Available engine performance

acotrel said:

I have only ever ridden one normal Commando, and it seemed fast enough. It depends on what you want in a road bike. I find riding motorcycles on public roads extremely frustrating. and dangerous.
Ashleigh suggested I should put my Seeley 850 to road use. Doing that would drive me crazy. First gear would result in me losing my licence. I rode on public roads until I was 29, then went racing - racing is safer. Very few guys do anything stupid during a road race. Your brain adjusts and the speeds mean nothing, unless you are too slow.

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cliffa said:

For me too. I was born and bred not to far from his shop. That small area of Leytonstone High Road was a bikers mecca in the 60's 70's & 80's. MCS, Rivetts, Read brothers (Read Titan) all a spit away from each other and I'm sure there was another shop very close but I don't remember the name. Me, my brother and mates used to be regulars on a Saturday afternoon as there was always something of interest to bike mad teenagers. Ted Bloomfield was a great guy and had some real unobtanium stuff in his shop. I can vividly remember the genuine chrome wire Triumph 650 Trophy and sparkly glass fibre TR25 exhaust guards hanging in his window for years. Later on I used to pop in for a chat and pick up a copy of Old Bike Mart on my way home from work and put a quid in the dog charity tin, but it was difficult to talk to him for long as he was continually getting phone calls from all over the world from folks looking for parts. Last I heard he wasn't well and sold the business to one of his employees, then some time later passed away. His Brother Ron also had a shop called Bloomfields in Portway Forest Gate, East London. For some time he had the actual green show Bandit in his window. He became a Suzuki specialist, and a few year ago I called them for a part. It was Ron who answered and I mentioned the Bandit in passing. You've got a good memory he said, that was all of 35 years ago !!

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SteveA said:

Begs the question, so when did you actually last ride a bike?

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Seeley920 said:

Newton Equipment did some cafe racer gear, and also lots of Ducati stuff at the time. They were opposite MCS. Cornucopia were further up the road, I remember seeing Dave Potters TZ500 for sale in there .

My mate bought his Piper frame for his Trident in Rivetts, and brought it home on the tube!

Ted used to lift the counter for me and tell me to go in and have aroot around for anything I needed.

Dougie Clarke was something else. He'd give you a cup of tea, always with condensed milk, then put 3 spoons of sugar and about 6 sweeteners in it, because "sugar isn't as good as it used to be"

Both Dougie and Ted said it as it was......look at London now!

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grandpaul said:

This thread has devolved from mostly useless to totally irrelevant.

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Seeley920 said:

Not this millenium .......

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acotrel said:

I last raced about 5 years ago. And it is only grief which is stopping me now. I have to wait for it to go - it is slowly diminishing, as I am remembering less. There is a lot of hypocrisy at funerals. My wife does not want me to race again, and she is probably right. I need to go there again, even if only for a track day.

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Fast Eddie said:

Al, I think a recheck of your diary might help here… I’ve been on this forum since 2013 and you have not indicated that you have ventured on the track during that time. Quite the contrary to be honest.

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Matt Spencer said:

Re ; bigger valves. It's all very well advising bigger valves to fill up the recessed valve seat, but without mentioning to cut a bigger valve pocket in the piston is flawed! '

Argh . Quit the snivling . theyll soon wear away . When the bits of aluminum stop coming out the exhaust pipes , youll know they fit right . .just kidding folks . .

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