Talking about bikes or Riding them?

Al-otment

Al-otment

Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
564
What's the total average mileage covered by members on their Norton's and other bikes of the 60's and 70's, as quite a few members have more than one bike. Only including bikes of the same era as when Commando's were built new. Norvil Commando's excepted. Do you do more talking than riding? You can explain your reasons if you wish. To start the ball rolling over the last 3 years I've averaged 21,601 miles = 7,200 miles/year (Old MOT's are useful sometimes). No prizes, this is not a competition - purely out of interest.

Just to cover myself, I'm going in the garage to do 2 hours work on my brother-in-laws '79 Bonnie then I'm out on the Commando. It's a beautiful day :D.
 
L.A.B. said:
We had a poll about this a while ago, it only covers average annual Commando mileage and does not include other classics but I guess if it did, the results wouldn't be all that different.

annual-commando-mileage-poll-t15243.html
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O.k, missed that one.

Found the relevant posting. 78 people replied (how many currently active members are there?) out of these approx half did less than 2,000 miles a year. Even if the bikes only used 6 months a year, that's still only approx. 80 miles a week :roll:. Less talking, more riding required. You only live once, unless a Buddhist :).
 
I do several thousand miles a year, but that's split approximately:

Classic Nortons 10%
Classic Triumphs 20%
Classic Japanese 10%
Modern Japanese 20%
Modern Triumph 40%

I've averaged 2,500 miles a year on the 2000 Triumph Legend 900 triple since I got it in 2005 or so; you can do the math on the rest.
 
Hmmm, it seems to me that standards are slipping. In the 70s for instance I was averaging over 20,000 miles a year, on a 650ss, Honda 500/4, Honda 400/4, not all at the same time!. This was commuting to work, holidays, touring etc. I was "doing it because I enjoyed it", which was the constant refrain when battling through the rain, snow, ice etc.
Mind you I'm suffering now with rheumatism and arthritis but that's the price you pay I suppose.
cheers
wakeup
 
wakeup said:
Hmmm, it seems to me that standards are slipping. In the 70s for instance I was averaging over 20,000 miles a year, on a 650ss, Honda 500/4, Honda 400/4, not all at the same time!. This was commuting to work, holidays, touring etc. I was "doing it because I enjoyed it", which was the constant refrain when battling through the rain, snow, ice etc.
Mind you I'm suffering now with rheumatism and arthritis but that's the price you pay I suppose.
cheers
wakeup
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Commuting by bike (almost a thing of the past now) racks up the miles. Easy to do between 5 and 10,000 miles a year just from the daily trip to work. Mileage now is generated by "recreational" riding.
 
Ludwig
That journey, the bike and accommodation is exactly my kind of motorcycling!!
cheers
wakeup
 
Hi Ludwig,

You get the best views from the front of a tent. :D Possibility of an Austrian rally next year, I'll have to look at the dates. The Alps are beckoning.
 
Al - you will find that many of the people in this forum like to ride as much as talk about their bikes. Annual mileage is another question entirely. Some might go for short spins every weekend and not rack up the miles but they are using their bikes for sure.

I think one underlying reason some classic owners prefer to talk than ride is because so many of these bikes are 'restored' rather than properly rebuilt. They are stripped, bead blasted, painted, plated and then re-assembled, without a proper understanding of how the whole ensemble works. Unsurprisingly, they are crap to ride. The engines are bolted together rather than fitted, the stock suspension barely works, the stock brakes are unsafe, the tyres have plenty of tread but are 15 years old, the stock riding position leaves them needing a chiropractor, and the electrics are unreliable. So they look good in some damp field where others of their kind congregate, but that's about it. I said to a man who had a nice looking 350 Goldie that he must enjoy riding it. He was honest, he said he didn't really, for some of the above reasons. If he followed some of the posts on this forum, he could look forward to riding his bike rather than looking at it in the garage.
 
I like to do both.

This was last summer, somewhere in the populated part of Wyoming, about 1500 miles from home on #38. Knocked the air filter off with my knee!
It is over 100degrees F in the shade, very glad of the ventilated gear.

Talking about bikes or Riding them?


Same trip we overnighted in a little town somewhere in Montana. Montana is lovely and still quite an untamed place.
I recall it was 140 miles to the next gas pump and my worn out carbs were only giving about 40 mpg at best, so 140 miles was getting out there for me. It was nice to be in a group for that day!

Talking about bikes or Riding them?


Toward the end of the riding season I did a day trip on the Daytona 955i thru the Duffy lake loop, about 400 miles with some beautiful scenery and a huge range of topography, from coast inland along the Fraser Canyon to the start of the high Plateau that is the Cariboo, then west over the Mountains to the Coast again and 100 miles south to home. All done and home by 2:30 in the afternoon, but a nice and fast as the Triumph is I will take the Commando or Vincent next time.

Talking about bikes or Riding them?
 
daveh said:
Al - you will find that many of the people in this forum like to ride as much as talk about their bikes. Annual mileage is another question entirely. Some might go for short spins every weekend and not rack up the miles but they are using their bikes for sure.

