The Glory Days of British Motorbikes - BBC Cafe Racers Part 4
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- čas přidán 28. 10. 2013
- But it wasn't all thrills and spills - the motorbike played a key role during World War II and it was army surplus bikes that introduced many to the joy and freedom of motorcycling in the 50s, a period now regarded as a golden age. With its obsession with speed and the rocker lifestyle, it attracted more than its fair share of social disapproval and conflict. Narrated by John Hannah.
I’m 73, pacemaker fitted 3 months ago , in two weeks time I’ll be racing my little Honda 125 at Eastern Creek in Sydney, started riding bikes with a BSA 250 in 1962, just can’t seem to stop!
My father's 79 & rides a 63 3ta & I'm 53 & ride a 67 T100T Daytona we ride out every Sunday & love every minute of that time with my Dad keeps him feeling young
I'm a 70-year-old female and I will never get rid of my 1953 BSA Golden Flash 650, or my 1948 Norton ES2, or my 1966 Honda 450 cafe racer. I rode when I was young and owned my very own motorcycles - thanks to my father. I also had a 1941 Plymouth Business Coupe hotrod that dad built and gave to me. That was the car I drove to school.
I am so impressed a lady biker at 70 you are what can only be described as a God to us mere male bikers bikers !!!!! Really Really don't wish to patronize you
but having been a biker for many many years I know how hard it must have been at times for you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today to see a lady biker is a little strange as it always has been
but in your time you were well ahead of your current lady friends were you not ???? Well done and thank God there were people like you around to put us macho lads
in our place I was born in 1953 so a little special to me as you must understand so a gold flash made in the same year is also special to me L.O.L..........
Please never ever give up your spirit and your passion because its people like you that make the world go round.. Safe riding as always !!!! One humble male biker !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@allanhughes7859 I am Free Soul and LOVE LIFE. Still driving my Jaguar, still diving, snorkeling, glider sailing, and exploring. Never been a girl to just sit at home!
Lindsey Allison Westhaven Good on you Lindsay. I’m 69 and have my 1956 BSA Golden Flash and my daily ride a Yamaha Fazer. Love my bikes!
A Norton ES2 was my first proper bike. Somebody had "modified" it to be a scrambler, so I had to do all my road riding on knobby tyres. At 14, purchasing road tyres was a thing about which I could only dream. I'm 63 now and ride a 2009 Yamaha FZ1. An ES2! Wow! 😄
Lindsey baby! Best thing I've heard for a long bit. After starting competition at 9, I even had a 500cc factory(don't ask) while in the NAVY! I'M 61 NOW AND HAVE A 71BSA LIGHTNING,PLUS A HARLEY WIDE GLIDE. MY RIDING STYLE REMAINS THE SAME.TON UP GIRL!🎸🎶🎵
Bikes are the best. I started in the era when the Japanese were getting established. Wonderful days, less traffic no cameras and youth powered bravado. By God we had fun. Loved every minute of it and still do.
I'm 67 and still enjoying my Norton Mk3
63 years old mk 2 😎
Astounding when you think that back then everyone was chasing the magic "ton". Here we are less than 60 years later and the double ton is within reach of most modern sports bikes.
Great to see the BBC treating the topic in such depth!
Used to hang out at Chelsea Bridge after a night at the Clarendon Club. Nearly died several times on the way to Heston Services. Epic times.
I was a bit too young for all this in the early 60's but I knew many people who rode both bikes and scooters.
My first life changing moment was sitting on the back of a of friends bike back in 1966, it changed my life and when i was old enough ( 1968) got my bike licence.
I have been riding ever since and have owned 78 motorbikes , still love it , still feel that same sence of freedom and still adore that unique feeling of being alone being at one with just you and the bike ...
Long may it continue .
Hi im eighty now and still have great memorys of my bikes the first was a bsa500 with a side car i bought it for 20 quid the next bike was a bsa 650 gold flash with a canterbury side car the rig cost me 36 quid i kept it after i left the RN and went to coventry to join the fire brigade while there i swaped it for a car i showed him the gears and he showed me the gears in the ford concul those were great days between 1958 and 1968 just great.
Happy days. Stuff the tele! Don’t you just love CZcams. Takes me back. My 1st bike was a 1961 BSA Bantam 175cc D7 bought from Queens Park Motors in Salford back in 1966. I’ve have loads of bikes since including a 1971 BSA Rocket 3 did a ton no bother. I’m almost 69 and still ride. Currently have a Fazer 1000 a GS500F I built and currently building a 1956 BSA Golden flash. I love it! I’ll continue to ride as long as I can. I endorse everything said about the British motorcycle industry. Pity they didn’t have the foresight. The market for so called British classics has gone crazy! Still there’s money in them as investments.
I am seventy three years old and still drive my 1956 BSA B31.
God bless. At 64 I started to ride after 40 years away from bikes.
Well I'm only 54 and have a '68 Atlas. You old codgers are so fixed in your ways. Looking for a few guys near New Zealand that want to build a Manx 500 team.
