Where are all the Brit bikes?
- Thread starter Greaser
- Start date
whataulooknat
Been Around the Block
Speaking of Brit bikes I wish my old man still had is 68' 650 BSA may she rest in peace.
midnightcafe
Been Around the Block
getting fixed on the side of the road...
RedPlastic
make it rain bitches
im too poor and not patient enough to own one...
There are all the obvious factors that keep a lot of us in Japanese aluminum, not the least of which is availability, both in terms of quantity of bikes out there and the prices they demand vs. European models.
I think suggesting they're less reliable than bikes of other origins is a little bit of a red herring, considering all the problems all of us have with our Japanese bikes
Like you say - it's all about keeping them maintained, and frankly, riding a lot. I firmly believe the more you ride a bike the fewer problems you'll ever have.
Would be interesting to know how many British vs Japanese bikes were sold in North America say from 1960-1980. I'd bet the mix of bikes on the site is similar to that ratio.
I think suggesting they're less reliable than bikes of other origins is a little bit of a red herring, considering all the problems all of us have with our Japanese bikes
Like you say - it's all about keeping them maintained, and frankly, riding a lot. I firmly believe the more you ride a bike the fewer problems you'll ever have.
Would be interesting to know how many British vs Japanese bikes were sold in North America say from 1960-1980. I'd bet the mix of bikes on the site is similar to that ratio.
Maritime
Over 10,000 Posts
Well Said Tim, The more I ride my bikes the better they work, I do all the required maintenance and have very few problems. The worst thing you can do to a bike is let it sit. That being said, I have a 79 Honda GL1000 ($1000) and an 81 CM400/450T Hybrid ($650). I have these bike because I could afford them and they are dead simple to keep on the road. I would love to own some other bikes but I just can't afford the retarded prices. So I ride the shit out of both my Honda's, 8-9000 Km a season minimum on both. I lust for a Ducati, or a Guzzi. I would Kill for the new Triumph Sprint GT, but I am poor. I ride what I can afford, and sadly that excludes Brit or Italian or German bikes, because around here, they go for $$$ way above the Japanese bikes of the same era, and generally are basket cases when for sale. I was on the local Kijiji and the was an 81 R100RS?? Oil head twin anyway I think, pulled out of storage of 10 years, engine runs but all brakes don't work, tires are shot, lots of other problems and the asking price was $2500. I got my GL1000 registered, running on the road ready to ride with very minor maintenance to do for $1000. Sad thing is the guy will get the asking price for the BMW. Triumphs, rusty shit boxes go for $3000, a norton frame is 2-3000 here. So that probably answers the where are all the brit bikes. We regular folks can't afford them here. As for reliability, it depends on the person maintaining the bike for sure.
Well I am a bit drunk so my .02 may be skewed too ;D
Well I am a bit drunk so my .02 may be skewed too ;D
if i saved up enough I would be able to afford a brit bike, but then It would sit for a year as I saved up enough for all the tools, then once I got it running it would sit for another year as I saved up enough cash to buy all the oil it would burn
in that time, I could own and ride about 30 hondas and spend much less money
just joshing, they are great bikes, but a bit too pricy and IMHO too nice to do anything else to then restore. I don't mind tearing apart and modding an old cb350, but to do the same to an old commando or gold star would be a bit heart wrenching, and knowing myself I'd be unable to leave it stock.
not to mention that I've developed a bit of a brand loyalty to Honda's since working on them for 3 years or so now...
in that time, I could own and ride about 30 hondas and spend much less money
just joshing, they are great bikes, but a bit too pricy and IMHO too nice to do anything else to then restore. I don't mind tearing apart and modding an old cb350, but to do the same to an old commando or gold star would be a bit heart wrenching, and knowing myself I'd be unable to leave it stock.
not to mention that I've developed a bit of a brand loyalty to Honda's since working on them for 3 years or so now...
ThomasShannon
New Member
Very fond of British motorcycles, but that being said.. when I do get the money I'm going to have to get a Ducati. Always had a really big place in my heart. Love them.
Yeah, thats actually what Im saying....I do have poor mechanical skills which I am trying to developGreaser said:Mines is quite reliable. I even tour on it. The only reason for a bike to be "unreliable" is poor mechanical skills.
I thought you guys were all about DIY and riding?
ProSimex
RUN SCREAMING!!!
Show me a brit bike I can afford and I'll be all over it. My friends BSA rocket 3 is what really turned me on to bikes. Brit bikes are why I like air cooled twins. Look at an XS650. There is a reason why its so popular, and thats cus its a british bike made in Japan.
We are all about D.I.Y. and riding, thats what this forum is about. We arnt however in a position to spend more then a buck a CC in most cases.
