A shameless image thread for the enginephiles

[strad]

Mine was 600cc and had both compression release and a timing lever but you had to get it right to avoid the mentioned consequences. It truly deserved the title bestowed on singles in the day: Thumpers.
As I understand it now there were only a hundred and some odd made.
If only I was like a couple of my friends and still owned all the bikes and cars I went thru, I'd be a wealthy man today.

[Big Tea]

Mine was 600cc and had both compression release and a timing lever but you had to get it right to avoid the mentioned consequences. It truly deserved the title bestowed on singles in the day: Thumpers.
As I understand it now there were only a hundred and some odd made.
If only I was like a couple of my friends and still owned all the bikes and cars I went thru, I'd be a wealthy man today.

I often think this myself. I had a Velocette Venom and a couple of gold stars and a rocket gold star... I have to stop here as tears block my view

Perhaps we should start a thread " if you could have one of your old cars or bikes back..."

[J.A.W.]

Yeah strad, those fabled V-twin beasts of yesteryear (like their Nippon equivalent - the Kawasaki 750 triple),
are still the subject of untold time 'n' money to make them behave, & yet run much harder, than they ever did..

Here's an 'Irving Vincent'* done up as a period racer.. for Goodwood, & the like..

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/KNWFW4/beau-b ... KNWFW4.jpg

*'Irving Vincent' being an Aussie outfit that builds/races the big boomers, from the pictured period style,
to radical NASCAR-tech 'silhouette' muscle-machines - with fat slicks/discs & etc..

The one that scared the pants off me was a Bridgestone GTR.
I jumped on to what was 'only' a 350 after arriving on a Matchless, took it back and decided to keep my old bike.

Hah! B-T, I had an almost opposite experience..

I jumped on a Suzuki T350 after riding a plodding 'Speed Twin', & was promptly hooked by that wild 2T spirit!

[Big Tea]

Yeah strad, those fabled V-twin beasts of yesteryear (like their Nippon equivalent - the Kawasaki 750 triple),
are still the subject of untold time 'n' money to make them behave, & yet run much harder, than they ever did..

Here's an 'Irving Vincent'* done up as a period racer.. for Goodwood, & the like..

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/KNWFW4/beau-b ... KNWFW4.jpg

*'Irving Vincent' being an Aussie outfit that builds/races the big boomers, from the pictured period style,
to radical NASCAR-tech 'silhouette' muscle-machines - with fat slicks/discs & etc..

The one that scared the pants off me was a Bridgestone GTR.
I jumped on to what was 'only' a 350 after arriving on a Matchless, took it back and decided to keep my old bike.

Hah! B-T, I had an almost opposite experience..

I jumped on a Suzuki T350 after riding a plodding 'Speed Twin', & was promptly hooked by that wild 2T spirit!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7016/6723 ... c557_b.jpg

Found this

https://www.carolenash.com/insidebikes/ ... e-350-gtr/

I recall it being 'dead' at low and medium RPM, getting busyness at high RPM them at about the point the pistons leave on a normal bike it gets fun.

Then at about 50000000000 rpm the power comes in and you can not hold it straight.

[J.A.W.]

"Normal bike" B-T? You mean - 'grey porridge' - surely..

A 6-speed gearbox was part of the deal, so you had a choice.. short-shifting & ride sedately.. or.. let 'er rip!

Kawasaki built a Bridgestone clone, too.. albeit a 'plain Jane' & less 'fancy-pants'/costly* 350 disc-valve twin..



*Still, it had a powerful CDI - so no fouled plugs - if/when just 'chuffing about'..

[Big Tea]

"Normal bike" B-T? You mean - 'grey porridge' - surely..

A 6-speed gearbox was part of the deal, so you had a choice.. short-shifting & ride sedately.. or.. let 'er rip!

Kawasaki built a Bridgestone clone, too.. albeit a 'plain Jane' & less 'fancy-pants'/costly* 350 disc-valve twin..

http://motolegend-car.com/boutique/imag ... r19692.jpg

*Still, it had a powerful CDI - so no fouled plugs - if/when just 'chuffing about'..

Possibly. What I did eventually get instead was one of the nicest bikes I ever owned. A Honda CB160.
Yes it was small, but loved it. A year later I got its big sister CB450 (440?) 'Black Bomber' Kept it for around 5 years.

[strad]

My first bike was a 500cc Triumph. Loved it.
One of my all time faves was my BMW R50, but only after installing straight pipes to cover that clack, clack, clack that was the trannys straight cut gears. Couldn't stand those almost silent mufflers.
Strong as hell but a heck of a noise. Damn thing was indestructible and smooth as glass.
(EDIT)Just to keep this partly on topic.

[J.A.W.]

Possibly. What I did eventually get instead was one of the nicest bikes I ever owned. A Honda CB160.
Yes it was small, but loved it. A year later I got its big sister CB450 (440?) 'Black Bomber' Kept it for around 5 years.

Ye gods B-T!

If any bike ever needed to have its proverbial 'tits' revved off, it was a little Honda!

I disliked the CB 450, a great heavy lump, handled like a drunken pig, & yeah, it really needed.. a 6-speed box!
& that awful off-beat drone the irregular firing 180` crank caused - was just unbearable, after a Triumph..

Only interesting feature.. IMO, the torsion bar valve springs..

