Vintage motorbike

It has lots of names John but we have all seen this type of behavior. I am in company I will reserve my comments. So, the bike is impressive, I had a 380GT "Ram Air" - remember those? Well I aspired to a "Water Bottle" but I just couldn't get the 380 to handle and bought a Kawasaki instead.

But just getting back on track, this is the only photograph I have of one of my best Pinto engines I built. The fuel rail was a piece of office chair leg and the trumpet extensions are scaffold pole. The porting and polishing was all done in my shed and I built the injection system from bits I could scrounge, beg, borrow and steal!

I had access to a Superflo 110 flow bench and still have the glass measuring kit I used to make sure the combustion chambers were equal. You can't see the block but that was a bit special too. I had friends who could get me access to TiG welders and another who worked in the tank factory on the Tyne so the Rods were sent off for Shot Peening. - amazing what you can achieve with absolutely no money!

graham.

Graham,

"Water Bottle" - what the heck are you on about ?

Nice head, and reminds me of the hours I spent on improving the Kent engines I used in my racing 105E, and the black dust in my nostrils from porting and chamber work. H&S unheard of in the '70s

Talking about Pinto engines, I spent a Sunday afternoon with my tuning friend, who was wielding his hand held exhaust gas analyser, driving around in my 1972 'Coke bottle' Cortina 2000 GT Pinto engined car, sorting out jets in the replacement carb I'd just fitted.

Being the first Pinto engined car, and having inlet ports that where way way to big and Ford carb, it had zero guts below 2000rpm in top gear. (4th)

It was being used as my tow car for my racing 105E, and the lack of guts was getting to me!

So I replaced the carb with a straight swop Webber twin-choke, modified the air filter unit and linkage, and we, or rather he, spent the afternoon experimenting with jets and taking readings from the analyser, until he finally said he was happy, drove the car, and pronounced it as good as his BMW2002.

Well the transformation was amazing, now being able to tootle along in top at 1000rpm and accelerate to boot, all without having to drop down a cog.

I was a happy bunny with that level of improvement.

Geoff - How can a manufacturer get it so wrong?!

Edited By OuBallie on 21/10/2014 12:31:04

The metalworking trades have been in decline in western countries for decades now, modern technology has made a lot of trades and professions obsolete, or vastly reduced the amount of staff needed to make things (i read recently only 2 people are needed in the machine shop of the triumph motorcycle factory per shift, everything is automated and cnc). Young people leaving school think any job that involves getting your hands dirty is for losers and would rather do a degree in something useless, or do nothing at all.

my point being that people interested in metalwork as either a hobby or trade/profession is declining and so everything should be fair game for this forum.

Only engine I made was to swap my Cortina estate's Ford VV for a Weber Twin choke off a transit. With the low-geared standard diff, it was the fastest thing on the road, up to 30mph! I remember my boss saying 'bloody hell, I didn't think your car went like that!"

It was a bit thirsty though.

Neil

I recall going along to a British bike meet n the 70's at a local pub, I was not there on a bike just along for the beer and to see some mates and some very nice bikes nothing foreign. I drove up in my then Rover P6 3500S with a big Yamaha sticker in the back window did raise some comments until people read in very small print "Plastic Motor Cycles Ltd" at the bottom of the sticker.

Also rebuilt a BDG engine which had a block based on a Kent engine loads of power 280hp NA 2ltr but did not last very long between rebuilds only around 1000 miles in competition use and 6 mpg on stage.

As an old biker, I must protest at this thread being used to promote classic cars!

Jim

How my connection to modelling can influence a future young metal muncher the lad who I help with his TR6 sports car has bought a small lathe from a relative in Germany.

It's a Chinese lathe with a very good handbook all in German.

Naturally I will advise on how to use it the lad has already built a large scale spitfire.

At times we worry about the future of ME but with young persons like this I think the future is bright.

The mixture of modelling and full size is already there in him.

Paul

Thanks Graham, but how did the name 'Kettle' come about?

In the '60s friends in Jhb, who owned British 'bikes, where describing the then new 'bike imports from Japan as 'Plastic Jap'.

Little did we realise what was in store.

Jim,

Thin ice springs to mind

Geoff - The fish neighbour & I rescued on Monday are all looking vigorous & healthy, in comparison to Monday.

.

Kettle = Device for heatng water

I always have a quiet sigh when I hear people pontificating "Oh yes, it is becoming increasingly expensive to manufacture overseas, we will bring manufacturing back to Britain"

Really? And just who, exactly, is going to be doing this "manufacturing"?

graham.

The Suzuki 750 was one of the very first Commercially built and sold in numbers, water cooled motorbikes. A rare sight when they first appeared and always promoted comment. As the ignoramuses (ignorami?) we were at the time, derogatory names were rife. Half envy though I think.

The Suzuki 380 was not know for it's handling so I was unwilling to take a chance with what would have been all my cash on yet another unknown so I bought something that had rave reviews, a Kawasaki Z900. Now that was quick. It still lives on in absolutely pristine condition in a friends kitchen. Don't ask!

graham.

I was about to respond but Graham beat me to it.

What the heck, here goes:

Quote/

Kettle = Device for heatng water

/Unquote

Harrumph!

Two words spring to mind, one being '@arse' and the other 'smart' (BG)

Geoff - Ducking

Guy Martin on 'Midweek' this morning. Entertaining, but not very informative!

Neil

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I simply gave a straight answer to what I thought was a straight question.

Sorry I didn't have time to embellish it ... I was off to the Dentist. [Wasted visit ... the loose crown is wobbly but he couldn't pull it off ... now have to let nature take its course, and hope I don't swallow it.]

MichaelG.

Two quickies - Yam. 2 strokes were described by one expert as having petrol cooled exhaust systems. Loose crowns can be swallowed, need lots of beer afterwards.

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Low-paid British "machine-minders" working in factories owned by Chinese investors.

[Just my guess] ... What goes around comes around.

MichaelG.

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True ... It's the recovery/recycling process that I would prefer to avoid.

MichaelG.

Eat lots of apples!

Neil

MichaelG,

You are forgiven

Why on Earth would you want to recycle it!? Yuck!

Geoff - Weather feels more like spring.