19 replies to this topic

[corinthian]

I thought this was a forum devoted to nostalgia, but hardly anyone seems old enough to go back more than a decade. The other week, I turned the TV on to find I had missed the Moto GP, and just shrugged my shoulders; it usually sends me to sleep anyway. It's no good knocking the old days when you're not even old enough to remember them. All you have these days is glorified production racing. Anyone on here old enough to remember the old days?

[picblanc]

What years/era do you define as the 'old' days?
Welcome by the way.

[tonyed]

Who is knocking the old days on this site?

I am 60 raced for 14 years including the IOM (MGP) for 10 years.

Raced everything from an Ariel Arrow, through an ex-works 750 BSA, 500 Crescent, Yamahas.

I still live in the 70s, complete with music and my love of the 'old days'.

Still have a TZ350, although, unfortunately, my arthritic hands prevent me riding it.

As for 'production racing' do you refer to WSBK or real production racing (like 750 Laverda Jotas etc)?

If you go back through the many, many pages of this site you will get a flavour of the members, many of whom are ex racers (club, national and world championship) of yesteryear.

Take the time and have a look. I hope this will clear your misunderstanding of this site and its' contributors.

[picblanc]

And I am old enough to have seen Tony race his TZ Yamaha & Cresent 500 in the mid 70's.
Lots of threads on the good old days on this forum.

[Arthur]

I thought this was a forum devoted to nostalgia, but hardly anyone seems old enough to go back more than a decade. The other week, I turned the TV on to find I had missed the Moto GP, and just shrugged my shoulders; it usually sends me to sleep anyway. It's no good knocking the old days when you're not even old enough to remember them. All you have these days is glorified production racing. Anyone on here old enough to remember the old days?

Is 71 old enough and raced all over the place from 1959 to 1973 and remember and met and spoke to all the greats of that era.A few are contributors on here Mr Terry Shepard comes to mind who goes well back in the 50's and was a star of that era

[fil2.8]

Is 71 old enough and raced all over the place from 1959 to 1973 and remember and met and spoke to all the greats of that era.A few are contributors on here Mr Terry Shepard comes to mind who goes well back in the 50's and was a star of that era

Welcome to the forum , from yet another ' old fart ' a mere stripling at 64 , whose been actively involved on this forum since 2007 .
I , amongst most on here live and breath the past , think most of us ' switch-off ' in the early/mid 90's ---some earlier , some later and , I don't understand where you are coming from , in my part , yes , I do talk about some racing now , in comparison only , unless it's about the classic scene , where I run a TZ 350g in the CMRC , as said , there are hundreds of pages for you to drool over to your hearts content , and I am sure you will eventually come out with a different point of view !!
Phil

[Herr Wankel]

Welcome to the forum , from yet another ' old fart ' a mere stripling at 64 , whose been actively involved on this forum since 2007 .
I , amongst most on here live and breath the past , think most of us ' switch-off ' in the early/mid 90's ---some earlier , some later and , I don't understand where you are coming from , in my part , yes , I do talk about some racing now , in comparison only , unless it's about the classic scene , where I run a TZ 350g in the CMRC , as said , there are hundreds of pages for you to drool over to your hearts content , and I am sure you will eventually come out with a different point of view !!
Phil

He's trying to wind us up Phyllis !!!

HW

[joeninety]

'Corinthian Spirit' is the spirit of 'gentlemanly' amateurishness

[fil2.8]

He's trying to wind us up Phyllis !!!

HW

you reckon , Angie ?? ............'aint a relation to you is he/her ??

[Herr Wankel]

you reckon , Angie ?? ............'aint a relation to you is he/her ??

Not to the best of my knowledge your honour

HW

[joeninety]

Interesting that some of the more interesting facts regarding Joe Potts and that era emanate fron a very youthfull Ben

[roadshop]

Is 71 old enough and raced all over the place from 1959 to 1973 and remember and met and spoke to all the greats of that era.A few are contributors on here Mr Terry Shepard comes to mind who goes well back in the 50's and was a star of that era

At 63 I think I am old enough to have an oppinion on this. In the sixties there was a machical aurah about the whole scene of the "Continental Circus"
Great vareiaty of mashcinary, 4stroke, 2stroke. So many privateers strugling to make the tops, so many good stories about their lives. Today the whole scene
is so streamlined like the F1. I miss the magic, where is the sidecars and the fifties, I miss them. No crying, I still follows the MGP, but something is missing !

[picblanc]

Soul, real characters, love of the sport, camaraderie, respect, variety.........a few things missing.

[GD66]

Ahoy there Corinthian : scroll your way down the topic list to the 1949 to '68 thread. Work your way through there and then let's know if we still haven't got the nostalgic concept right. Happy trawling...

[SMonty]

perhaps not the wisest of moves to come on here as a "new boy" and use your first post to have a pop.

Can I suggest you spend a few hours, (or evenings), going through some of the posts on the many threads on here and then make a judgement.

I have found there's something on here for everyone - no matter what era you're from. We're blessed to have so many well informed, knowledgeable, witty contributors who really have been there, done it and got the t shirts. My thanks to every one of you.

[joepotts7]

Interesting that some of the more interesting facts regarding Joe Potts and that era emanate fron a very youthfull Ben

You are too kind.

[corinthian]

Thank you all for your replies to my somewhat 'tongue in cheek' comments. I have only just discovered the site, and it's wonderful to see the old photographs and names that are here. I'm 73 now, and first watched road racing at Esholt Park in the early 1950s. I raced ( with a conspicuous lack of success ) from 1964, in the company of such as Keith Heckles, Dave Croxford, Alan Barnett, Tony Rutter etc, ( who were just starting up), until 1984. Of course they went on to bigger things, whereas I continued to 'tread water,' racing ( including sprints and hill-climbs ) at club level for the next 20 years. When you can go back as far as I can, modern racing ( though blisteringly fast ) represents, particularly in regard to variety of machines, and circuits full of chicanes and sandpits, a dreary comparison to the old days. Nowadays, when the sun is shining, I venture out on my Honda CBR400RR, though I do feel I ought to be riding a British bike. Regards to everyone.

[rotrax]

I thought this was a forum devoted to nostalgia, but hardly anyone seems old enough to go back more than a decade. The other week, I turned the TV on to find I had missed the Moto GP, and just shrugged my shoulders; it usually sends me to sleep anyway. It's no good knocking the old days when you're not even old enough to remember them. All you have these days is glorified production racing. Anyone on here old enough to remember the old days?

Trouble is Corinthian, Nostalgia aint wot it used to be!

[joeninety]

Trouble is Corinthian, Nostalgia aint wot it used to be!

Back then.. It used be four strokes
Then it used to be two strokes
Now it's back to four strokes
Fings aint wot they used to be

Or are they !

Edited by joeninety, 25 May 2011 - 21:04.

[Macca]

I'm a mere youth compared to some here, and I never raced, only trackdays, but from 1977 through to the 1990s I went to a huge number of meetings, and every one of my road bikes was a 2-stroke; I've progressively lost interest since GPs went 4-stroke and small teams/manufacturers were pushed out.

I have now started going to historic meetings, 'tho old British bikes don't do much for me as they were before my time. I've got a slide scanner now so I'll put a few more photos up some time.

Paul M