[Big Tea]

Possibly. What I did eventually get instead was one of the nicest bikes I ever owned. A Honda CB160.
Yes it was small, but loved it. A year later I got its big sister CB450 (440?) 'Black Bomber' Kept it for around 5 years.

Ye gods B-T!

If any bike ever needed to have its proverbial 'tits' revved off, it was a little Honda!

I disliked the CB 450, a great heavy lump, handled like a drunken pig, & yeah, it really needed.. a 6-speed box!
& that awful off-beat drone the irregular firing 180` crank caused - was just unbearable, after a Triumph..

Only interesting feature.. IMO, the torsion bar valve springs..

http://www.chinonthetank.com/wp-content ... ars-02.jpg

But you are forgetting the wonderful sound through the inlet side. I had 'long bell' trumpets and the tuned 'swoosh' was amazing. Oh and yeh, it loved revs, but only up to a point. it seemed to level off. More gears would have been nice, but 4 was more than most at that time.

[J.A.W.]

Sorry B-T.. but the Honda 450 was a 'clean sheet' design.. it needed, & ought to have received..
5 gears at a minimum.. & not just because the last 'true school' British 500's were stuck with 4..
( due to Edward Turner's minimalist/cheapo ethos)..
& they still steered & handled way better than the Honda, plus..
the Triumph was fast enough to win the 200 at Daytona, while the BSA won an MX World Championship..

I had a bit of fun - slotting a Triumph Daytona mill into a BSA SS OIF chassis - light, strong & good handling..
(& tuned it up to 'Boyer' production race specs - but alas absent the Quaife 5-speed cluster - it too, needed)

[Tommy Cookers]

how much vibration is there with a single or 360 deg parallel twin ?
though it seems ....
after 420/440 steel frame WC wins 1964/5 BSA went 500cc titanium 194 lb job (quickly dropped to 250 use -Ti later banned)

and we remember Percy Tait's 500 Triumph outstanding speed at Spa (when it had 6 valves)

when the USA made mirrors compulsory handlebars all became rubber-mounted - literally handy for BSA/Triumph customers
the single-carb 500 had been a smaller lighter machine overall than the 650
but rubber bar mounts went when 500s got off-road theming - or 2 carb 500s jumbo-ed via unimake forks etc to be 650 themed

later BSA/Triumph made a 350 twin with a 180 deg crankshaft (and designed-in stretchability to 500) - and went bankrupt
fwiw I found the Honda 500T ('stroked 450') much better than their 550 four for real-world use

what some posters found with 350 2 strokes is supported by dyno tests done by Cycle World (in the 2 stroke thread)
showing torque regression ie RD 350 torque actually falling with rpm just where it should be rising

[Big Tea]

Sorry B-T.. but the Honda 450 was a 'clean sheet' design.. it needed, & ought to have received..
5 gears at a minimum.. & not just because the last 'true school' British 500's were stuck with 4..
( due to Edward Turner's minimalist/cheapo ethos)..
& they still steered & handled way better than the Honda, plus..
the Triumph was fast enough to win the 200 at Daytona, while the BSA won an MX World Championship..

I had a bit of fun - slotting a Triumph Daytona mill into a BSA SS OIF chassis - light, strong & good handling..
(& tuned it up to 'Boyer' production race specs - but alas absent the Quaife 5-speed cluster - it too, needed)


http://www.classic-british-motorcycles. ... GINE-R.jpg

http://www.classic-british-motorcycles. ... 8appoS.jpg

Never a Triumph fan, but they tended to be quick. My brother rode a Honda 2 speed for may years and would not change it. It was a torque converter (i think) no clutch 400cc.

I had one of the very last BSA DBD34 with a 3 speed box, but it would almost exceed the UK national limit in First It was an ex track bike before I had it. The RRT 'box was quite close so swapping down the engine cog meant I did not have to slip the clutch up to 30 mph but lost me a slice off the top.

Putting Avon tyres on the bomber made a huge difference. Where I was living was very steep with sharp bends and hilly so it was the ideal bike for the area. I also have short legs and back (well, short everything really) so was a perfect fit for me.
The only bike I fond as good was the Virago, much later. I usually tended to have several bikes at the same time so did not necessarily choose the best performing, just the one that I liked. It is still one of my favorites in my mind, what it would be if I rode it today I don't now I currently have a BMW R11RS which is very much inthe same ethos. Or maybe I have changed.


Edit. Sorry, it just struck me this thread is images. Apologies to all

[dren]

Here's an image for you BT:

[roon]

Here's an image for you BT:

https://audimediacenter-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 1461574344

Reckon anyone in F1 do the same?

[J.A.W.]

how much vibration is there with a single or 360 deg parallel twin ?
though it seems ....
...what some posters found with 350 2 strokes is supported by dyno tests done by Cycle World (in the 2 stroke thread)
showing torque regression ie RD 350 torque actually falling with rpm just where it should be rising

Actually T-C, one of the clever 1970s British protoypes involved a BSA 500 suspended isolastic-wise
in an ex-350 OHC twin chassis & was an excellent job.. but it fell over, with the rest of NVT, sadly..

As for "RD 350 torque actually falling with rpm", well.. ah, no.. the rider's part throttle 'feel' - is not a 'dyno' fact..



The later YPVS 'power-valve' engine did flatten that 'peaky' power curve.. but never provided less, as such..