I'm 65 and have a 57 b31 ,early alternator model so ride on fellow pensioner
The only good in British bikes is the sound...Have a triumph trident t150 and enfield bullet 1998 who every you want i give them for free,i keep only my honda CB rs 250 1985,i want to sleep with my mind in peace...
@@ALEXANDERCRETA1 id have the t150 thank you
I have great memories when at the Ace Café on the North Circular Road in Harlesden, the shout came up "Who's coming to the Bee" this was about 1959, when I was 18 with a T110. From the Ace went about 25 of us, on Triumphs, Nortons, BSA Gold Stars and maybe a Vincent and Enfield Constellations, to The Busy Bee on the Watford By-Pass. The coppers used to sit in their new Daimler Darts 250 in side roads in Harrow waiting for us, but we all kept at 30mph, as we knew they would be there, so that pissed them off! but once up to Brooks Hill on the Stanmore road, we went "hell for leather" the fast bikes could easily do the "ton" on the way back down the hill, (the site of many accidents and deaths) The Busy Bee pub was next door to the café, but I never saw a biker going to the pub, especially a they had coffees and meat pies in the café!! I can also remember a few of us going south of the river to Johnsons Café on the A20 at Farningham, a couple of miles from Brands Hatch in Kent. All those lads we got to there know were silly as arseholes like we used to be in north London. I'm in my late 70's now but have very, very great memories of those years in the 50's when after my first bike - a James 122cc, the my Douglas Mk.5 350 cc. this was a very fast bike for a 350cc - it could reach 75mph!!! how times have changed. then to a couple of T110's GREAT memories, made some great friendships, I wonder were they all are now. I lost of few of them on their bikes,
sad times but also BLOODY brilliant times, and would love to do it all again. but unfortunately the Bee & Johnsons have gone now, the Ace is still there - but I bet it's not the same as in the late 50's & 60's. Happy Days.
We lived in Bushey High St next to the Horse and Chains and went to Aldenham(near Elstree air strip) where Lindsay Anderson shot IF which I am in as an extra with all my chums but, the way between them was over the A40 past the Busy Bee. Then it burnt down. Hacking down those roads in a Morgan 1000 cc or on anything with two wheels and a motor. In IF when they pinch that BSA and ride three up through those fields always brings it back. Those 450 Ducati singles were great. I had a Triton T100 in a wide line Feather bed. Hottest looking bike in Nth London.Red and Silver, not chrome, polished Ali. Mot the Hoople at the Watford Tech and the Angels turn up. My first acid trip, so this dark mood swept through the place, "the Angels are here, the Hells Angels are here" so I trip out front to see who they were and they're all standing round MY BIKE! Then they all went inside and formed a line and started that rockers dance. The Angels all line dancing! It was as camp as a row of tents! Then we saw EASY RIDER and Hendrix turned up and that was the end of the era. Really liked your post Derek. You didn't ride a Royal Enfield and hang out with Nick Siddall? PS IF is on Utube. Nick had a Triton with a chrome frame. That was in style back then, remember?
The Rozers had Black Miria's as I remember. Happy days.
Hi @@orley104, Do you think a black Maria could catch a couple of dozen ton-up racers? Even the Daimler Darts couldn't keep up with us on the bendy roads.
@@derekhartley5157 Damn, you guys must have been flying! I only did the tun ONCE. On the other side of the A40 past Elstree, Raddlet way. I wound my Triton T100 Wideline out and hung on. Long sweeping turns on a duel carriageway. We had Velocettes and an old Sunbeam with a double adult side car that we smashed up so badly down in Corwall that the chair got left in a ditch. We had an old Norton 600 single with a bullet s/car. Great bikes for 10 or 20 quid back then.
There is a building standing where Johnson's cafe once was with a remembrance notice. A couple of miles down the road on the A20 there's a proper bikers cafe called the oakdene,well worth a trip.
I remember trading in my Ariel Arrow for a secondhand Triumph 500 that cost me 70 pounds which was all I could afford but desperately lusting after a new Suzuki six which I couldn't afford but which I really wanted. Now of course I ride an old Triumph by choice for no other reason than eccentric perversity. This great programme really does bring home the magic of riding vintage machines along with such a fascinating historical legacy.
My brother has a 1974 Suzuki 500 Titan that I would love to get my hands on,but I'm not familiar with the Suzuki Six.
My elder brother was a rocker ,he used to ride a red coloured royal Enfield in the sixties .
I suppose he must have influenced me as a kid, because I became a biker when I became 16 and have been riding motorcycles all my life . I'm now 64 and have toured around many parts of the world on different bikes ,and really enjoyed it , and all the friends I have made ,and a few I have lost along the way .
I suppose that it must be true , motorcycles , become part of your life , long may it continue !
Merci Messieur, pour votre rapport. Quelle temps joyeux fut les 60' en Grand Bretagne!
I love to feel the freedom the bikers sought and found in their tribe, and taht is obviously still alive today. Thanks for this beautiful documentary!
