What was it like in 1968?

I graduated from high school and bought my first motorcycle in 1968. BSA Hornets and Lightnings ruled the roads North and East of Pittsburgh in those days. There were some Triumphs, but Nortons were unheard of except in the motorcycle magazines. By 1973 Nortons were gaining quite a reputation.

Here I am in 1970 on my BSA A65T. Note the high bars.

What was it like in 1968?
 
grandpaul said:
Electric ships powered by battery?

REALLY? I sure want to see all those fleets...

In fact, the one PROVEN non-fossil-fuel-based nautical craft would be the nuclear-fueled fleets of the armed forces.
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The latest technology in nuclear submarines uses electric propulsion.

Even WW II submarines used battery power when submerged.
 
Dan1950 said:
The latest technology in nuclear submarines uses electric propulsion.

Even WW II submarines used battery power when submerged.
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OF COUSE Nuclear subs use electric motors, there is no such thing a "nuke motor".

WWII subs could only run on batteries so long, that's my point. The batteries are NOT a "power SOURCE" per se. They are power STORAGE units that must be CHARGED by some source of flowing power whether from a nuclear reactor, fuel-powered generator, wind powered generator, etc.
 
grandpaul said:
OF COUSE Nuclear subs use electric motors, there is no such thing a "nuke motor".

WWII subs could only run on batteries so long, that's my point. The batteries are NOT a "power SOURCE" per se. They are power STORAGE units that must be CHARGED by some source of flowing power whether from a nuclear reactor, fuel-powered generator, wind powered generator, etc.
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Ahh but nuclear surface vessels run on steam turbines just like many coal or oil fired ships. The difference is how the steam is generated.
 
Back in the late 60s early 70s things were so much better and simple no mobile phones at all and talk to people face to face, no distractions when driving or riding less people, cars and trucks on the roads, people enjoyed life doing simple things and people sat around the table at meal times without a phone in their hands, mobile phones have taken over peoples lives now, everywhere you go most people have a phone stuck in their hands and not paying attention in what going on around them, I am glad I haven't changed my old ways, well not to much, I enjoy my old school ways and get sick of people telling me I need to keep up with the times, no thanks.

Ashley
 
I was 17 and my 1st bike was a 1968 250cc (Aermacchi) Harley Davidson Sprint SS

What was it like in 1968?


BTW it was 1-up 4-down right hand shift.
 
No motorcycles in 1968, just waiting for someone to land on the moon.
First road bike was not until 1977. ($995)

What was it like in 1968?


Then big daddy in 1980. ($1600)

What was it like in 1968?
 
I forgot the rubber stamp H2B photo's circa some time in the early 1980's.
Glad I kept that bike.
Safety first, always ride with your light on.

H2y (Small).jpg
H2B (Small).jpg
 
1974 left school at 15 and first dirt bike a MT125 Honda Elsinore and 2 years later my new Norton Commando and still own the Norton but its no longer in Commando form.
 
grandpaul said:
You can equate that impact to two others that would be similar:

Suzuki GSX
Suzuki Hyabusa

Both of these kicked the competition to the curb, and dominated those markets for a decade or more.

Nowdays, any monumental eclipsing of the competition is far less likely to happen. The incremental increases are getting harder and harder to squeeze out.
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I guess i should update that (to a degree) the BMW SS1000RR has SOMEWHAT done in the Japanese speed kings of yore...
 
The original question from Blowfly…what was it like in 1968. Vietnam was a gogo and the news reported enemy body counts every day. The Cold War was also a thing. Gas was under $0.20/gallon. Shelby Mustang production was taken over by Ford that year. On the motorcycle side….had not heard of Norton. Triumph and BSA absolutely. I was 15 and riding my first motorcycle, a 1964 Honda trail 55 living in Moscow, Idaho (look that one up on google maps).
 
I do remember that my older brother had a black Triumph that had a gear indicator needle on top of the transmission...
 
Saw my first Commando in the service dept. at Dave Mungenast's St. Louis Honda. Gold metalflake, Made the Honda's look like the cheap crap they were back then. A year later I had my first bike, a 250 BSA. A year after that an H1 500 Kaw. When the Z1 came out, I couldn't swing the financing, so I bought my first Commando. Still have it, although it's a much different machine. A friend riding his Dad's Triumph Bonneville (the very bike I learned to ride on) had schooled me and the H1 on the advantages of British handling compared to Japanese horsepower. I always thought (and still do) that Commandos made Triumphs and BSAs of the era look like stone axes compared to a katana (the sword not the bike).
 
Imagine you are a kid, your ride was a C'do & these were the tunes


​

at the same time



& disc brakes were coming out to become mainstream
 
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I was in grade 4 primary school in 68 so around 9 years old, things were great in them days, was about the time I got my first push bike a Hoffy Dragster with speckle yellow banana seat, wide angle bars and a 3 speed gear shift on top of the frame, before that I got around on a scooter with big pump up wheels not like the scooters they have these days, clocked up a lot of miles on that scooter following the neighbor's girl who was 2 years old than me on her push bike we went everywhere together.
In them days not many fat kids around as everyone spent time outside doing things, only a black and white TV, family times where great, but mum and dad worked hard to just survive, times where harder but so much simpler meals were fried in dripping/fat and veges were boiled till all the goodness was boiled out of them, so in a way great things like cooking changed, but I still have my old fashion ways, motorcycles were never in my mine till I was about 14 when my mum past away and I sort of lost my way and started to get a bit of rebel in me and over come my shyness, then my first motorcycle at 15 was the best thing that has happened to me and changed my life forever, I still live a simple life and live my old fashion ways but that's the way I like it and always paid cash for most things, was never rich but rich in life, I don't want to keep up with the times as I am to set in my old ways and now my girls have grown up and gone their own ways and starting to realize they had it pretty good set in my old ways as we did things together.
Lots of changes back in the 60s as well a lot of conflick's around the world but really what has changed from that side of things, here in Aus the big change was going from pound to $&C and slowly to the metric system, was a big change when you were a kid, learn one way then change altogether, not all new things are bad but I still miss the old days.

Ashley
 
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