Reply With Quoteanyone booked for this years NEC bike show ?
https://www.ukclubsport.com/nec-to-r...CQ93sr2xUpJni4
Certainly more reliableOriginally Posted by Tifa
anyone booked for this years NEC bike show ?
https://www.ukclubsport.com/nec-to-r...CQ93sr2xUpJni4
yeah, booked in for the Saturday
Guess that was a no then!Random, I appreciate (but there's a discussion going on elsewhere)
I know it was 40 years ago, but the response from Bike magazine to Elspeth Beard's request for sponsorship for her round the world solo ride was an absolute disgrace.
Whilst looking at that letter today, it is totally unprofessional and pretty disgraceful, forty years ago was a different time and Bike (along with other magazines) was run by kids who were presumably just trying to be funny!
Asking for the same sponsorship deal today would no doubt elicit a far more professional rejection.
Newcomer here chaps, not just this topic but the forum as a whole so forgive my intrusion. If you think that was bad, back when Dave Calderwood wrote that letter I was just starting my career with Superbike owned as it was by Link House back then and John Cutts was the editor with Grant Leonard as deputy editor (or assistant editor I think it might have been titled). The picture editor/designer who was my boss was a great tall chap whose name escapes me now, anyhow, we always thought BIKE was a very gentlemanly magazine, not a bit like the rude and lairy louts that we portrayed ourselves as. I wonder what our response to Elspeth would have been?
By the mid 80s I had gained a position with the then Myatt McFarlane Publishing in Altrincham and worked across the entire range of their titles starting with Back Street Heroes and Motorcycle International (MCI, which spawned the MCi tours that Alistair did). Then the performance side things took hold and Steve Berry and I were given the project of what was to become STREETFIGHTERS, continuing the acceptable and gentlemanly side of motorcycling!
I think that letter to Elspeth is quite funny, you only have to remember the way each member of staff was 'described' on the editorial page, it was always very tongue-in-cheek. At MMP we had a SUPERIKE sticker in the toilet bowl.
Haha... you must have some brilliant memories from those days!Newcomer here chaps, not just this topic but the forum as a whole so forgive my intrusion. If you think that was bad, back when Dave Calderwood wrote that letter I was just starting my career with Superbike owned as it was by Link House back then and John Cutts was the editor with Grant Leonard as deputy editor (or assistant editor I think it might have been titled). The picture editor/designer who was my boss was a great tall chap whose name escapes me now, anyhow, we always thought BIKE was a very gentlemanly magazine, not a bit like the rude and lairy louts that we portrayed ourselves as. I wonder what our response to Elspeth would have been?
By the mid 80s I had gained a position with the then Myatt McFarlane Publishing in Altrincham and worked across the entire range of their titles starting with Back Street Heroes and Motorcycle International (MCI, which spawned the MCi tours that Alistair did). Then the performance side things took hold and Steve Berry and I were given the project of what was to become STREETFIGHTERS, continuing the acceptable and gentlemanly side of motorcycling!
I think that letter to Elspeth is quite funny, you only have to remember the way each member of staff was 'described' on the editorial page, it was always very tongue-in-cheek. At MMP we had a SUPERIKE sticker in the toilet bowl.
150 miles today around the coast of N Wales…. Not many bikes out and about, can’t think why🤪🤪
crightonmotorcycles.com
220bhp
129.5kg dry
Bit spendy though.
It was a great period in my life. I still do work for Back Street Heroes now, but on a much lower scale.
Yesterday I had a great day out around the lanes of the High Peak, trail riding. It was like a monsoon until late morning, then it dried up and the sun came out. When I work out how to size pictures for on here I can contribute a bit better. Under 100Kbs for an image is a total anathema to me when I am striving to produce as big a file as I can.. resizing from about 8Mb.
Best to use an external hosting site for pictures. There are several free services.
What do you mean by that, please?
Something like Flickr
As explained above and below. Open a free account at Flikr or Imjur. Upload your 8 meg photo. Then when its uploaded click on the image, usually a series of sharing options comes up. Select the link to embed in forums. Then copy and paste. Your photo will appear on here but it will not take up web space for our host as its a link to a larger image hosting site.
Hope that makes sense.
Now that’s a story!