I am 63years old. And I ride 84`〝Yamaha XS400seca〟. This is Japanese middle 〝Twin cylinders engine〟.But，This is very fun motorcycle.
Triumph Motorcycles are the biggest British vehicle manufacturer in the UK. Fabulous!
Made in Thailand...hardly British...
@@korky7775 Sadly this is true although they are designed in the UK.
I´ll never forget my first ever "Ton". Such a buzz.
OK what was HER name🤣
@@pogmothoin1342 T140V Bonnieville 1976 model.
I'm 64 and unfortunately don't ride anymore.But did my riding through the 70's and 80's.20 years of dispatch riding,left a regular job to do it.BEST 20 YEARS EVER.My life in those days lived and dreamed bikes.Bought every bike mag: going.Met my girlfriends around bikes,they loved it.Met my wife who liked riding around on it,even though she owned a car.GREAT DAYS.Comradery around bikes, second to none.BIKER GIRLS THE HOTTEST,LONG HAIR,TIGHT JEANS,LEATHER JACKETS.Back to youth.
I lived through the 60s as a kid. Come the 70s I was well into bikes, bikers and rock'n'roll. Still at it now, only with my own bike, an 883 Harley sportster.
My Mum was a Mod in the late 60's, loves scooters with all the mirrors, Northern Soul and Motown, and all that stuff, she's never been too pleased that her son grew up to like Motorbikes, rock music, and leather and denim lol. To be fair I do like the Mod stuff too.
Markorollo, I've been into bikes my whole life (I'm 55 now) and currently own a triumph triple but when they have the "mods n rockers" weekends in Hunstanton, not far from where I live, it's great to what some of those guys do with their scooters. It's quite funny now cos we're just a bunch of old farts who get out of breath drinking tea but we are all there to support each other, have a great time and raise a few quid for local charities.
Im 66 and still riding.
Rode a BSA 650 cafe racer in those days. Still riding today on something a little more modern, but now a bit more carefully! Almost 70 now, but I can still get my leg over and do "the ton" down the local bypass..
Jack the Joker here @ 71 still riding a retired New Orleans LA Po;ice Road King rode pre unit Triumphs in the 60's out in SF Bay area had a Bonneville that would peg the the speedo often .... still in love with two wheel feeling
I missed the rocker hayday by a few short years, but to my juvenile eyes British bikes always seemed like antiques - noisy, oily, delicate, unreliable - and untidy. Then, my elder brother came home with a brand new black Honda CB160 twin and I knew I was looking at the future of motorcycling. Despite its modest 161cc engine capacity, it could crack 80mph and sustain cruising speeds mile after mile that would leave a British 350 in need of a rebuild within a month. It had electric start, mirrors, rev-counter, twin-leading -shoe brakes, and optional indicators. A complete package. At that time you'd be hard-pressed to get 10,000 miles out of a British bike before a fundamental rebuild, despite its modest revs, but Hondas seemed unbreakable thanks to huge roller bearings and much finer tolerances. The programme mentions that British manufacturers didn't listen to youth, but in truth they didn't listen to anyone, they just went on turning out basically the same old junk in the 1960's that they'd manufactured in the 1930's. Edward Turner's parallel twin for Triumph being a case in point. They just enlarged the capacity and tuned them up and reliability fell off a cliff. There seemed to be such a lack of research and development, innovation, and inward investment that the British industry seemed to have a death wish. And that death came swiftly. Honda arrived in the UK in 1961 to laughter and sneering; yet within 15 years the entire British industry had been deservedly swept away. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki were the new masters of the two-wheeled universe. I wouldn't have a British "classic" today. A Japanese classic is just as collectible, but with the difference that you could still ride the length of the country with almost complete certainty of getting home.
All true. But I'd give anything to have a 1969 through 1972 BSA or Triumph parked next to my SV650 in the garage. I can't get nearly as excited about owning a Japanese bike from that period...
Oh Shut up Teddy.
Awesome video, thank you. Been riding for 40 yrs and gave grim the once over a couple of times, but would not change it for anything. Ridden dirt, sport, cruiser, even a damn scooter - both tame and hairy and loved every minute of it. Only bought my first car about 10 yrs ago. Never had a chance at one of these classics though, but would dearly love to. Sigh - so many bikes, so little time. Oh, and those that enjoyed this and maybe don't know, check out the movie On any sunday.
My father had a US import BSA 650 a65 lightning. He'd tell me all sorts of stories when he was a kid in liverpool. One of them was choosing a song on the jukebox and he'd have to race home and come back to the pub with an LP or something personal before the song ended. He always chosen the longest songs obviously lol. He came back one day with his favorite album. Led zeppelin's first album. Something I have now. Must have been an amazing time to live.
I'm 72 and my Norton "Caff" awaits my new bionic hip to heal up.
I'm now 77... but yes.. l was one of the 'ton up boys'! Riding a BSA plunger frame 650 A10. A group of about 8, we worked together or went to the same technical college. Having access to industrial machine shops... our bikes were superbly customised. Aah! Those were good days.
