The Night Mail

[rockershovel]

10 hours ago, Chris Snowdon said:

Am very unfamiliar with these but I think I want one.  The general outline is of a single-seat BSA Bantam, and its cousins (particularly the HD-like front sprayguard).  But heavens above, that exhaust mainfold must get disagreeably hot!

Trust me, you don't. 

 

I've encountered one at a VMCC Founders Day Rally and Nilfisk were well advised to concentrate on vacuum cleaners.

 

They are basically a 1930s design with a  German-style bolted-up pressed-steel frame (Zundapp in particular were doing something similar at the time, also NSU). The 750cc inline four-cylinder engine and transmission was based on the FN design which had been around for many years, hence the exposed valve stems. 

 

The front forks and mudguard are derived from the DKW pattern which would appear on the Bantam D1 (which was basically a lightly reworked 1930s DKW)

 

The resulting bike has a certain eccentric charm but its a real donkey. 

 

 

[rockershovel]

The Nilfisk has an ohc engine with a distributor for coil ignition on the end of the camshaft. It's quite a neat design but somehow the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

 

In-line fours had a certain vogue in the 1920s and 30s. American makes like Henderson and Excelsior usually had ioe engines and chain transmission. Indian built a much-admired one into the 1940s. European ones like FN and Militor had ioe or ohv engines and shaft drive. 

 

Indian designed and built a prototype of an ohv 750cc with shaft drive for their postwar range but it was never produced. 

[Happy Hippo]

Mention of the Nilfisk vacuum cleaning system, reminds me of the new cleaner, a young Pioneer, who came into clean our office carpets. Unfortunately, he connected his Nilfisk cleaning hose, not to the Nilfisk port, but to the nearby Lamsen pneumatic system, and deluged the Commcen with dust and other unsavoury floor droppings.

 

The Yeoman of Signals was not impressed.

[rockershovel]

https://thevintagent.com/2023/07/04/the-lost-indian-four/

 

Accounts vary considerably regarding the death throes of Indian Motocycles but the link above is about the most complete summary I've seen of the last  Indian Fours. 

 

The twin cylinder bikes were a failure. Reverse engineering other products still leaves a lot of development to be done .. and Indian were copying Triumph at a time when Honda were developing pioneering work by Horex and NSU, while Suzuki and Yamaha were progressing Degners work started at DKW. 

 

A pity really, because the last Indian designs were rather good. The 841 750cc v-twin is still with us in the form of Moto Guzzi. The inline transmission and shaft drive were copied from BMW. The Torque Four was an entirely modern design but the money ran out before it could be produced. 

 

Indians were quality motorcycles. They were the Sunbeam of the American Market - famous for their quality of finish. The Fours were referred to as "the Duesenberg of motorcycles" 

[iL Dottore]

46 minutes ago, polybear said:

Bear does NOT despise Carers - and I resent that remark most strongly 😡.  I do however resent bad ones.  In the case mentioned it was the Care Home itself that called the Police in; the fact that the CPS decided there was enough evidence the proceed to charging and prosecuting the individuals concerned is I think evidence enough that their behaviour fell far below what is acceptable.

 

As for good Carers, I think they do an incredible, often sh1t job for far less reward than they deserve.

Point taken.

 

However, I still think that whilst the CPS was going after the monkeys, the organ grinder was getting off scot free. I know that there are bad carers - but when care homes and other services are only interested in making money and will get hold of, employ (and exploit) anybody that turns up, regardless of ability, degree of training level of empathy or suitability, then they should take the brunt of responsibility for any malfeasance that happens in their homes.

 

As for the care home calling the police, why did they employ such individuals in the first place?

[New Haven Neil]

Morning, from a mizzly generally yeuch rock, 11C feels like 5,

 

re Nimbus...es...ii....Rockershovel has said all that needs to be really.  You'd have to try hard to make a 750cc four cylinder engine make less power.  They often show up here in Manx week, a group of Danes arrive en masse with them, brave folk!  IIRC the Danish Post Office used them in great numbers, hence a high 'survival rate', they are a very simple design.  As for the heat shield, it isn't an uncommon design, our little street scrambler Hondas have a similar affair, never burnt myself on one.

 

 

As for cranes with odd length legs, the breakwater in South Shields had such a device, until it was scrapped in the 70's.

 

 

 

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Speaking of carers, Lorna was a student nurse at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and she was left in charge of a ward overnight which was full of survivors from the Ibrox Disaster, some of whom didn't make it through the night.

 

She was 19 at the time. She doesn't like to talk about it.

That’s terrible, Andy. I’ve done my fair share of night shifts where patients didn’t make it to the end of the shift, but nothing on that scale. And to be dumped into that situation at 19 and only a student - what was the ward sister thinking? 

 

I have been lucky, I have only ever had one situation that really affected me. It was the resuscitation in the Emergency Room (A&E) of a young girl who had intentionally overdosed. We were unable to save her, but what impacted on me was the fact that the young OD was a dead ringer (age and looks) for a girlfriend I had just broken up with. I was fine during the resuscitation - concentrating on doing the job, but afterwards? Not so much.

