Commando Versus Modern

phil yates · May 17, 2014

acotrel said:
phil yates said:

Mark said:

Call me crazy, but........ I like all motorcycles!
It's always been more about the ride than the bike.

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Well I actually do too. Not all but many. What bewilders me though is the seemingly endless number of Japanese motorcycles that all look the same. There must be something wrong with me (well that's an established fact) but I honestly can't tell one from the other. It wasn't always this way. Once upon a time a Kawasaki looked like a Kawasaki and a Suzuki looked like a Suzuki. And so on.
Now they all look like the same race bike in different colours to me. I can't imagine they feel much different from each other to ride either. Look back through your old bike magazines and see the ads for Nortons, Triumphs, BSA's etc. What great ads with great bikes they were. All individual and all different to ride. Okay, they blew up, leaked oil and bits frequently fell off them. We all have to admit that. But they were real motorcycles and all were different.

I actually had one of these look alike racers many years back, a Suzuki RGV 250. I wanted to see what the 10th generation down Suzuki Hustler was like. The power they had rung out of a little 250 motor was truly amazing. It was a little rocket ship, but only really suitable on the race track where I took it a few times then sold it when I got bored. Hunched down, around town with no wind to keep your weight off your wrists and constantly braking, it soon hurt. And almost dangerous riding position in the traffic as you couldn't look up and ahead. Well that was my experience.

I certainly can't tell anyone what they should or shouldn't like, but I know what a real motorcycle means to me, old or modern.

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I totally agree with what you've said. The first road race meeting I attended was the Geoff Duke/Gilera appearance at Fishermans' Bend in 1954 when I was 14. Since then I've really adored road racing. However I find MotoGP leaves me cold. I cannot relate to it and the bikes are boring. I think there very few real motorcycles still in production - the Ducatis are beautiful and the Moto Guzzi almost gets there. The Buell was promising, however the Americans need to be taught how to make a frame.

Americans need to be taught a lot of things acotrel. That's why we are in here educating them on all things refined!

Only joking boys. Please, no more bombs in the mail box thanks, I'm getting better but tired of defusing them. First one rocked the neighbourhood. O' oh, here comes the NSA again at my front door, must be their fiftieth visit.

I remember being at the Castrol Six Hour at Amaroo Park and Len Atley was riding a black Norton Interstate (probably then a combat) and man, the sound of him coming up the hill and into the right hander was real exciting stuff for me. You could hear the distinctive exhaust note as he blasted his way up from the bottom of the hill. What great days they were. You actually wanted to go to a race meet. But nowadays why bother? 10 plus identical motorbikes fanging around a track, all sounding identical. How utterly boring it has become.

john robert bould · May 17, 2014

Just glad these where not available when i was 20..dont think i would have seen 21! 80 bhp was not for us back then.

phil yates said:
john robert bould said:

Three Nortons One Rz 500 V 4 two stroke...must admit the yamaha is simply the best...Pig in traffic, flat as a fart below 4000 rpm...drinks fuel 20 to the gallon ...but when the taco starts to read 6000 plus things get a bit exciting...10000 and its completly bonkers...12000 and whooooo! 48000 firing stroke's a minute....you read that right...forty eight thousand! what other 500cc bike did 148 mph in 1983? straight from the show room. But still love the commandos.

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Yes, fascinating pieces of technology and power output. I only had the little RGV which was like a sling shot. But not usable power for public roads. That's why these ride days on the track have become so popular. You can't use the f…..s anywhere else. Well you can but only once. Then you think about what fun it was, whilst looking through a tiny window in your cell.

I can still go to jail on my Norton but I don't tempt fate. It can trundle around town happily all day at 35mph or go much faster on the open road. It has power output to do either, and feel happy doing either.

phil yates · May 17, 2014

john robert bould said:
Just glad these where not available when i was 20..dont think i would have seen 21! 80 bhp was not for us back then.