Eventually 1962 got the bike we all loved a Constellation 700cc twin, all chrome tank guards etc.. still looks great .
BLOODY Heavy though 😔g
Don't we wish we still had our old bikes?l miss my Guzzi T3 from the 70's 🙄
I have ridden my Triumph TR-6 1965 for 40 years. God knows how many miles.
Glad to see this bit on motorcycle history, I was well into it in the U.S.;, rode scrambles, trials, and motocross and was a bike tech for employment. Sold lots of Hondas, Suzukis, and Kawasakis. Some of the smaller bikes were rather utilitarian but the simple thrill of the ride was still there for most persons getting acquainted with the sport. LIked the Rocket IIIs as a big bike, somehow more comfortable than the 750 Honda but lacked electric start in the early models.
I'm 68 and still do "Track Days" at speeds of 170 mph on my Street bike.
I won't say when or where, but there have been more than a few times when I topped 150 mph on the roadways. But I started on the bikes of the 60's, with drum brakes and hard-rubber tires and frames that would flex as I went around curves, and poor suspensions. Riding hard was more like a 'Dance' as your body moved and twisted in unison with the bike.
My bike, now, is a "Naked" bike, with just a small fairing around the handle-bars, in much the same style as the Cafe Bikes.
But I ride with all kinds of other riders... for Professional Road Racers, on twisty mountain roads, to Cruisers on Harleys and Gold-Wings... It all depends on how far I twist the throttle.
Sounds like you needed new swingarm bearings Floyd!
My first ‘big’ bike was a BSA Royal Star, and doing the ton (downhill) was a scary business. My last bike was a 2003 Honda VFR 800, and even 140 felt safe on it.
Teddy boy come Rocker what a life with wild girls, yep 80 now enjoyed that part of my life. only went to the ace once in the 50s.
rock and roll went to all the top 20 dances . always had a chick,
bike head skimmed all ports polished etc etc. top speed on a connie 68 mph with white finger. then 116 mph on Norton. no motorways in those days. yellow shoulder syndrome. that`s when your shoulder is touching the bank coming out of sharp bends, and dandelion season. ha ha. oh well off to the american milk bar for a Knickerbocker Glory see ya Lads. Briddy.
First tonup for myself was on my 77 Bonnieville and then went a buck and a quarter on my 61 harley 900cc Stortster.
Gotta have a twin for that Torque, I use to hate losing power with a headwind or steeping incline, with a twin she'll keep on pulling
I have been riding bikes for 30+ years. Currently going through a phase where I have lost all interest in them and the lifestyle. It was just after a couple of very unsuccessful road trips with alleged mates. I hope I get the urge to ride back again one day? It has been over a decade since I last rode. I just wondered if this or anything like it has ever happened to anyone else? I do get the urge to ride and see some of them I rode with again but due to the pandemic I am having to wait to get the bikes ready, serviced, Mot and road legal. Which of course is half the fun. As with any long journey half the fun is getting there. I have some great memories and photos of tours in UK and abroad. Fantastic bikes and women by the look of it. I was born in '67. Missed it all or mostly.
Was off bikes for 15 years, started riding scooters, had so much fun and they are sociable too but now I have a 750 as well, you'll get there, nothing like cruising around on 2 wheels... Get a Harley, it blow your mind and soul and you won't be lonely!
@@martinkeet8373 I did tours on the GSX1400cc and do have a Dyna 1450cc that needs a service, when the Harley shop can be bothered to get back to me to confirm a date? :0)
Ah memories, 1963 and my first bike bsa Bantam 175cc soon a 350 single pot Goldie. The ace cafe if anything under a 250 it was dumped over the low wall!. the Beehive cafe in Romford the 11 PM ride to Navestock, Oh and Charlie Browns (old N.Circular) a single tea spoon on a chain....Thanks for the memories....
love the way he says we was
I'm 66. Still ride, I have two v-twin cruisers (one is a full dresser), I also have a sport bike and a standard. Won't stop riding until I'm in a bed saying "mommy, is that you"?
I now ride a Triumph cruiser but I still want to get a BSA or Norton to love. I used to own a 750:Commando. My Dad used to ride an Ariel Red Hunter.
I wonder if the fella at 12:10 is still about....he makes me laugh every time :-) Bought my first bike Matchless in 1961 now age 71 my pride and joy is my Honda CBR1000rr which I ride regularly up and around the mountains...love it :-)
@Lord Syphilis Shitsmear what a wanker.
Whippersnapper!
I was a mod second generation early 80s but love watching the films of the originals I love the old 50s and 60s motorbikes Norton's and triumphs interesting must of been great time to live regardless if you were a mod or a rocker 👍😎
Greg fowler, to me 2 wheels is 2 wheels, I was a second generation rocker and I reckon we must be a similar age (55)? I had mates who were rockers, mods, skins, punks, it didn't matter i always thought a lot of the agro was perpetuated by the media to sell papers?
