
Many are talking ariel square 4. Original mk1s were unreliable and the mk2s were less sophisticated and still very low power for a thousand cc.
I want a MK1 1000cc as my grandfather had one and found lots available. Even perfect ones are very affordable.
Mk1 1000 made 34 hp and the later models 40hp.
Not bad by 30s standards but the design is inherently asthmatic and the. There’s cooling the rear cylinders
Reliability is something of myth resulting from attempts to record break at Brooklands when fitted with a blower
Ok Very good morotcycles Café Racers !
What you want a video on cafe racers ?
Had a triumph 3 cylinder, unfortunately, sold it when strapped for cash, had 5 brits ar on time, now last 2 BSAs, a C15 and Super rocket . At 78, still ride, but the missus says there going or she is. No decision is necessary. Bye bye!
Tut tut
I taught the wife to ride and No one tells me if I ride or not
When I started riding bikes in the 70s two of my friends ran Rocket Gold Stars. I'l a Norton specialist. I probably have never seen a real factory RGS. It was so easy and cheap to make one. You got an A10 which was a cheap, semi obsolete bike, stuck in Hi compression pistons, a spitfire cam, a concentric carb, then you got the tank, seat, pipes, redo chrome and you are in business. The only expensive RGS part was a real RRT2 gold star gearbox. Which you didn't want because you were riding on the road.so they didn't fit them. I am sure that 98% of RGS are bastard Bitzas. How you tell if you have a real one? I don't know. I'm a Norton specialist. However, paying 25k for a Bitza is mental. I picked up a 63 Norton 650SS a couple of years ago, £6000 Concours, right down to the 1964 tax disk OK post brexit getting it into France cost an extra 4000 Euros. Everything is right, even the fasteners, chronometric clocks. Only critiscisms, some fastners were replaced using stainless, but I do that too on my other bikes. In 1963 the 650SS was tested at 119 Mph by MCN, the 63 Bonnjeville at 109mph, the RGS at what? The Norton had superb build quality. Race success. OK a real RGS was hand built, but all motorcycles were hand built at this time.
You want to ride a real norton, call me. But be ready to pay a LOT of beer.
A lot are copies
Which isn’t a problem if people are honest about it of course
I wouldn’t pay 25k for any bike if I’m honest
Hesketh V1000 ?
Hmmm
🤔
Expensive when new that’s for sure
Maybe I am a bit prejudiced but I believe that my Norton Commando would bring better money than a T120 Triumph.
Very much depends on which T120
Year and model etc
A 68 Bonnie or a good pre unit will definitely cost you more
So many of these marques have been revived, but i think only the new Brough Superior have managed to keep that air of exclusivity. Maybe Norton as well, but to a lesser extent.
Norton more so perhaps
They are built in the UK
Brough in France
Triumph who knows 🤷🏻
Slight difference between the exclusive ownership of the old and new brough superior.
The old ones everyone wants but few can afford or find one for sale. The new ones nobody wants.
@@richardlee2488 I want one of the new ones. Bank account says no though.
I look at many videos on classic motorbikes but I've never seen ANY BSA C15,s or the BSA SS80,s
Seen a few C15 videos
Not sure about SS80s though
Coloured paint, chrome, mudguards and centre stands, even rear wheel stands, how dare they? Get down with the black plastic monotonous monochrome austerity. I used to laugh at the “it’s black” skit on The Fast Show, but now i look back and see it was just propaganda. Cars too, any colour you like as long as it’s black, grey, or white. Just leave it all up to the brightest and the best.🤬🤮
Er
Ok ?
I would say that not having a centre stand is definitely one of th3 things that makes modern bikes just a bit Crap 💩
😂
I know what you mean mate.
Thanks for an enjoyable video. I have ridden some of these bikes and I know it's extremely subjective but I can't say any of them were actually worth the high prices they fetch. I've never ridden a Vincent and I do wonder if it would be disappointing as most of these bikes just performed well during that 'particular' period they were the thing to have. I once had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini Countach LP500, it was the most disappointing experience of my life! I couldn't sleep the night before as I was so excited.
I guess it might be a case of never meeting your heroes 😁
Worthy for sure but of the prices making them unavailable for the average and more importantly younger riders I’d have to disagree because if classic bikes to become more attractive to younger people rather than collectors then I’m afraid the future is bleak
@@bikerdood1100 That's exactly what I'm saying, the prices they fetch are totally disproportionate to their performance. They do seem, not always, but mainly in the ownership of people who just want to possess them rather than use them. The whole motorcycling thing does seem designed to put younger people off though. If an enthusiastic young person asked me what I thought was a modern classic to buy now I'd go for something like a Ducati 748 as I'd bet they wouldn't be disappointed like they'd be if they shelled out for a Velocette Thruxton!