MrWolf Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, rockershovel said: I’ve still got a Barbour jacket hanging in the garage. It can stay there too... filthy thing.... I bought a Rukka “space suit” in the 80s and never wore the Barbour again. I can't believe what people are paying for "vintage" Barbour / Aviakit / Belstaff waterproof clothing, even though you can buy it new. Hipsters again. We both have waterproofs that are big enough to just chuck on over our regular bike gear and carry them year round. (Just checked, they're Hein Gericke's bought at one of the last autojumbles in 2019) There's as much snobbery about motorcycle clothing as there is about the bikes themselves. We don't dress like we just got off the racetrack to ride around on 70 year old bikes. I pulled up for a brew a while back and there was a group of blokes aged 50-60 in matching fabric riding gear, sitting with a group of matching "adventure bikes" who thought that my bike and gear were most amusing. They laughed and one said: "Did you rob a museum for that bike?", followed by "Where's your white scarf?" To which I replied: "Under your daughter's bed mate..." Which got the crowd laughing at him. Edited February 2, 2021 by MrWolf PostScript! 3 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 My favourite riding gear, in no particular order, are; - cordura enduro type jacket, unknown brand, £35 from eBay. Like a lot of clothing bought online, it is several sizes smaller than the label suggests! Mainly worn for track days. - similar jacket, red and black, size VERY LARGE INDEED. Equipped with a rather natty Velcro-closure neck piece. Rarely, if ever worn on the basis that “why would I go out on my bike, if I need that?” - zip side overtrousers, another eBay cheapie, handy for avoiding “wet bum” on the 300-plus days a year when it rains at some time during the day, in UK.... - lightweight leather jacket, armour and back protector pockets, Barbour 4-pocket style, another eBay cheapie. Good for riding around town. Weak wrist closure snaps limit its usefulness otherwise. - Harley “Winning Lane” leather jacket, came with my Sportster. Super, heavy jacket with “distressed” finish (apparently done in a concrete mixer). Various badges and patches added over time, racing number on the back, a generally OTT garment. High quality brass zips, armour pockets, some tailoring to mitigate the original, rather odd square cut. - Harley jacket, mesh, armour pockets, bought in Florida. Great for riding in 30 deg plus temps, useless otherwise. - unlined, horsehide racing gloves, had ‘em for years. Originally partnered with Damart inners, which have worn out and need replacing. - Triumph brand winter over-gloves. Found in the panniers of the Bonneville. Subject to the same limitations on use, as the red and black jacket. - TCX “Adventure” boots. Present from one of my sons. Usual sort of thing. Clutter up the utility room, mostly. - cheapo MX boots, well broken in, a great favourite although No 1 Son disapproves. Had ‘em a long while, ingrained with shale, grass, Castro R, methanol, road dirt; left boot marked by steel shoe and missing steel toe plate. - couple of pairs of leather jeans, one branded Hein Gericke, one unknown although both identical. eBay, again. That’s enough for me! I also have my much-retailored 1980s Lewis Leathers Racing suit. I’ve never really bothered with the “Power Rangers” style, being of the “Ogri” generation rather than “Blood Runners”.... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Well, little AF1 was MOTed last year but was a pain to start (once started it was fine fir the say). Found the choke jet was blocked. Freshly powder coated wheels fitted with new tyres. Brake disk centre refinished. Needed bread and milk so took it for a spin. All the best Katy 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 19 minutes ago, Kickstart said: Well, little AF1 was MOTed last year but was a pain to start (once started it was fine fir the say). Found the choke jet was blocked. Freshly powder coated wheels fitted with new tyres. Brake disk centre refinished. Needed bread and milk so took it for a spin. All the best Katy Very strange, I ran out of bread and milk when I realized that it wasn't raining this morning too.... Very nice job by the way. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 1 hour ago, MrWolf said: Very strange, I ran out of bread and milk when I realized that it wasn't raining this morning too.... Very nice job by the way. Funny how that happens! This needs the piston running in, and brand new tyres on the slimey roads are not fun. Still a few things I should tidy up but nothing urgent. It did take the mickey slightly. This model has a fuel gauge, which is actually reasonable. Last time out it had played up. Took the sender out and cleaned it up. Seemed ok. So filled with petrol today. Ignition back on, gauge rode up to the top. Then a minute later fell to the bottom where it is still languishing. The sender unit is mounted on the bottom of the now full tank! All the best Katy 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted February 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 22, 2021 On 02/02/2021 at 19:05, MrWolf said: There's as much snobbery about motorcycle clothing as there is about the bikes themselves. Never a truer word said. Motorcyclists have long (rightly) complained about being treated like social outcasts, but seem determined to form cliques amongst ourselves in order to exclude people who aren't sufficiently similar to ourselves. Sometimes we are no different to that other British stereotype, the golf club, which we like because we get to decide who not to allow in. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) You're right there. There's definite factions. The brand new Harley crowd are amusing, with all the approved HD gear, but they don't talk to anyone anyway. I remember a bunch of them getting all huffy because the backpatch types walked past them to admire my mate's '48 Panhead. Clothing wise, l haven't moved on an awful lot since I was a teenager and the memsahib doesn't like modern gear at all, apart from her armoured gloves. Jackets are an old Belstaff Trialmaster, reproofed properly a couple of years ago and strangely doesn't smell like a dead dog. Highway patrol style jacket, bought 28 years ago to replace my dad's old Lewis that got stolen when I was a student. Still got all the original zips, though I had to replace the pull on the left cuff with a keyring. Lots of old enamel badges, junk and a couple of patches. Inside pocket remade double depth with old jeans leg, minor road rash. Weighs a ton. Ditto, but clean and black without any potentially offensive bits of metal. Worn