@@sambrooks7862 yeh I'm 53 mate was good times had fun hope ur well stay safe 😎👍
@@gregfowler957 yeah you too greg.
Old good times ❤ templar
the days of mike the bike hailwood ..agostini ..derek minter ,bill ivy etc ,,,it was a magical time for tritons ,swept back pipes rearset pegs and clip ons ,,had a ian southwell triton ,,,a norton500cc dominator ,,,an ajs ,but my love was velloccete .had a venom ,but the thruxton was a masterpiece ,,sold it for a ticket to canada ,,good choice for my family ,,,bad choice for my heart lol ,,,,happy to be 70 ,with a few screws and bolts plus 7 inch plate in my leg ..courtacy of a honda 500cc 2 stroke dirt bike ..and a few beers lol,oohh yeah it all started with a 1959 125 cc lambreta ,,fell off the pos after 3 weeks ,,thats when i got a real bike ,,,, i am 70 now ,,my nephew in england has a vespa and is into the mod scene that is big still in britain ,,,,it was the best time of my life ,,,a thrxuton velocette ,,,19yrs old ,,a girlfriend who was beutiful ,and a apprenticeship that got me work when i emigrated ......thanks to luck that i was born in kings lynn norfolk england ,and never had to go to war ,great years to be a teen in europe
Bikes looked slightly uncomfortable and small back then... compared to how they look now.. I actually slept length ways on my GSX1400 when riding across Spain once and couldn't find a place to bed down for the night.. Feet up over the handlebars, kept open faced lid on head to rest on luggage strapped down on rack.. Been riding all day from dawn to way past dusk.. was pretty exhausted.. Lucky I didn't wriggle.. got a great nights sleep parked up on centre stand off road in middle of big town.. I am 5 10" was perfect for length of bike.. really big seat too.. Couldn't do that with these bikes or comfortably.. although I wouldn't recommend it anyway unless in an emergency or that couldn't be arsed to do anything else mode we all get sometimes..
I think this series may ignore the huge class element ... often you could own a bike where you'd not have a ghost of a chance to own a car.
Bikers came from better off families too. We could afford cars but rebelled and put a finger up to our families. Plus we got the best girls, not the best looking but the best goers as we called them. Then we settled down and had families. Now we are riding modern retros and wondering what happened to those girls.
@@JohnSmith-zv8km I bike british ,but what is the definition of a "GOER"? RideOn Mate.
beautiful bikes and scooter
Many bikers in the UK hate scooters, but many like myself, love both. And some modern maxi scooters, like the TMax are fantastic "bikes" with performance and practicality.
In the day, I would have been one of the lunatic rockers pushing a Norton Dominator to its limits!
great viddy!
My first was a tiger 250. Now at 68 it turned into a1957 t 120 balanced and stroked putting it back togegether.
i was on an ap 50 at 16 in 1978 in tottenham comming down shelbourne road i went past a lorry to turn right on to lansdown rd but he was going right as well he'd just swung out to make the turn! good job he took a gander in his mirror or else id be long john silver by now or even brown bread! . last bike i was on was a cd175. that must have been about 1980 but now at almost 57(in dec) im thinking about getting back in the saddle. and yeah ive always been a rocker! im a muso (guitarist) in2 heavy rock! been on 4 wheels though
A couple of those guys looked like Sonny Barger when he firsts got into the HAMC.Maybe he was prospecting in the UK.
There's nothing like riding british motorcycles...Cars are comfortable, good for families, but the motorcycles are made for men who loves the adventures.
i have just turned 70 have ridden motorbikes since 11 years old,and love them as strongly as ever,changing my bike again this week.my wife and son have bikes,we have two on display in the living room.
@@johnbellamy6449 you're very lucky man
@@johnbellamy6449 you're lucky dude
im 59 had a honda cb 160 at 15 loved it at twenty got 1000j kawasake then went to bonnie t120r glade i got bonnie because if i kept kwakka i would be dead
Ton up boys great times
Thank a lot for these Videos, They were super enjoyable for me as I was a young Teenager during the Fifties and Motorcycles were my biggest passion. In the Videos I saw just about every brand of bike that I have ever owned except my first set of wheels which was a single cylinder 125 c.c. Excelsior. (might have been a Condor model) and had the single spring at the top of the front forks. This got me to work for three of the Five Years that I took my apprenticeship including lots of wet British snow when I would use my boots as a set of skis. Then I got a Veloucette MAC 350 which was shown (or close) on one of the Videos. The Vincent was my dream but in reality, way to expensive for me! During my Veloucette ownership days I discovered Girls and got an old Standard 8 Car which nearly bankrupted me. I've had many Bikes since then and nowadays have a Suzuki DR 650 Trail Rider. Thanks also to the other Commenters on this posting. It's interesting to see so many people passionate about Motor Cycles.
Loved this, oh just takes me right back,i have driven past that ace cafe so many time years ago, but only ever went in once,ar the time i was riding a Benelli 250 cc.til i got married,and she said its the bike or me,it took over 40 years for me to get another bike .a 125 cc Suzuki runaround, such fun though, there is no feeling in the world like riding a motorbike , safely though.