No, very good point. We would all just be flowers on the side of the road.
At least we would look pretty

Phil

Hobot · May 17, 2014

Not to worry young rowdy Yates I'm working on a smooth quaint appearing vintage-ish snapper upper of those universal angry insect looking Asians and Borg looking European and American tractor like moderns so I've don't have to face wanting anything else cluttering storage space.

phil yates · May 17, 2014

hobot said:
Not to worry young rowdy Yates I'm working on a smooth quaint appearing vintage-ish snapper upper of those universal angry insect looking Asians and Borg looking European and American tractor like moderns so I've don't have to face wanting anything else cluttering storage space.

Tractors?
I love tractors, something about that unstoppable power that will crunch through anything. A Norton Commando on the farm. Mine was a beauty, a 1993 International and bullet proof.

I used to drive the big mothers way out west during harvest seasons. Made good money but drank it all. It was never never land.
No wine, women and song out there.
Just rum, bum and gramophone records.

Hobot · May 17, 2014

I've experienced burnt up red neck tractor and dozer guy who loves the work they can do just not for fast light fun is all. Once caught up on cycle crap I'll get my little Poppin Johnny Deere tractor going again. Idled like 240 rpm maxing out like 1800 but unstoppable to pull cleats off tires or crack though rock heads about to stall out then comae back on POP POW POP POW POP POW hopping into serious resistance each slow POPPOW. My wife says my tractor is so ughly its cute sexy.

phil yates · May 17, 2014

hobot said:
I've experienced burnt up red neck tractor and dozer guy who loves the work they can do just not for fast light fun is all. Once caught up on cycle crap I'll get my little Poppin Johnny Deere tractor going again. Idled like 240 rpm maxing out like 1800 but unstoppable to pull cleats off tires or crack though rock heads about to stall out then comae back on POP POW POP POW POP POW hopping into serious resistance each slow POPPOW. My wife says my tractor is so ughly its cute sexy.

My wife said I was so ugly and unsexy,
she divorced me.

Sold my tractor on me too, the bitch.
But she never got my Commando.

auldblue · May 17, 2014

You were lucky ,phil Yates! Better than being stalked.....

Fullauto · May 17, 2014

Let's face it. The Brits made their bikes unreliable and quirky to keep the less than committed away from their products. Simple philosophy. It worked for a long time. And we were all the better off for it.

They gave Harleys an electric start and a semblance of reliability and look what they got for customers. They deserve them.

I call things that Harley riders wear "the uniform of the individual".

Mark · May 17, 2014

acotrel said:
However I find MotoGP leaves me cold. I cannot relate to it and the bikes are boring.

Tough crowd!

acadian · May 17, 2014

There's enough horse shit in this thread to fill a Harley Forum, and still have enough left over for the small-dick club across the street...

Hobot · May 17, 2014

ugh Fullauto covered a good lot of the common bagger V-Twin crowd, especially the over loud tough ones that about always travel in cliques to them selves for safety and bet your bottom dollar most are packing heat. I tease em some times as dressed up for a gang war when crowding our little village square, telling em get out of here you're too late our little town was taken over a long time ago. But by and large bikers are pretty decent folks if treated decently and generally so full of Ozark road glow every one is grinning without chip on shoulders and wave at other bikers.

I've been stalled but defused it face to face with hand on pistola in jacket with a fella that later broke into my home for me to 45 cal shoot a nasty squater that greeted me with a 12 ga riot run in sickened feverish infected and detox state. I had temporary banded home d/t divorce from a gal that broke into office to have police point guns at me. But at least she and I was deep enough into karma and stuff to later look back and laugh our asses off, both thinking thank goodness turned out that way so in weekly contact on fun stuff. During this period I lived the jet setter life in same hi rise as old man president Bush, the jerk motorcades blocked even free way traffic every time he came and went. My gal at the time was so into glamor I got bored with it.