when visiting gallery owners and the memsahib's grandparents. That's XXXL, but exactly the same size as the old one that's XL. Old brown horsehide bomber jacket / truck driver's jacket, made in France c1950, been totally re-stitched, by me, very warm! Old pair of Levi's style lined leather jeans, been professionally relined and new pockets. Newish, shiny pair of Levi's style lined leather jeans. I once picked up her new leather jeans, being slightly fuzzy one morning, got them pulled up to about my knees before falling over like a felled pine tree. To add to the uncoolness of it all, the memsahib had to help me out of them and couldn't stop laughing. I told her that she'd have been crying if they had fitted me... Old pair Georgia engineer's boots that have been re-soled several times and fitted with steel cleat heels. I also have a newish pair of engineer's boots. One piece Hein Gericke water proof. A pair of water proof trousers of unknown make a friend gave me. Patched a rip on the right pocket with a tent repair kit. Gloves, old Oxford winter gloves, (Dragon rally only!) An old pair of police gloves that buckle up over your cuffs. Summer gloves are the old standby German police / airforce gloves. I can't wear armoured gloves comfortably thanks to having my hand reshaped by something that went bang. I'm very attached to my old motorcycle jacket. I have been everywhere and done everything in it. I'd keep that even if I had to give up motorcycling. Edited February 23, 2021 by MrWolf Stupid autocorrect 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Golfers? Surely not ! Anything but that! Edited February 23, 2021 by rockershovel 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 When I met the memsahib, she told me that her then boyfriend played golf. I may have been a little judgemental in my reply and she said: "But he only plays it for work with clients...." I told her that was even worse than playing because he liked the game. Meanwhile in some spooky ol' woods, somewhere in western England, plans were drawn up for Operation Big Bad Wolf... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Despite my less than state of the art riding gear, I have been out on a 20 mile run today for the covid jab and come back dry as a bone, despite the sideways rain! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Brief sunshine today, so out to try one of the winter’s projects... fitting a 1960s bench seat to my 1990s Evo Sportster. Much improved riding position and balance... it’s still a slow old thing, though Supertrapp silencer and 2:1 exhaust are definitely “in character” 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Roll on summer. I've got a pair of shiny new chrome downpipes to fit to the BSA Star Twin and a pair of tyres For the Triumph. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 I like that Harley, it's grown with you. I see that you have the same theory as me with the headlamp peak. When you only have one vague headlight, there's no point wasting any of it lighting up the treetops! The seat looks like it might have started life on a Triumph circa 1966? Sometimes I like to turn up on a bike less coveted.... Norman B2. A special blend of rocking horse muck. Still hunting down the engine shields. It might then get a better paint job than the one it came with. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted March 10, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2021 On the subject of old bikes, there's some guy called Ed March riding round the world on a C90 (I believe his exploits are well documented on the 'net). This is referred to here: (Caution: Naughty word alert, but subtitled not spoken): 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted March 10, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2021 A gaggle of Goldies.... 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 I hope that none of those Goldie's arrived on a trailer.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 5 hours ago, polybear said: On the subject of old bikes, there's some guy called Ed March riding round the world on a C90 (I believe his exploits are well documented on the 'net). This is referred to here: (Caution: Naughty word alert, but subtitled not spoken): As soon as Hitler asked everyone who hadn't ridden his adventure bike off road to leave the room, I was laughing so much I had trouble watching the rest of the film. That has has cheered up a cold wet windy and generally horrible day. 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Shiny pipes fitted. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 This old beastie has been out for a test run today, new pistons and little end bushes fitted. It sounds incredible. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted April 12, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 12, 2021 Oldish Hodna 250 single, '76. Note chamfer on flywheel - it is that close to the gear on the layshaft. So close, you can only put the gear cluster in after the crankshaft. Yes, don't ask.....humbug. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 10 hours ago, MrWolf said: This old beastie has been out for a test run today, new pistons and little end bushes fitted. It sounds incredible. I bet, but does that front brake release when you pull the lever? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Yes the lever is fitted about two splines too far round to accommodate a non standard cable. It stops okay but if it was mine I would have to do something about it! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 I freely admit to having a thing about potentially-ineffectual front brakes. It all stems from once rounding a roundabout at night to find a car coming towards me, and the nipple parting company from the new genuine Triumph front brake cable that had been fitted the day before. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted April 13, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 13, 2021 Had that happen to a clutch cable once, on a Suzi TS250, just as I was pulling away 'smartly'. The wheelie nearly had me in to a bus queue, I was not impressed. Never did like Suzukis. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 BSA B31 plunger that I had just bought, some clown had fitted a solderless nipple to the front brake cable, came up to a roundabout and it went twang. Luckily, as I had my girlfriend on the back, there was nothing coming across the roundabout so I just changed down a gear and shot across. I try to check everything on a secondhand bike now, especially if it has been "recommissioned" to sell on. 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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