I had a girl then, who aske me if I preferred my bike to her?
I still had the bike when she married someone else.
🐈😂,,, the motorbike comes first ☝️sqeekarse 😝and the bird goes pillion, grow some testicles sweetheart!
ive just got into this and i got to say there is such a style that goes with it super cool
got my dad a cb72 honda dream 250 was a great bike :> didnt realise how cool it was so now want to build one thinking of a cx500 engine tan leather seat um there are a few that looks amazing out there...
at 12 got a c12 heaven
@@peterthomas9513 Bought a C12 on leaving school, fixed it up and rode it to work for a year before a myopic car driver rearranged the frame for me..
Hi , I am 66 yrs. old started riding mini bikes when I was 12 @17 bought a CBHonda 750, and after that two 650 Bonnies, not at the same time. Loved them they were fast and nimble but broke down all the time. Both bikes had the chrome fenders with the space between the rear tire and fender crazy wide (Ugly). Did the earlier Brit bikes (I saw the one that Brando rode in 53) It had the fenders painted and much closer together on the rear fender and rear tire. When did you Brits make all of those changes? Thanks, Mike.
A 19 year old chap I worked with, was one of the victims of the period.
Bought a bike one weekend, went into hospital on the next Saturday night in a coma, came out on Monday in a coffin.
He mixed booze with bikes......! Dumb!
His helmet was strapped firmly to the luggage rack.(Probably to protect his hairstyle.)
Had been married just a few weeks, to an already pregnant wife.
His kid was an orphan before it was born.
I joined the RAF, (1962) and spent most of my time overseas during all this.
When this lot thought London to Brighton, about 60 miles, was along ride, I was riding Gibraltar to London in 48 hours, (1700 miles,) on my annual leave, and back again a couple of weeks later. (Excluding ferry crossing times.)
Fell asleep twice on the first trip home. Started dreaming I was sliding along the road. Took me an hour or two to convince myself I wasn't dreaming. Second time I woke up with a Pickford's tanker truck front wheel, just inches from my left ear!
I race-kitted my 650cc Matchless, which increased its top speed from 90/95 to 120mph, so I could travel faster, and get more sleep.
(No motorways, and no lights, so riding by moonlight at night as the, ''Lucas; King of the Road,'' electric system used to fail in the first 200 miles. Ignition was by separate magneto, fitted by me, providentially so it didnt stop me riding.)
All my 60's Matchless/AJS bikes got stolen, (Death to Bike thieves!) but I still have a couple of standard Norton's, 1953 Model 7 and 1960 Dominator, one partially restored, and one waiting.
So I now have a Honda Pan/1100 shaft drive thats roadworthy to ride.
.
I am 69 near 70 fit active and ride a Beemer K1600 GT and still have no time for those poxy scooters.10/4.
Winston ingram tosser
And then there was Lucas electronics ... aptly named The Prince of Darkness ...
Wico-pacey were the worst, as fitted to Bantams and Frances Barnetts, etc. with the useless "energy transfer" Ha!
gosto dessas motos ,epoca de verdadeiro motoqueiro;;;;nen precizava ter uma mil pra ser o cara ;;
Brit bikes were awesome in the day unfortunately bad management killed them, a design starting with 350 cc ended up at 850cc and blowing up in 5 minutes all because management wouldn't invest in new designs. Bad engineering like this went a long way to trashing Britain's reputation, very sad
What a load of BS
I agree up to a point but the unions had something of a negative effect too.
Glory days not explained enough! What an abrupt delft into the dark side of the bikers which can have in another caption on another video. Irony
my first bike was JAWA 2 stroke 350cc motorcycle
Great show this but did anyone spot the Tardis at 1:40? :)
The Chelsea kiosk was great for tea and pies, it was surreal to look back at it now. One of the lighted bridges I often just went down to look at the reflection of the lights on the river. Ah those days were fab. Unfortunately those bikes that were so molested that they have lost thousands in value as opposed to the factory stock bikes to collectors now. What did we know, we had no future only the now.
If only the British had moved with the times and kept one eye on the future instead the Japanese pulled the rug clean out.
In fairness the new Triumphs and Nortons look gorgeous and seem very well put together. Unfortunately the damage has been done decades ago and trying to claw back sales will be difficult. BMW bikes are going the same way. Watch this space.
@@Jungleland33 Might be able to pull it off, look how Harley-Davidson rebounded after going down the toilet with the unreliable oil-leakers they produced in the 70's & 80's and almost went out of business because they were ran by a corporation that made bowling balls. It took real bikers who knew bikes to turn it around and produce some of the nicest most reliable and innovative bikes in the 90's to the present day. If Norton & Triumph keep the quality up to high standards they might get a niche in the market and be successful.
Indian and Chines bikes are the future sadly apart from niche markets.
Japan and Germany got $multi-millions$ from the USA to rebuild after WW2.