Peel had a fun road pun I'd pull on a parade of HD's on hyw, I'd approach slowly with the bottoms of boots showing on fork brace pegs, then would put feet on rear sets and me and Wes would weave through em like parking lot cones then carry on at our normal pace. You'd could watch the wave of head jerks realizing what was making neat sounds over their going by.

phil yates · May 17, 2014

auldblue said:
You were lucky ,phil Yates! Better than being stalked.....

She sent hit men around, but on Honda 4's, they never had a chance.
Six Honda 4's against one Commando, they had no hope of getting near me!
Parked in line outside the pub waiting for me, my mate with his truck backed over the lot of them!!
Very sad to watch,
over a beer.

phil yates · May 17, 2014

Fullauto said:
Let's face it. The Brits made their bikes unreliable and quirky to keep the less than committed away from their products. Simple philosophy. It worked for a long time. And we were all the better off for it.

They gave Harleys an electric start and a semblance of reliability and look what they got for customers. They deserve them.

I call things that Harley riders wear "the uniform of the individual".

When pissed in the pub, they chant in unison:
"Yes, we are all individuals"

phil yates · May 17, 2014

acadian said:
There's enough horse shit in this thread to fill a Harley Forum, and still have enough left over for the small-dick club across the street...

Perhaps you live on the wrong side of the street?

huskyfrk · May 18, 2014

pillon seats. i have noticed that the modern pass seat enables the passenger to see above the riders helmet, tend to think that higher seat heigh was done for this reason. eliminate that helmet banging that sometimes occurs with a new passenger. any thoughts gentlemen ???

phil yates · May 18, 2014

huskyfrk said:
pillon seats. i have noticed that the modern pass seat enables the passenger to see above the riders helmet, tend to think that higher seat heigh was done for this reason. eliminate that helmet banging that sometimes occurs with a new passenger. any thoughts gentlemen ???

Yes, bullshit.
It makes the bike very top heavy with your gal on the back looking like a scrunched up monkey. Must be bloody uncomfortable back there. If you/they want her to have a good view, buy a car with a sun roof and she can stand up on the passenger seat looking out like from the turret of a Sherman tank.

If your gal is a boy, same same.

It was all for styling, there is no practical or sensible thought put into a race replica Japo. Not for you nor for her/him.
It is just idiot stuff. The Commando offers a sensible pillion seat, as did all Brit bikes of the time. And Japanese too back then. This modern concept is absolute crap. It is obvious to the lowest of intellect, and the most f…..g casual observer!

phil yates · May 18, 2014

phil yates said:
huskyfrk said:

pillon seats. i have noticed that the modern pass seat enables the passenger to see above the riders helmet, tend to think that higher seat heigh was done for this reason. eliminate that helmet banging that sometimes occurs with a new passenger. any thoughts gentlemen ???

Click to expand...

Yes, bullshit.
It makes the bike very top heavy with your gal on the back looking like a scrunched up monkey. Must be bloody uncomfortable back there. If you/they want her to have a good view, buy a car with a sun roof and she can stand up on the passenger seat looking out like from the turret of a Sherman tank.

If your gal is a boy, same same.

It was all for styling, there is no practical or sensible thought put into a race replica Japo. Not for you nor for her/him.
It is just idiot stuff. The Commando offers a sensible pillion seat, as did all Brit bikes of the time. And Japanese too back then. This modern concept is absolute crap. It is obvious to the lowest of intellect, and the most f…..g casual observer!

Sorry, I missed the description "gentlemen"
You weren't asking me for my opinion anyway.

davamb · May 18, 2014

I like my TRX850 and I like my Norton. I enjoy having a bit of a fang on the TRX or taking it touring. It's pretty capable doing either. Every trip on the Commando is something special though. Dunno if that's because it's a bike I've rebuilt from scratch or because it just is an interesting machine to ride. When I ride it, it's very much a thing "we" do together. When I ride the TRX it's a means to cover distance or explore what a more modern machine is capable of. Commando versus modern? No, not here, both fulfil a need, perform a function.

acadian · May 18, 2014

phil yates said:
Perhaps you live on the wrong side of the street?

not likely there paco...

Commando Versus Modern

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