126 replies to this topic

[larryd]

Larry, what were you thinking?

Sorry Russ - it's a tractor.

And - if you read Ken Kavanagh , an unreliable tractor, as it left Bracebridge Street!!

Plus - they never looked as bright and shiny as that . . . . . .

Edited by larryd, 20 September 2010 - 22:37.

[roger382]

Sorry Russ - it's a tractor.

And - if you read Ken Kavanagh , an unreliable tractor, as it left Bracebridge Street!!

Plus - they never looked as bright and shiny as that . . . . . .

A TRACTOR ???!!! Agreed the Manx wasn`t as pretty as a G50, but it was built to do a job, not win a beauty contest ! I only ever raced a Manx once, the 1976 Senior MGP where it finished the first Manx home, ok, I was 26th (but the 9th thumper!). I loved my 382 Aermacchi, but that Manx, the Ray Petty Manx that Percy May won the 500cc British Championship on in 1971, was the best, solo, racing motorcycle that I ever rode / raced (between 1965 ~ 1980). I will forever be thankful to my, sadly late, best friend David Whittaker for the loan of that BEAUTIFUL motorcycle. So there, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, that`s my two pennies worth anyway.

Keep the memories coming
Roger

[Russell Burrows]

A TRACTOR ???!!! Agreed the Manx wasn`t as pretty as a G50, but it was built to do a job, not win a beauty contest ! I only ever raced a Manx once, the 1976 Senior MGP where it finished the first Manx home, ok, I was 26th (but the 9th thumper!). I loved my 382 Aermacchi, but that Manx, the Ray Petty Manx that Percy May won the 500cc British Championship on in 1971, was the best, solo, racing motorcycle that I ever rode / raced (between 1965 ~ 1980). I will forever be thankful to my, sadly late, best friend David Whittaker for the loan of that BEAUTIFUL motorcycle. So there, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, that`s my two pennies worth anyway.

Keep the memories coming
Roger

Hi Roger, got any pics?

[Rennmax]

Sorry Russ - it's a tractor.

And - if you read Ken Kavanagh , an unreliable tractor, as it left Bracebridge Street!!

Plus - they never looked as bright and shiny as that . . . . . .

Hi Larry, in Mick Walker's 'Manx Norton' book there is foreword contributed by Ken Kavanagh and I would like to refer to one of the passages
Quote
Maintenance was almost nil; check the tappet clearance, adjust the chains, blow up the tyres. A whole European season could be done with three sets of valve springs, two spare valves, some spare rings and one big-end -maybe no more than fifty quid- and it could be overhauled in anybody's backyard with a few spanners. Some riders didn't even bother to change the gear ratio, for on going over to the Continent they fitted the 'Europa gears'
Unqote

He is quite critical of the finish of the Manx bikes as soon as AMC got more and more influence though

Edited by Rennmax, 21 September 2010 - 15:34.

[Rennmax]

Godfrey Nash , Renn ???

Yep, in Opatija

[terryshep]

Sorry Russ - it's a tractor.

And - if you read Ken Kavanagh , an unreliable tractor, as it left Bracebridge Street!!

Plus - they never looked as bright and shiny as that . . . . . .

Larry, leaving aside Ken K., surely you can't possibly have ridden a Manx, no-one who has would ever refer to it as a tractor! I am fed up with this comparison with the G50 as well: unless you welded in the extra tubes from the swingarm area to the top tube, they writhed all over the place. I don't care if the G50/7R was 'prettier' than the Manx- though I would dispute that - a paint job did not make a racing bike.

A G50 or 7R did tend to be oil-tight, I'll admit that, they did offer a softer ride - if that matters - and they were quite a lot lighter than a Norton but they did not handle as well as a Norton. I would remind you that in the days when these bikes were current, a G50 never got a sniff of the TT fastest laps. I mean in the days of the real Manxes and G50s, not the present day CNC-engineered and titanium-framed versions which lap the current considerably improved and eased TT circuit.

AMC's models were a fine choice if you were setting off for a full Continental season - practically zero maintenance, adequate performance, smart looking bikes. However, if you were doing the British circuits and the occasional GPs and you wanted to be at the cutting edge, you chose Nortons.

In case you accuse me of bias, I admit it!