Britain didnt!
A lot of British companies were still using WW1 machinery and methods into the 60's, while Japan and Germany had new numerical machinery, and pressure die casting, instead of sand casting.
Britain didnt finish paying the USA for its war loans until 2006!
With a friend like the USA, Britain doesn't need enemies.
Back in '72-73, I was pulling wrenches in a bikeshop in Ottawa, Canada, (called KC Cycles.) The owners- Fred Kolman and Peter Cross- raced motorcycles on ice. I would meet them at 8 am/ open up the shop- then they would leave/ come back at closing time. (So, I worked by myself. There was an electric buzzer on the showroom door, when that goes off, I goes to the showroom/ partscounter to see what they wanted.
A guy came in, (perhaps late twenties/ early thirties)- he said:
"I am not a customer- so I don't want to waste your time- could you spare a few minutes to answer a questionaire for me? I have been hired by the BRITISH MOTORCYCLING INDUSTRY- to tour motorcycle shops in Canada and the United States- to find out what north american bikers want."
!?! What- hell yes!
To the parts counter/ answer his questions- then over a cup of coffee, we chatted. I mentioned to him- that I was currently riding a Triumph Bonny T120R, (acquired from a previous dealer. And I asked him: Why is the Triumph Bonny so popular?
He laughed and replied: "It's the shape of the fuel tank."
Here is my problem: I cannot recall that man's name- could it have been Alan Cathcart?
Somebody reading this- might know, and post it here?
'scuse me- that was the BRITISH MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURES ASSOCIATION.
Sadly before my time but my best mate's dad was a "ton up boy" he helped me go racing on my LC....rip Ken
The British motorcycle industry started to go pear shaped with appearance on the scene of the Honda CB750 Four in 1969 - the British machines really started to look outdated.
I started riding in 1971, on a Honda 750....why?... because, here in Australia, British bike dealers were disappearing fast, but you could buy a Japanese bike in just about any reasonable sized town....
My father still has an 82' cb900f.
I'd love to see the original 750 in person though
Welllll, the introduction of Japanese bikes didn't exactly spell the end of Brit bikes; Enfield soldiered on with its thumpers, and now offers a decent-looking twin; and Triumph is still around. Wish I'd kept my Brit stuff!
@@-Jason-L Triumph died a couple times. Other marques died off completely, and the entire industry was always getting shuffled around like a deck of cards. Personally, I'd like to see a revival of Ariel -- a Square Four that's honest to the original. In America, a great many marques died off, leaving Harley and Indian (and Indian has died several times, as well. Harley, very nearly so, in AMF days.) I'd personally like to revive the old Thor brand, basing it around the Nimbus in-line four. It wouldn't be a "sport bike" capable of going 200 mph while being driven by some kid wearing a swimsuit and flip flops; it would be a laid-back cruiser with rock-solid reliability, and an "antique" simplicity.
My first bike a Norton jubilee sixty miles a hour vibrated so much the head light fell out but a Norton ss now that was sum thing else.
And London today!!
In reality it was a golden age for British made bikes but compared to today the reliability was in general dire and the handling was something that would be considered weird now. ‘Ton up Boys” was the label for the riders but rarely did they make that figure. Still, nostalgia is a great thing because it causes us to remember the positive over the negative.
Brilliant,, @1:38 bloke carrying a passenger and another in the sidecar, all this with L plates on,, my, how times have changed.
Does anybody remember the other vicar who used a Vellocett at the 59.
My mum used to hang out with these guys and believe or not the local vicar was s ton up boy , I must have inherited her love of bikes she still surprises me even now , oh I saw Jeff file at such and such track it's like what the F lol
Aye, the love of bikes does seem to run in the family!
The English motorcycle comes first 🇬🇧🏍️and the woman comes as a pillion, as the second ride 😍👍xk
Nicaraguan 'Motorizados' are the possible next chapter to this series. Given the wealth taken from the 'Rich' by govt communism, Motorizados were able to buy their motorcycles...from China. As the reality of killing the 'golden goose' set in, the tires (sold at fair market price) were the big expense to replace. Forcibly taking another biker's ride by violence, became an acceptable way to obtain parts. As a result, Biker groups were formed, traveling together to protect each other.
Every day 1950s for me
terry by twinkle, song, very appropriate, terry was from my neighbourhood. i don't know if i ever met him, but i know the roundabout he ploughed into, from the song. small world ?
Mods and Rockers!
I'm looking for Triumph Bonneville NPA 699D , A 1966 model , My cousin who is now 73 bought it new from the Comerfords advert in June 1966 and it was delivered to Llandudno Junction railway station. I would love the present owner to get in touch
this was the begining make no mistake,the rockers ton up boys started all this ......never forget!!!!!
Ha ha ha ha ha - BS!
Toute une époque
Ive often wondered was the mod rocker hatred that bad or did they ever mix and have a laugh together
I never got into the english bikes..heres why..
