Who wore it better ?

ashman said:
Both bikes look great and both riders love their bikes no matter how famous they are, Al you don't need to have twin disc up front to have good brakes.
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Have you ever really ridden where you have needed good brakes, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. The front brake is the main thing which limits the speed you can safely achieve on a motorcycle, I raced for about ten years with drum brakes against bikes which had disc brakes, With disc brakes, you can go faster for longer without crashing, Drum brakes change as you use them. With a two-stroke racer - the motor is usually fast until it heats up, and if the front brake is a drum, it usually either fades as it heats up, or the linings become more sticky and make it grab. Which way would be the best way to go ? Disc brakes are far superior, but finding the right pads and disc material is not easy. Ross Barelli came to road racing out of motocross. He was sponsored to ride an RG500 Suzuki at Bathurst. Because the discs on the bike were chromium-plated aluminium, and the chromium spalled - his father made two discs out of cast iron. They exploded off the bike at the end of Conrod Straight. Ross was climbing off the back of the bike as he passed Mick Hone. He died in the spectator area. In those circumstances, the rider usually experiences time dilation. In the old days the combination of drum brakes and pudding basin helmets killed a lot of guys.
 
With drum brakes, it is always wise to brake earlier for corners, because you do not know how hot they have become or how the linings might behave. And if you lock the brake get your hands off the bars immediately and grab the tank and wait until the bike goes straight, then place your open hands on the bars. Do not grab them. If you do not have an hydraulic damper, the situation is much worse. You will usually have plenty of time - it only looks fast to a bystander. I think the time dilation effect of speed is due to adrenalin, but I ride better when I have taken a beta-blocker which stops adrenalin. It is all silly stuff. It is not really dangerous unless the road is rough. Smooth surfaces are safer.
 
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I don't know Al you seem to have different opinion on front disc brakes than me, the only time my Norton front disc brake let me down was when they were 35 years old and worn out, a full front brake upgrade with a Grimica system fixed that as well my new 2013 Thruxton had a single front Nissin brake system worked great as well and my 2016 Thruxton has dual Nissin front disc system and ABS, both my Thruxtons have good braking even at high speed, but riding on the road for over 50 years and I always ride my bikes hard I learned to slow my bikes down without using my brakes before I go into corner and then powering through the corners up in the twisties, very rarely I use my brakes when out riding except for coming to full stops of course or seeing a speed camera van up front of me lol, using my engine braking to slow me down as well, my Norton front upgraded brakes work as good as my modern Triumph front brakes.
Riding with 50 year old brake system of course you are going to have problems with your brakes and what you have told us all Al your front brakes are bitsa, a bit off this and a bit off that, modern new braking systems work so much better than days gone by and there are many great brake systems around, Nissin, Grimica and Brembo have been around in the racing game for a very long time and it's how deep your pockets are to get the best disc brake system for your needs, you can go cheap but is your life worth it.
When my stock Norton disc let me down badly over 12 years ago, while recovering from the fractured left arm and broken thumb from the accident was when I upgraded the whole front brake with the Grimica system, was one of the best upgrades I done and at the time cost under $600 from RGM, my accident could have been worst, don't trust old worn brakes even rebuilding/replacing parts over the years.

Ashley
 
Deckard said:
And yet another thread drift to off topic courtesy of Irrelevant Al.
The extra weight of another front disk is not worth bothering with on our Commandos.
Kenny Cummings came to that conclusion with his racer.
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American circuits are probably power circuits without many tight corners. On most Australian circuits you cannot go fast unless you can stop fast. On a circuit such as Phillip Island, braking takes much longer, and the racing is more about smooth high speed than a dog-fight. Theoretically, gearing should probably take care of everything, however it doesn't. I ride much quicker with disc brakes because of the lack of uncertainty. For a short circuit, a single disc is not enough for a heavy motorcycle.
 
I suggest most people who get hurt when they crash, is because they try to save themselves. Once you are off the bike, what happens is just dumb luck - or God. I usually just relax, keep my arms and legs in, and go with the flow. I once saw a guy take 3 big steps at about 50 MPH beside my bike, then do a somersault - broken collar-bone.
Confidence and ego cause crashes - padded leathers might have the same effect as painting your fairing - that is a certain way to have a crash. For every situation you encounter in racing, there is an answer - you just do what needs to be done as they occur.
 
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acotrel said:
I suggest most people who get hurt when they crash, is because they try to save themselves. Once you are off the bike, what happens is just dumb luck - or God. I usually just relax, keep my arms and legs in, and go with the flow. I once saw a guy take 3 big steps at about 50 MPH beside my bike, then do a somersault - broken collar-bone.
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And what relevance does this have to the thread topic Al ?
IIRC the subject is “ Who wore it better ? , not “ How many rotors should a disc brake system have ? “
 
I do not know why my wife does not want me to race any more. I stopped crashing years ago. If you keep racing, you actually improve, as long as you start slow and work up.
 
And its about 2 lovely Commando's that are ridden on the road, not the racetrack, but no matter what black leather looks the best, but RT the black leathers looks better with aging.
 
The best looking leathers are the ones which stop the wounds. I have a set with a hole torn in the backside, from being chucked-off onto non-skid. I had the shit belted out of me. When I think of it now, it must have been somebody else's fault. I should not have been allowed to race. When I was age 20, I did not believe I would reach age 29. The last time I raced I was about age 71 and a heart and stroke survivor. I think we all worry too much.
 
I was thinking this would turn into a fashion show with members displaying pics of themselves sporting their black leather motorcycle jackets.

I destroyed a couple of black leather motorcycle jackets. Vanson was the better one.

Tool's picture is better. I'd rather have Keanu's bank account than his picture of course.
 
ashman said:
And its about 2 lovely Commando's that are ridden on the road, not the racetrack, but no matter what black leather looks the best, but RT the black leathers looks better with aging.
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I agree - still have my original Vanson Model A but it was time to replace it . Sleeves paper thin in spots and split open here and there . Turning 72 in July so I don’t think I will live long enough for the new one to look like my first ..
Who wore it better ?
 


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