[iL Dottore]

On to more cheerful stuff.

 

On the subject of replicas of famous motorcycles, the Indians are well known for making copies/replicas (not sure what is the best term) but does anyone know anything about the replica/copy Wehrmacht motorcycle-sidecar combos you could once get hold of (70s? 80s? 90s?)?

 

The Zündapp KS 750 and the BMW R75 were incredibly rugged and versatile and, despite the odds, quite a few survived the war becoming highly prized and highly collectable (much like the VW Kübelwagen and VW Schwimmwagen). So, at one point - given that you couldn’t get an authentic Zündapp KS 750 or BMW R75 for love nor money, if you really wanted such a motorcycle-sidecar combination, you could get an Eastern European (Russian?) copy which was apparently an identical copy of either the Zündapp KS750 or BMW R75 (I don’t which). Do any of our resident “Hells Angels” 🤣 (NHN, PupCam, rockershovel etc) know anything about them?

 

Apparently the Zündapp was the better motorcycle - in terms of design.

 

At one point I was toying with the idea of getting into motorcycling by way of such a motorcycle-sidecar combination, but was discouraged when informed by an acquaintance in the local constabulary that they would NOT take kindly to me having a MG42 mounted on the sidecar. Which kinda negates the whole point of having such a combo….🤣🤣🤣

Edited Sunday at 09:13 by iL Dottore

[rockershovel]

The ohv Ural 650cc flat twin is still in limited production as a sidecar outfit only. It doesn't have the sidecar drive (which is just as well, really. They didn't have a proper differential and are plain dangerous on a metalled surface). 

 

The 750 sv BMW copy engine was in limited production under the Dnepr badge, then as a Chinese copy. You still see them occasionally. My WL Harley will outrun either comfortably. 

 

The Zundapp didn't resume production after the War. They were nicknamed "Elephants" and gave their name to the Elephant Rally, an exercise in pan-European masochism which takes place in the New Year. Its like the Dragon, do it once, get the badge and forget about it.

[Tony_S]

49 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Russian?) copy which was apparently an identical copy of either the Zündapp KS750 or BMW R75 (

Marketed as “Ural” here in the UK, a friend had the sidecar version. 

Edited Sunday at 09:40 by Tony_S
Plurals

[Oldddudders]

9 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Speaking of carers, Lorna was a student nurse at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and she was left in charge of a ward overnight which was full of survivors from the Ibrox Disaster, some of whom didn't make it through the night.

 

She was 19 at the time. She doesn't like to talk about it.

I bet. And this was 1971. Everyone says the NHS is broken now - but that tale says it was utterly unfit for purpose in 1971, long before the money-making concept of NHS Trusts was invoked in 1990. 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

That’s terrible, Andy. I’ve done my fair share of night shifts where patients didn’t make it to the end of the shift, but nothing on that scale. And to be dumped into that situation at 19 and only a student - what was the ward sister thinking? 

 

I have been lucky, I have only ever had one situation that really affected me. It was the resuscitation in the Emergency Room (A&E) of a young girl who had intentionally overdosed. We were unable to save her, but what impacted on me was the fact that the young OD was a dead ringer (age and looks) for a girlfriend I had just broken up with. I was fine during the resuscitation - concentrating on doing the job, but afterwards? Not so much.

There was a very nervous lady who lived in Settle when I was growing up. She never married. The back story was that she was a student nurse at Lewisham when the bad railway crash happened there, in 1957. She got through the night then had a nervous breakdown and never recovered so came back to Settle and lived with her brother. 

 

Jamie

[jjb1970]

There's a reason emergency and health workers are notorious for having a very dark sense of humour and seeing something to laugh about in almost any scenario.  Very effective defence mechanism to deal with what they see.

[Oldddudders]

7 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

There was a very nervous lady who lived in Settle when I was growing up. She never married. The back story was that she was a student nurse at Lewisham when the bad railway crash happened there, in 1957. She got through the night then had a nervous breakdown and never recovered so came back to Settle and lived with her brother. 

When I came over from the Central to the South Eastern in 1975, I found I was working with people who had been at the scene in 1957. They had some grim memories. As I've said before, when the PC Brigade carp on about black humour among emergency service people, I suggest that anything that maintains their sanity in the wake of the horrors they are faced with is worthwhile, not merely excusable. 

 

JJB has got there before me!

[jamie92208]

26 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

When I came over from the Central to the South Eastern in 1975, I found I was working with people who had been at the scene in 1957. They had some grim memories. As I've said before, when the PC Brigade carp on about black humour among emergency service people, I suggest that anything that maintains their sanity in the wake of the horrors they are faced with is worthwhile, not merely excusable. 

 

JJB has got there before me!

When I first joined the black humour was often initiated by the sergeant and certainly helped me after a nasty fatal when I was young in service.  Then PC ccame in and it became frowned upon.  Fortunately after the Bradford fire a psychologist got involved in counselling the effected officers and gradually formal, confidential stress debriefs became a routine part of incidents.  I ran a few and apparently they were much appreciated.  What was interesting was how different parts of such incidents would be triggers for different  officers. 

