Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Uncle Joe]

Funny how things return, isnt it. I believe that the best selling motorcycle class today are 600cc fours....just like pigtins Ariel from 70 years ago.

Here at least, V-twins are popular as well, reminding me of Vincents, Broughs and so on.... When Honda introduced their 750-4 in the late Sixties, it was the future, and apparently twins were dead. Tell that to ducati and Harley D!

Which brings me on to a thought. Maybe the fact that we like old vehicles means that we are living in the future, not the past as we are somtimes accused?

UJ

[Old-Nail]

Of all the motorcycles I have owned (around 30+) of all makes and engine configurations I seem to have returned full circle also.

While the new machines produced today are undoubtedly the cutting edge in technology I have gone back to a make and model of bike that I first owned in the early 80's and was first designed and produced in 1923... a BMW Boxer twin!

Strangely enough, as a friend commented recently (who always rides the latest whizz bang technology) the BMW seems to him to be the two wheeled equivalent of my 2cv! Both ancient designs, both air cooled flat twins, and both very un-sexy to modern eyes!

Although I had to concede those points, in their favour both the BM and the 2cv are simple to maintain, free from gadgets and gimmicks, are the result of several decades of real-world testing in all extremes of conditions resulting in superb reliability.

But I think the key to why I have returned to older technology is that it requires a degree of owner involvement that the new machines don't.
It's far more satisfying to ride out on an old machine and cover some distance, feeling the thing working and fully understanding the processes involved in making it work, while confident that if it should fail you have a decent chance of finding and rectifying the fault.

[Uncle Joe]

I used to have a BMW myself, the 850GS. For a long journey, it was probably the best bike that I have ever had. The nice thing was, the harder it was ridden, the better it became... I did the journey from here to home via Dover-Calais a couple of times on it.

I can only think of one bike that was better, an old Moto Guzzi that I had. In spite of the fact that it was from 20 years before the BM, it handled better, did more to the gallon and was faster....

UJ