And reliabily is in the eye of the boholder, my XS leaks oil, pops at low speed, and stalls at lights. But I think its "reliable" enough to commute an hour each way to work everyday.
We are all about D.I.Y. and riding, thats what this forum is about. We arnt however in a position to spend more then a buck a CC in most cases.
And reliabily is in the eye of the boholder, my XS leaks oil, pops at low speed, and stalls at lights. But I think its "reliable" enough to commute an hour each way to work everyday.
The idea that Brit bikes are too expensive is...rubbish. If you know where to look the deals are still to be had. Also, during my rebuilding, I sourced 99% of my parts from the UK namely Norvil and RGM Motors. It was 1) cheaper tot he tune of 1/3 the cost, importing and shipping included compared to domestic parts. and 2) on average much fast with an average of 7 days from the time I placed and order to the time I picked it up at the post office.
I found Canadian suppliers would send the parts still wrapped in Norvil or RGM packaging with an address label pasted over top the original UK labels. Then they would charge me UK retail, plus UK shipping and handling then charge me a significant mark up and Canadian shipping and handling. My timing chains were about $90Cdn from domestic suppliers but after sipping and handling, currency exchange etc, they were about $30 Cdn from the UK. My belt drive was approx $300 (in my hands!) from RGM Motors but the least expensive I could find here in Canada or the USA was at least $700 before shipping, handling and taxes!
Also, I would wait approx 3-9 weeks for parts from Canadian suppliers! They would wait until they had a big enough order, order from the UK and then ship it by ground to me across the country. Makes for a slow, expensive rebuild.
I've also seen failry complete Commando rolling basket cases for $1000. Now with most Nortons, the engine is fairly simple to rebuild, not much more complex than a lawn mower. You will want to split the cases anywyas to put in Superblend bearings, check the crank bolts and use a proper sealant.
I found Canadian suppliers would send the parts still wrapped in Norvil or RGM packaging with an address label pasted over top the original UK labels. Then they would charge me UK retail, plus UK shipping and handling then charge me a significant mark up and Canadian shipping and handling. My timing chains were about $90Cdn from domestic suppliers but after sipping and handling, currency exchange etc, they were about $30 Cdn from the UK. My belt drive was approx $300 (in my hands!) from RGM Motors but the least expensive I could find here in Canada or the USA was at least $700 before shipping, handling and taxes!
Also, I would wait approx 3-9 weeks for parts from Canadian suppliers! They would wait until they had a big enough order, order from the UK and then ship it by ground to me across the country. Makes for a slow, expensive rebuild.
I've also seen failry complete Commando rolling basket cases for $1000. Now with most Nortons, the engine is fairly simple to rebuild, not much more complex than a lawn mower. You will want to split the cases anywyas to put in Superblend bearings, check the crank bolts and use a proper sealant.
Other things I did to save money: make my won gaskets. Roll of gasket paper is cheap and it only takes a few minutes to make even complex gaskets, like a timing cover gasket. I used a lot of SAE and metric fasteners on my bike as a convenience. A set of taps and dies and normal tools. Also the weird Brit tools I did need were sourced from Norvil for a fraction of the cost of getting them domestically.
It is strange for me to see you guys having not problem whipping up homemade parts for a Honda, splitting and rebuilding these bikes (which are much more complex than a Brit) but then shying away from the Brit bikes with pretty lame excuses. If you can take apart a 30 year old Japanese OHC power plant you'd have no problem with a classic Brit.
It is strange for me to see you guys having not problem whipping up homemade parts for a Honda, splitting and rebuilding these bikes (which are much more complex than a Brit) but then shying away from the Brit bikes with pretty lame excuses. If you can take apart a 30 year old Japanese OHC power plant you'd have no problem with a classic Brit.
Maritime
Over 10,000 Posts
With me here in the Maritimes there just isn't the rolling basket case available to start with, they are all 2,000 and up for any noton, triumph or BSA. But I have seen 1 that was actually priced below 1000 but it got snapped up in about 30 seconds. Basket case Japanese bikes are around every corner. The main difference for the japanese bikes being done in these parts. That being said with the 15 year rule I guess I could import a UK bike for cheap and get to it! Thanks for the heads up on the parts importing info. I source a lot of parts for my X-Trail out of UK because they have way more of them over there than we do here. I always keep my eyes on kijiji and the classifieds for a brit bike deal, have yet to find one though.
Cheers,
Maritime
Cheers,
Maritime
No Brit bike hate here! Like many have said, its an availability issue. In my area, old Brit bikes basically don't exist. I'd love to build one, but I'm not willing to wait months for one to pop up on craigslist. If I were given the opportunity though, I'd build one for sure.