I think one underlying reason some classic owners prefer to talk than ride is because so many of these bikes are 'restored' rather than properly rebuilt. They are stripped, bead blasted, painted, plated and then re-assembled, without a proper understanding of how the whole ensemble works. Unsurprisingly, they are crap to ride. The engines are bolted together rather than fitted, the stock suspension barely works, the stock brakes are unsafe, the tyres have plenty of tread but are 15 years old, the stock riding position leaves them needing a chiropractor, and the electrics are unreliable. So they look good in some damp field where others of their kind congregate, but that's about it. I said to a man who had a nice looking 350 Goldie that he must enjoy riding it. He was honest, he said he didn't really, for some of the above reasons. If he followed some of the posts on this forum, he could look forward to riding his bike rather than looking at it in the garage.
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daveh,

I couldn't agree more. 9 times out of 10 if you see a classic requiring roadside repairs it's an immaculate looking shiny one. I know several owners of classics, who, now they've bought a modern bike, typically leave the classic at home. They have excuses, but you can tell they don't enjoy riding them because of problems, mainly because of the reasons you state. Too often the priority is paint and polish. For me it's engineering and mechanics, a pretty finish is secondary. I've never seen a bike breakdown because of a poorly chromed mudguard.
 
ludwig said:
daveh : I agree 100% .

daveh said:
..they look good in some damp field where others of their kind congregate,..
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These club line outs , the owners scrutinising the cars/ bikes , searching for ' incorrect ' or 'wrong' parts , always make me think of dogs , sniffing up each others arse ..
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I like that, made me chuckle :D

Mileage per year on my Norton ........ Zero (it's in bits) :(
Mileage per year on my Triumph ...... about 5000 :D
Talking about bikes ..................... a shed full :D

Don't do as many miles as I did in my younger days, which was probably 12 - 18 thou per year. The weather plays a big part in my decision to ride or not these days.

CB
 
Old age, weather and the amount of people and 4wd 's on the road theses days limits my riding miles.
But spread over a few old bikes a few miles do go under the tyres.
I notice now my 25 year old son does a lot of miles on his Pantah, ride to work, weekend fangs in the hills and trips away.
Probably just like most of us over 50's used to do.

I've been riding to work for a while now and I always get there, and home, happier than if I have to drive a work van or ute.


Graeme
 
Al-otment said:
To start the ball rolling over the last 3 years I've averaged 21,601 miles = 7,200 miles/year (Old MOT's are useful sometimes). No prizes, this is not a competition - purely out of interest.
Click to expand...

How about the three years previous to that ?
 
Al-otment said:
To start the ball rolling over the last 3 years I've averaged 21,601 miles = 7,200 miles/year (Old MOT's are useful sometimes). No prizes, this is not a competition - purely out of interest.
Click to expand...

How about the three years previous to that ?

Classics wouldn't really work with most of my riding ,don't commute via motorcycle (fly to work,10 k round trip) and don't own a car.
Never been a member of any clubs.

I think this pic was some 4000 kms from home on a 8100 km ride.
Doing 1000 kms on a Sunday was not unusual and over 50.

Talking about bikes or Riding them?


What you might find is some of the most vocal don't even own a Commando let alone any form of mobile motorcycle in general,not a crime of course. :wink:
 
Time Warp said:
Al-otment said:
To start the ball rolling over the last 3 years I've averaged 21,601 miles = 7,200 miles/year (Old MOT's are useful sometimes). No prizes, this is not a competition - purely out of interest.
Click to expand...

How about the three years previous to that ?
Click to expand...

A bit less probably, something like 6,000 miles. My riding habits don't change that much, out at most opportunities. 200 miles day trips are common, minimum 100 miles. Plus rallies, holidays etc. Also two or three stints dispatch riding. Since buying the Commando in 1987, I've averaged 5,000 miles/year. This does not take into account periods where the bike was off the road for various reasons, totalling approx. 6 years.
 
Being retired, I am too busy to ride my Norton, I did manage to ride my RD400 about 1,500Km and again being too busy only did 4,000Km on my bicycle. Next year for sure I will do more riding on two wheels since my sciatica is almost gone and I will let the kids take care of themselves :D

Jean
 
Jean, now that's funny "being retired i'm too busy"

I have a similar problem.
When I worked outside the home, I rode as much as possible. Managed one summer to ride 32 days straight.
Other years it was from first clean roads in the spring until first snow.

Since kids entered the picture, and I am a stay at home dad, the riding has gone down to a trickle.

This year was about 100 miles, many 1 mile laps around the neighborhood and 3 trips to the store on the Norton.

I can't wait until spring, my youngest is now in all day Kindergarten. So I have from 8:30 am until 4:20 pm free.

But then again there is a house to clean, sick days with the kids, and self employment to get in the way of that too.

Never enough time to ride.

Oh well back to staring at the thermometer, a balmy 3 degreed F right now.
 
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