Edited by terryshep, 21 September 2010 - 17:34.

[roger382]

Hi Roger, got any pics?

Hi Russ, Got pics but afraid they`re all on real photographic paper...... ~ Manx Norton..Aermacchi..Olympus OM1..Nikon F4s..F6.. I know.. I`m a self-confessed dinosaur. The laptop is about my limit of modern technology ! Agree 101% with `terrysheps` observation on the Manx v G50 debate, ride / race a Manx and you will understand, though you would need the bumps, potholes, and adverse cambers of the 1950/60/70`s Mountain to really appreciate the wonders of Bracebridge Streets finest. Still think that some of the most beautiful racers came from Italy though, the Italians built them from the heart, we built them on the advice of the accountants ! But if I was given the chance to do a lap of the Mountain again on either my 382Aermacchi or a 500 Manx, I`m afraid the Manx would win, without a seconds hesitation...... if only...... such are dreams made of !! I raced solo`s and sidecar from 1965 to 1996, but those 226.38 miles over the Mountain in `76 will remain with me to the end as the most enjoyable race I ever competed in. Don`t worry you G50 lovers, I still think the "Flying M" is very pretty......sorry Terry S.

`til the next lap
Roger C

[Russell Burrows]

I would remind you that in the days when these bikes were current, a G50 never got a sniff of the TT fastest laps. I mean in the days of the real Manxes and G50s, not the present day CNC-engineered and titanium-framed versions which lap the current considerably improved and eased TT circuit.

Alan Sheperd and Mike Duff fans everywhere are in shock.

[Rennmax]

Alan Sheperd and Mike Duff fans everywhere are in shock.;)

Probably a daft question, but were Arter's G50 bikes as campaigned by Peter and John Williams using the original chassis ?

Edited by Rennmax, 24 September 2010 - 09:12.

[Russell Burrows]

Probably a daft question, but were Arter's G50 bikes as campaigned by Peter and John Williams using the original chassis ?

No, Renn. From memory, the Surtees frame was used from about the mid sixties. I think Rex Butcher owned and raced it up until that time.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 24 September 2010 - 09:59.

[GD66]

Yep, that's how I recall it too, Russell. From memory a Ken Sprayson job to John's design...think we may have had a pic of the 350 on here a couple of years back.
BTW John had a guest spot at the Goodwood revival last weekend, galloped a Ferrari or two, a TS7 of his own and a bike or two as well, including that fabulous longstroke MV he keeps turning up on. Don't mean to hijack, but has anyone done more for British motorsport ?

[fil2.8]

Yep, that's how I recall it too, Russell. From memory a Ken Sprayson job to John's design...think we may have had a pic of the 350 on here a couple of years back.
BTW John had a guest spot at the Goodwood revival last weekend, galloped a Ferrari or two, a TS7 of his own and a bike or two as well, including that fabulous longstroke MV he keeps turning up on. Don't mean to hijack, but has anyone done more for British motorsport ?

No , a hero , ought to have been knighted years ago , IMHO , Glenn

[knickerbrook]

Yes Phil, I totally agree!
I must admit I didn't fully appreciate his acheivements until I saw this film of him:-

http://www.babelgum....VANT/12,3002478

Definitely hasn't had the credit he deserves - I think we should start a petition to get him knighted!

[TeeZed]

Hi Fellows,

I've been following this thread for awhile and I totally agree with your choices. However, if this isn't a beautiful race bike I don't know what is:



Don

[LamboNZ]

Hi Fellows,

I've been following this thread for awhile and I totally agree with your choices. However, if this isn't a beautiful race bike I don't know what is:

Don

Agree with you totally Don, propably my favourite TZ model of all time.
However these two Aprilias are pretty damn good looking too!

1992

1989


Nigel

[Hasselhoff]

being an old git I'd rather hoped we'd stick to unfaired bikes, since it's the engineering purity I like to see, not just a few hundred quid's worth of carbon with pretty paint

[exclubracer]

Hi Fellows,

I've been following this thread for awhile and I totally agree with your choices. However, if this isn't a beautiful race bike I don't know what is:



Don

That's a lovely looker Don, a 3TC?

