18-04-2011, 09:29 AM
Hi,
Many thanks for adding this interesting thread David and for the links and pictures; I think you definitely look cool with your BMW.
As you know David I too am a BMW fan having owned two R75/5's in 1972/3. At that time I joined the BMW Motorcycle Club and we used to have trips out. Due to the cost of these bikes it was mostly middle aged or older people who bought these bikes and treated them more like toys; many only rode their bikes at weekends or when the sun came out. The R75/5 750cc was the largest capacity bike made by BMW when I bought mine but shortly after the 900cc was introduced and a club member bought one; I'll forever remember this club member saying at a meeting that he was having problems negotiating roundabouts in top gear at 30mph?
Few members really rode their bikes hard. I note your comment "Never ride faster than your angel can fly" and understand it's meaning but I must have had a very fast angel and a great deal of luck because I used my bike to the maximum; in 1973 the roads were not as dangerous and there was little traffic down country roads so apart from the odd mobile radar speed trap the bike could be stretched and I've enjoyed many thousands of miles at the tight end of the throttle cable.
I totally agree with you David about the fantastic biking roads around North Yorkshire; I always loved the blast from York to Scarborough on a sunny day; perfect biking roads in those days but unfortunately lethal these days claiming many bikers lives and with modern bikes easily capable of 170mph to ride a bike at such speed these days would end up with a very short life span for the rider.
I never considered myself reckless only riding as fast as conditions would safely allow; in all my biking years covering well in excess of 10K miles per year I only suffered two accidents; one was when I stepped off the BMW on an "S" bend covered in diesel; I had noticed the shine on the road so dropped speed right down and the bike just dropped from under me spinning around on a cylinder whilst I remained standing; this was quickly followed by a young lady on a moped who unfortunately when down with the moped; we rang the council who came out and sanded the road.
The second accident was far more serious and at under 30mph. I was riding a Norton 750cc Atlas and was hit head on by an idiot driving an old Austin A40 with every window fully iced up; I was thrown right over the car roof to bounce from a low garden wall ending up in the gutter whilst the bike converted the car into a mid engined sports car; I received a fractured right ankle and smashed left knee cap plus a number of deep cuts. The car driver visited me in hospital to complain he was having to go to work on the bus and could he claim a car through my insurance. Being the biker of course I was estimated at 60% to blame for the accident.
Two weeks later I was out on my friends Norton 650cc SS, my friend riding pillion and holding onto my crutches whilst my bare toes protruding from the pot were getting rather cold. Mad or young and foolish; perhaps I was both but in all the time I owned a motorcycle I never came off due to my own fault.
I don't think I would even want to ride a motorcycle these days not only because of traffic congestion but the actual road surface is now so lethal full of pot holes and speed humps; it's hard enough driving the car and yes I've slowed right down and now drive within the speed limit; long gone are the days of truly open roads.
I started my biking days when big singles ruled the roost usually with a side car attached. My old Norton ES2 500cc single would happily throw me over the handle bars if I forgot to retard the ignition; in those days bikes had manual advance retard and choke controls. My cousin Tony owned a 600cc Ariel single.
Working in the pit as an apprentice a guy bought a brand new 650cc Panther sloper single and he was terrified of it; it was very entertaining for a group of us to stand and watch as he tried to kick it off; usually he ended up going over the handlebars; he finally stopped trying to kick it off and would push it up the steep incline by the boiler house then bump start it; the Panther was a real beast of a bike.
I've owned and enjoyed many motor cycles but non ever came anywhere near the joy of owning my BMW's and the only reason I finally packing in biking was because of our dire climate.
Happy days indeed David.
Kind regards, Col.
Many thanks for adding this interesting thread David and for the links and pictures; I think you definitely look cool with your BMW.
As you know David I too am a BMW fan having owned two R75/5's in 1972/3. At that time I joined the BMW Motorcycle Club and we used to have trips out. Due to the cost of these bikes it was mostly middle aged or older people who bought these bikes and treated them more like toys; many only rode their bikes at weekends or when the sun came out. The R75/5 750cc was the largest capacity bike made by BMW when I bought mine but shortly after the 900cc was introduced and a club member bought one; I'll forever remember this club member saying at a meeting that he was having problems negotiating roundabouts in top gear at 30mph?
Few members really rode their bikes hard. I note your comment "Never ride faster than your angel can fly" and understand it's meaning but I must have had a very fast angel and a great deal of luck because I used my bike to the maximum; in 1973 the roads were not as dangerous and there was little traffic down country roads so apart from the odd mobile radar speed trap the bike could be stretched and I've enjoyed many thousands of miles at the tight end of the throttle cable.
I totally agree with you David about the fantastic biking roads around North Yorkshire; I always loved the blast from York to Scarborough on a sunny day; perfect biking roads in those days but unfortunately lethal these days claiming many bikers lives and with modern bikes easily capable of 170mph to ride a bike at such speed these days would end up with a very short life span for the rider.
I never considered myself reckless only riding as fast as conditions would safely allow; in all my biking years covering well in excess of 10K miles per year I only suffered two accidents; one was when I stepped off the BMW on an "S" bend covered in diesel; I had noticed the shine on the road so dropped speed right down and the bike just dropped from under me spinning around on a cylinder whilst I remained standing; this was quickly followed by a young lady on a moped who unfortunately when down with the moped; we rang the council who came out and sanded the road.
The second accident was far more serious and at under 30mph. I was riding a Norton 750cc Atlas and was hit head on by an idiot driving an old Austin A40 with every window fully iced up; I was thrown right over the car roof to bounce from a low garden wall ending up in the gutter whilst the bike converted the car into a mid engined sports car; I received a fractured right ankle and smashed left knee cap plus a number of deep cuts. The car driver visited me in hospital to complain he was having to go to work on the bus and could he claim a car through my insurance. Being the biker of course I was estimated at 60% to blame for the accident.
Two weeks later I was out on my friends Norton 650cc SS, my friend riding pillion and holding onto my crutches whilst my bare toes protruding from the pot were getting rather cold. Mad or young and foolish; perhaps I was both but in all the time I owned a motorcycle I never came off due to my own fault.
I don't think I would even want to ride a motorcycle these days not only because of traffic congestion but the actual road surface is now so lethal full of pot holes and speed humps; it's hard enough driving the car and yes I've slowed right down and now drive within the speed limit; long gone are the days of truly open roads.
I started my biking days when big singles ruled the roost usually with a side car attached. My old Norton ES2 500cc single would happily throw me over the handle bars if I forgot to retard the ignition; in those days bikes had manual advance retard and choke controls. My cousin Tony owned a 600cc Ariel single.
Working in the pit as an apprentice a guy bought a brand new 650cc Panther sloper single and he was terrified of it; it was very entertaining for a group of us to stand and watch as he tried to kick it off; usually he ended up going over the handlebars; he finally stopped trying to kick it off and would push it up the steep incline by the boiler house then bump start it; the Panther was a real beast of a bike.
I've owned and enjoyed many motor cycles but non ever came anywhere near the joy of owning my BMW's and the only reason I finally packing in biking was because of our dire climate.
Happy days indeed David.
Kind regards, Col.
