AVIATION AND MOTORCYCLES

[Captain]

Many that I know who are flying have at one time or are presently into motorcycles.

 

I know that I am.

 

I wonder how many of forum members fit this profile?

 

Care to comment?

 

Regards Geoff

 

R1150 GS Adventure ............. but sold a CB1300F to fund the J

 

 

[Student Pilot]

XLV750, XT500 and a shed full of others.

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

Triumph Sprint ST955 & thinking about an Aprilia RS250 for track days

 

 

[hiperlight]

At present I have a Yamaha AG100 and a Yamaha Big Bear 4x4 quad...do they count? In a previous life in the 1950's my old man classified me as a 'Temporary Australian'. I had a Harley outfit, an Indian outfit, a Triumph 500 Speed Twin solo, a Triumph 650 Thunderbird with a Murphy sidecar, and access to a BSA Gold Flash, a Red Hunter Ariel, a Square Four Ariel plus others I can't remember.

 

Bruce hiperlight

 

 

[Captain]

You're in Bruce.

 

 

[Ultralights]

Honda CBR250RR Repsol replica

 

BMW F650GS Dakar

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

I had the old Suzuki PE175. Ended up in hospital for a long long time after a major crash. Bike was totalled. I was on morphine for a long time so that was the end of that. I stick to my old mans Suzuki Vinson quad now on the farm. Four wheels make one heck of a difference!:)

 

 

[Yenn]

BSA M20.

 

I repaired and rode them in the army REME in the 1950's Good old machines 500cc with about as much power as a BSA Bantam but they kept going when all the others stopped. Girder forks gave a rough ride especially across country. Since then I had a Yamaha for a few years and that put me off bikes.

 

 

[BigPete]

Hey guys,

 

I had a BSA Bantam. Wouldn't pull the skin off custard. THEN - ex Navy (WWII) fitter and turner got his hands on it.

 

Lightened the flywheel, shaved the head, enlarged and polished the ports, tuned the exhaust (kept cutting off one inch at a time).

 

It went like bloody hell, 70 MPH in 2nd gear, scarred the you know what out of me (well I was only 14 at the time). Great fun.

 

I did have a few other bikes later on, but just the usual jap mid range stuff.

 

regards

 

 

[hiperlight]

You know, it's a bad sign when one reminiscents about the past. Tonight I've had a good dose of anti-oxidant in the form of a few or more glasses of a good red wine, so I figure I'm entitled.

 

I seem to remember that I reckoned I was due for a big spill from a motorcycle when I sold my bikes and removed the supercharger from my 1192cc VW. My girl friend and Icame toa mutual agreement that if I wanted a life of sex with her, they (and flying) had to go.

 

I seem to recall that Tiger Moths, Chipmunks and Austers cost about three pounds seventeen shillings and sixpence an hour and my salary was about eleven hundred and fifty pounds a year. John Laws had a Berkeley SA322 sports car with an 322cc British Anzani motorcycle engine, and he was being paid 100 quid a week -whew!

 

We have been married now for more than 46 years and our four daughters range from 45 to 36.

 

After a few years and a little coercion I found I could 'have my cake and eat it too' - so to speak.

 

Back to motorbikes...in the late sixties (I think) a friend lent me his Honda CB750 four. A brute of a machine...like stuff off a teflon shovel in a straight line with a inbuilt desire to fall into corners. One had to 'pump iron' on a regular basis to pick it up if it fell over.

 

That'll do for now...the anti-oxidant is wearing off.

 

Bruce

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Bruce, I get my wine, cakes,food and wife and get to have it all!;)

 

 

[BlueSideUp]

My girl friend and Icame toa mutual agreement that if I wanted a life of sex with her, they (and flying) had to go.

 

Now that is tough. How many years did it take you to talk that situation around ?.

 

BlueSideUp

 

 

[hiperlight]

Darren-me-old-mate...good for you...but when you've 'harrowed the land that I've ploughed', give me another call.

 

Bruce

 

 

[hiperlight]

BlueSideUp,

 

Sixteen years before I bought another bike...I needed it to muster sheep, didn't I?

 

The flying bit was easier...I was an 'approach/departures' controller from 1961 at Sydney Airport and I had to keep up with flying for my job, or so the story went.

 

That was around about the time the #10 pickle jar was full of dried peas.

 

In 1976 I started helicopter training. By this time the kidswere asking why we were keeping so many jars of dried peas, so we dumped them. If we had continued putting peas in jars we would have cornered the market for peas...and pickle jars! So the records are lost!

 

Bruce

 

 

[pylon500]

MOTOR BIKES!? :ah_oh:

 

Bugger that!, those things are dangerous!

 

I'll stick to ultralights and Hang Gliders. ;)

 

Arthur.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

'harrowed the land that I've ploughed'

 

Ha ha ha. Love it Bruce.

 

 

[Guest pecram air]

Yep, I still ride a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500. Long live the cruisers.

 

 

[hiperlight]

Darren

 

I'll see you at The Oaks sometime.

 

Bruce

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

That would be good Bruce. I will be there Saturday (probably in Sunny's Drifter) and most likely Tuesday when I will take my uncle for a fly in the Jabiru. Would be good to meet and have a chat/fly.:)

 

 

[hiperlight]

Hello there BigPete

 

A mate of mine had a Beesa Bantam in about 1952 I think. He had to dismount and walk it up anything that looked like a hill. I've known motorised pushbikes to perform better.

 

70mph in second gear!!!! That was also its terminal speed if you dropped it from an aircraft at 3000 feet.

 

My AG100 is flat chat at about 60 kph, but with five gears I reckon it would out accelerate a mid 1950's 650 Trump Thunderbird to 60 kph.

 

Bruce

 

 

[BigPete]

Hi Bruce,

 

I have very fond memories of going up to my Uncle's sheep station (up past Wentworth NSW) and rounding up sheep on his muser bike.

 

The year was about 1967 and the bike was a Honda 125cc twin. It was (after the BSA, but before the hot up job) to me awesome.

 

It had:

 

TWO cylinders,

 

FOUR gears,

 

ELECTRIC start,

 

FRONT brakes,

 

WORKING Speedo,

 

and it didn't leak OIL everywhere and

 

ALWAYSstarted 1st time. It never failed.

 

Jezz I loved that bike.

 

regards

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

My dad and I used to chase camels back in the early 80's out at Louth NSW (near Cobar). I think it was an old Honda (was red). Would love to find out what sort.

 

 

[River]

Ok 'team', looks like this area is quite a goer... and yep, me too re motorcycles.

 

I've lost count but just about everything from a bicycle fitted with my dads old lawn mower engine... solo's and sidecars, two and four stroke egnines, road, track, trials, enduro,motocross and stunt events over the past 45 years... They have been a great experience but recreational aviation is err, hmmm, more enjoyable and yet relaxing in a individuality type of way(gee, that's a big word ).

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Captain]

Do you think a couple of pics might be in order ... spanning the years from the ancient to the modern?

 

But 1st a question for Bruce. I may have missinterpreted your note, however do you think that some of us may have possibly harrowed the same furrow (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say-no-more). If so, how about the post your little black book on this forum and we'll let you know.

 

Captain

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Student Pilot]

The bloke on the Jap looks familiar, where'd you do the short circuit? Looks like it might have been a year or two ago.

 

Got a picture here of an old bloke who should know better, he give it a gutfull and the wheel bounced off the ground.