I started riding motorcycles in 68. Honda and Kawasaki‘s then Suzukis then Yamaha‘s then Guzzi’s.. right now, a Goldwing in the garage beside my Guzzi Norge.I’ve had quite a few motorcycles since 68..
I never had an English motorcycle because I knew guys that had them in the 60s & 70s when I was in high school, those guys would wear themselves out kicking, kicking, kicking trying to start those machines sometimes.One had a 650 BSA..Another one had a 441 bsa,another one had a triumph Bonneville..
Those guys always had trouble starting those machines. I saw the BSA 441 not start after trying to start it off & on for about an hour. My friend left it sitting at the gas station with the owners permission overnight. The next day, it started on the first kick.. that is the only reason I never got into English motorcycles or Harleys.
A buddy of mine, we both worked at the same motorcycle dealership, he was a mechanic. Yamaha/Suzuki..But he owns a triumph Daytona 500, and a BSA 441 Victor. He rides them occasionally, they are both in excellent condition, I mean people try to buy them from him all the time.
I asked him one day why the hell he rides those relics when he knows better.
He said this
When you hop on a Honda or a Suzuki or any Japanese motorcycle, you know it’s going to start right now, you know it’s going to get you to where you want to go and back with no problems. That’s not exciting. no challenge...He said what’s exciting is, going on a 100 mile ride by yourself on a BSA 441.. you never know if it’s gonna start again, you don’t know what’s going to fall off or break, you better know your stuff if you’re going to go for a ride on one of these things. You better know exactly how it works, how to work on it, and carry the tools needed to do roadside repairs, or you may not be getting home that night. He said that’s what’s exciting, it’s satisfying to know that you can keep it running long enough to make it out and back... it is even more exciting if I do not carry my cell phone..
I am wondering ...do you think that "Rockers" and their" rolling along" came up with the term ROCK and ROLL.?? or at least that is where the term evolved .
Modern riders should remember the "brakes" of the time were utter, utter shite (road race 4LS drums and similar excepted) and part of riding was planning your stops WELL in advance and using engine compression braking to assist the feeble binders. Most machines were fairly docile handlers but but manufacturers despised innovation when it came to brakes. If you do buy an old machine, find an old timer to help set up your brakes or read how online! The last few mechanics who wrenched these bikes when they were new are dying and will be gone soon. Find a good mentor if you would follow in their highly skilled footsteps.
I suspect most of the old bike brakes were neglected and ill adjusted, while some were just useless anyway. I remember coming home on my Flash on a hot day and just grabbing big handfuls of brake and locking the front wheel and skidding the front tyre on the hot tarmac, just for fun.
Noise, danger, dirt,and discomfort, " dunno it dont bover me "
You meet the nicest people on a Honda...😉
Of course!
Maybe you'll meet me one day.
I guess I'm a "Mocker," to use Ringo's term. I like motorcycles first and foremost, but like scooters too.
If it's got 2 wheels it's alright, nuff said.
Sounds good to me. A 76 year old who has (and rides) both.
@@Hithere-ek4qt 69, here.
nothing more beautiful ...67" Triumph 650 t120 bonnie,,,nothing
Forget that Mods -v- Rockers conflict - it was all hyped up by the press at the time. What I can't abide is those ying-ding-ding two-strokes, motorcycles or scooters - I had a few of those bikes back in the 70s and they were all unreliable. It's not natural to mix oil with petrol! Wait for the backlash from all those Villiers fans!
Not having owned strokers, when bikes were transportfor me and countless others, and not 'lifestyle accessories', I somehow got to this day and age, and as strokers are virtually extinct, I realised that they were a valid part of history so thought I would have a go before its too late. Hindsight being what it is, ying ding is truly OK. So, like history repeating, when 70's UJM's were a boring fug, both genres are now accepted as cool and relevant. Cool, meh, but I get the relevant bit, and big time. I wonder what my 74 RD350 A would have made some of the Ace boys feel like, BITD if my time machine allowed me to go back and lend it to the more savvy ones....?
@@laszlofyre845 They'd have thought it was from the future, iirc 110mph top speed, I learnt on an RD250 which did around 95 which was good enough to keep up with the rockers on tritons around here, my next bike was a 400/4 Honda which actually handled and had brakes for that 75 period which started pissing off my older Brit bike mates who couldn't believe how quick and stable the bike was. I blew the rd250's head shortly after passing the test and by then it blew out more smoke than a steam train as the 2t pump seemed to be chucking in too much oil, that was the point I decided no more strokers with fouled plugs for me and have been on big jap four cylinder bikes ever since, in fact just back from a quick 100 miles on my ZX9R at 5pm, 64 years young lol.
I'm mainly a four stroke guy but my GT185 brings a smile to my face with its peaky rapidity. .two strokes definitely have their place
@@davecullen5986 I had a mate who had one, then he graduated to an X7 which was an eye opener at the time as it was as quick as my 400.
I had Honda’s and the fun I had was to turn the switch on press the button on the handle bar immediately switch off . Put my thumb in my mouth wait till someone asked what’s wrong I’d say it kicked back on me