 

I once had to deal with an OD where a young mum in her 20's was found with her two toddlers playing next to her body.  We had to deal with the death and the welfare of the kids.  Afterwards I talked it through with the young policewoman who had worked with me.  For her the trigger was that the girl was her age and looked very like her so she imagined it happening to her.  For me the worst bit was taking a crying two year old out in my arms at 2am to hand her to one set of grandparents.  The little mite just clung to me.  That was not nice, I wanted to take her home. 

 

Jamie

 

 

[bbishop]

1 hour ago, jjb1970 said:

There's a reason emergency and health workers are notorious for having a very dark sense of humour and seeing something to laugh about in almost any scenario.  Very effective defence mechanism to deal with what they see.

Guess who is joining the London Ambulance Service today?

Edited Sunday at 11:33 by bbishop

[iL Dottore]

5 minutes ago, bbishop said:

Guess who is joining the London Ambulance Service today?

Is this an official appointment or just an expansion of your existing role?

 

Either way, congratulations!

[GMKAT7]

Good afternoon folks,

 

I remember our local motorcycle dealers (Len Bayliss) in Coventry sold both the sublime and not so sublime when it came to bikes.

 

Their showroom had Moto Guzzis on display alongside Harleys.

I drooled over the Guzzis but not the Harleys.

 

Up against those two were Cossack motorcycle and sidecar combos.

They certainly looked Eastern European and were only matched by the Jawas they sold as well.

 

My brother ended up with a Kawasaki Z650 and sidecar, as one of his motorbike club 'buddies ' convinced him he could ride a combo on L plates 😂.

A bit bigger than the RD200 pocket rocket he had before!

 

Cheers, Nigel.

Edited Sunday at 12:11 by GMKAT7
Drooled not dropped!

[iL Dottore]

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

The ohv Ural 650cc flat twin is still in limited production as a sidecar outfit only. It doesn't have the sidecar drive (which is just as well, really. They didn't have a proper differential and are plain dangerous on a metalled surface). 

Probably the Wehrmacht motorcycle combos were not designed for extensive use on metalled surfaces, but rather for off road use or on the sort of roads (tracks?) then prevalent in Eastern Europe and the (former) USSR.

3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

The 750 sv BMW copy engine was in limited production under the Dnepr badge, then as a Chinese copy. You still see them occasionally. My WL Harley will outrun either comfortably. 

To (sort of) repeat myself: I don’t think that either the BMW or the Zündapp were designed for high speeds but rather for durability, reliability and “grunt“ – the ability to make its way through some really appalling terrain.

 

Hmmm. A Harley Davidson Electraglide or a Zündapp KS 750 with a MG42 on the sidecar? Decisions, decisions….

 

Edited Sunday at 13:07 by iL Dottore
Typo

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Harley Davidson Electraglide or a Zündapp KS 750 with a MG42 on the sidecar? Decisions, decisions….

Both probably a bit much for the Uber-Eats delivery job…

[iL Dottore]

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

Both probably a bit much for the Uber-Eats delivery job…

Oh I don’t know, when you see what they get up to on a bicycle you nan well imagine them astride a HD or a BMW.

 

Or so I am told, uber eats or taking an uber are completely alien concepts and experiences to me - Thank God1

[TheQ]

15 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Both probably a bit much for the Uber-Eats delivery job…

It's seems electric " bicycles" which are actually motorcycles due to their top speed and power, are the thing today..

 

 

Now wrapped up, warming up on the sofa.

 

 

Edited Sunday at 13:31 by TheQ

[jamie92208]

Two steres of wood now stacked that's 145 I metre long by about 6" diameter logs stacked, not that I'm counting.  Two more tomorrow.  I think I may have solved my DCC booster problem.  Silly me hadn't provided a power supply to the booster.  Doh doh. 

 

Jamie

Edited Sunday at 13:50 by jamie92208

[petethemole]

9 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

So even the frailest demented little old ladies can do decent  damage if they are tooled up.

My maternal grandfather, aged 90, fell and couldn't get up.  My grandmother was suffering from dementia and just walked round him for a while before eventually ringing someone, possibly my aunt or an ambulance.  He was taken to hospital but had a stroke and died two days later.  When found he was covered in bruises.  Apparently grandmother refused to go to bed and fought him every night.

 

The Egyptian forces used Ural sidecar outfits with Russian machine guns mounted for internal security duties.  In 1999 we were on a Nile cruise and stopped for two nights in Aswan.  At that time there was an active terrorist campaign in the South, mainly targetting tourists.  We went for an evening stroll and passed the main police station.  Outside was a Ural combo with a two man crew, apparently on instant readiness.  Alongside was a Russian army truck fitted with bench seats.

[GMKAT7]

Good afternoon Jamie92208,

 

So that's Double Current Curtailed then 😂

 

Cheers, Nigel.