I had one in '94, reputed to be ex-Rob Orme but it never looked as nice as that. Wrecked it at Cadwell 2nd time out on it, cost me a fortune when I bought it too

[TeeZed]

That's a lovely looker Don, a 3TC?

Hi Mick,

It's a "3AK" (1988, TZ250U). The first of the "reverse cylinder" models as I'm sure you know.

Nigel,

YES, I love the Aprilias! Especially that massive, aluminum swingarm.

Don

[twotempi]

Hello Don,

Glad you like them - I would appreciate some help in the polishing as I know you are one of the best at that job.

The Italians seem to have a certain style with their designs - My favourites are the Ducati 250 single with its elegant simplicity, and the Motobi "Flying Egg" which is an integrated styling exercise which also worked.

[rotrax]

Love the Morini - with battle scars and all.

A restoration can remove the history that belongs to a bike - dents, scratches et al.

So - How many unrestored bikes are there out there which were parked after their last race ??

Anyone got any examples ????


cheers


p.s Daisy MUST have more than ONE fan surely !!!

Hi, My old freind Mirek in Czech has Gustav Havels 1959 350dohc Jawa. I got to ride it at Brands in the early nineties in a Vintage Club event.I went off big time when the left side exhaust pipe came out of the head and then got under the back wheel.Iwas leading at the time and a guy on a new Rob North triple missed the mess and ended up doing 100mph motocross on the infield.Thanks mate! The bike was-and still is-unrestored.It still carries battle scars from its past.Isuppose thats why they get restored-to make them safe for racing.I rode in Ireland with Sam McClements when he was on the Joe Ryan norton.It looked a shed but all the bits that counted were really good .Yours in sport,Rotrax.

[Steve7]

Honda RC30. (Ulster G.P.)

http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/

[terryshep]

Honda RC30. (Ulster G.P.)

http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/

Welcome, Steve, good to have you aboard, but while I agree that the RVF was a fine example of Honda's work, isn't that picture just of a pretty bit of painted carbon-fibre? Can you nip back to Dundrod and whip the fairing off so we can see the beautiful racing motorcycle? Sorry if I'm being pedantic but you could have a 1934 250 BSA under there!

[Steve7]

Hi terryshep, thanks for the reply...come on now!

Cheers, Steve.
http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/

Edited by Steve7, 04 November 2010 - 23:47.

[terryshep]

Hi terryshep, thanks for the reply...come on now!

Cheers, Steve.
http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/

Are these all yours, Steve? Very impressive, if so, though the Western Front gallery is hard to take.

[Steve7]

Are these all yours, Steve? Very impressive, if so, though the Western Front gallery is hard to take.

Cheers terryshep, thanks for your comments....yes all mine!

Will add a few more bike shots to the forum here and there!

Cheers, Steve.
http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/

[rotrax]

'Handsome is as handsome does' Russell! Surely there was never a better illustration of this expression than a racing bike? How could anyone say a Manx Norton was ugly? All racing bikes are beautiful to me, some are just better than others at some aspect of their performance.

For instance, the 7R was pretty-pretty alright, but I remember the front wheel pawing the air in a fast S bend, the frame cracking around the rear engine mount, the bottom frame rails scraping the ground. Sure, it went round a single bumpy bend like Hilberry very well and it was a softer ride than a Manx but for absolute, rock-steady handling, the Manx was unbeatable. No bike I have ever ridden surpassed them - and yes, I've ridden the RG and the 750 Yamaha.

Having said that, the Velo Mk VIII is pretty, so is the Velocette 'Roarer'. I know it's personal preference and everyone will have their favourite, but I love things like the ugly-pretty (or pretty ugly) pre-war AJS blown four, even odd looking things like the 500 120-degree twin Guzzis, Meier's sleek 1939 BMW, they were all built with one thing in mind: fitness for purpose - and that makes them all beautiful.

It's a lovely thread, Russ.

Hi, You are right, its a great thread. My favourite is the Harley XR 750 flat tracker.I could just sit on a box in the shed and look at one all day, making all the appropriate "CORRR" noises. Randal Thomas has one but he wouldnt let me ride it. He was always a captain sensible.In Sport, Rotrax.

[Powersteer]

Good looking, perfect amalgam of power and handling and best sound

Stunning.