A local guy used to ride G80 on dirt track on methanol. Some one in the team was told to change the oil before the race. I didn't do it. It should've been castor oil. The engine seized and that was it.
If you look at Ago's bikes - identical replicas to the late period originals - you'll see it's q uite clearly not the same. Fantastic bike for sure, but something there just doesn't seem right.
them drums worked well, cooling was the main issue with them,,an outboard disk cools much quicker than enclosed shoes,,but they did stop the bike prior the heat/fade
When I was a kid, Cycle World magazine sold albums of nothing but racing motorcycle engines in full combat: Norton Manxes, Honda fours and sixes, you name it. I lusted for these albums but never had the money to buy them. Thanks to the Internet and RU-vid, I now can hear all those ancient engines in their full sonic glory.
I can accept that 4 cyl. bikes are a part of history, however they also destroyed road racing. The single and twin cylinder four stroke technology was worth preserving and developing further. Speeds in racing are only relative, and if the whole field take a quantum leap up, the costs become prohibitive. Nobody really needs 200 BHP bikes to race, and on the IOM it would be really stupid. Not a matter of if, but when !
Many years ago there was talk of banning 750 cc bikes from the TT as they were deemed too fast for the Mountain Circuit.Now the 1000cc bikes are 220BHP.Now all the boy racers think they need 200BHP at the back wheel on a road bike.I wonder how many road riders can use that power.
That was the real world where the two strokes killed off the four strokes. Where are they all now ? Those classes are now dead and gone forever, and we are left with the mixed grid of rubbish in every historic race. You can see better racing on any freeway.
fantastic jim is in the top three riders of all time i am just back from the ballymena vintage show having talked to jim this afternoon at 82 he looks about 60 hope he keeps going for another 10 years
wonder why motorcycle manufacturers don't replicate vintage motorcycles? you know, make a modern version? create the same style bike for those of us who like em' but don't have the time, money, patience or know how to restore one.
The sound of mechanical purity... Nothing better than an open megaphone, build in thin metal, with a short exit, revving up, so close to the boot... Sensations!
New bikes are "better" in many ways, better handling, braking, faster, more reliable... I would choose this over ANY new bike. At the end of the day it's about the experience and this experience is more pure.
I owned one like the red one , Built in Walthamstow London. I made 40HP at the rearwheel at 13.000 revs, and absolutely nothing below 8500. It had a longer megaphone that the one shown, and special cams. It was a joy to ride, but was replaced later by a Yamaha TR2.