I am not sure what I have done but when I went to Flicker my computer went crazy with all sorts of virus warnings. My security is pretty tight because I don't know anything about computers and so am paranoid about doing something that will jeapordise it/me. I am not worried about banking incursions, because I don't (refuse) to do ANY internet type banking, we have a bank in town and I still use my cheque book (laugh all you like, try hacking into it!) Anyway. the long and the short is I shut the computer down PDQ and waited 30 mnutes before daring to turn it on again.... I will see if I can resize them down to what is needed and try again!
Thanks for trying though, I am not up to speed with computery stuff at all, what you think is pretty mundane is very advanced for me.
I find imgbb.com to be the easiest to use. No account needed. Just click upload, select your photo, copy the link and post it here.
Streetfighters was the ONLY mag I bought religiously. Some of the Harris and Spondon stuff was just amazing. You just don't see work like that anymore.Newcomer here chaps, not just this topic but the forum as a whole so forgive my intrusion. If you think that was bad, back when Dave Calderwood wrote that letter I was just starting my career with Superbike owned as it was by Link House back then and John Cutts was the editor with Grant Leonard as deputy editor (or assistant editor I think it might have been titled). The picture editor/designer who was my boss was a great tall chap whose name escapes me now, anyhow, we always thought BIKE was a very gentlemanly magazine, not a bit like the rude and lairy louts that we portrayed ourselves as. I wonder what our response to Elspeth would have been?
By the mid 80s I had gained a position with the then Myatt McFarlane Publishing in Altrincham and worked across the entire range of their titles starting with Back Street Heroes and Motorcycle International (MCI, which spawned the MCi tours that Alistair did). Then the performance side things took hold and Steve Berry and I were given the project of what was to become STREETFIGHTERS, continuing the acceptable and gentlemanly side of motorcycling!
I think that letter to Elspeth is quite funny, you only have to remember the way each member of staff was 'described' on the editorial page, it was always very tongue-in-cheek. At MMP we had a SUPERIKE sticker in the toilet bowl.
AWOL!
That was my mag.
My big task this year has been getting back into track riding (after a 10 year absence, when I also did a bit of racing - on an SRAD 750)
My 2015 R1 is now a dedicated track bike and after 8 days on track this year I feel like I'm in control of it.. it was the other way around for a good few days!
Any other track guys here?
Pic attached from 3 days a couple of pals and I had in Aragon last month to round the year off. (Unfortunately we got rained off for the last day !)
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Thank you Groundrush, that has worked, although you only see the link, not the picture, unless I have done something wrong! Just as a test here is my old 80GS that we still have and use. My general runabout is a X Country, 650 single and for the winter a right old nail X Challenge that was a write off and has been built up with bits from this and that.
(Trying a different setting!)
upload
upload
upload
Paging MrTims to the bat phone :)
When I first looked at these gloves.Well it was well worth fitting the exhaust to my mates Speed Triple… he came around tonight with a gift for me.
A new pair of Knox Handroid gloves. I’m well chuffed
Had to look twice.
I thought they had 6 x 120 roll film spools on the fingers.
Very jealous of the G/S. I had an R80ST back in the day and the one thing that made me sell it was the original (as per the first R80G/S) saddle.Thank you Groundrush, that has worked, although you only see the link, not the picture, unless I have done something wrong! Just as a test here is my old 80GS that we still have and use. My general runabout is a X Country, 650 single and for the winter a right old nail X Challenge that was a write off and has been built up with bits from this and that.
(Trying a different setting!)
upload
The saddle on the Paralever G/S was far better. I had a toss up between buying a yellow R100G/S Paralever or an R80RT mono. I still have the R80
I’ve been known to dabble.
Have a GSXR 750 track bike.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Do you remember the Harris Magnum V that we built as a magazine project - we had to persuade Les Harris to build a frame for a Fireblade, they did the others but not the blade. They only built 5 of those frames! It was finished in a midnight blue. Then there was the Ducati Monster that Dave Campbell trashed AFTER the photoshoot of the press bike, we were waiting for the lights and Dave wheelied past us and promptly dropped it..... we bought the wreckage off Dr Hoss, he was very good and let us have it at trade. Simon Frary was in charge of the build, it finished candy red with white tank with cherries all over it. I am still in touch with Simon, he is working in the hospital now, as a nursing assistant. Dave Campbell is also in the health business, as a psychiatric nurse.. seems apt! Dave Manning was a later editor, he is still working on bikes, for Motorcycle Sport & Liesure. We are all getting on a bit now.
Nice pic, I'm in the trackday camp, do a couple of euros a year and done most of the best circuits Europe has to offer ....My big task this year has been getting back into track riding (after a 10 year absence, when I also did a bit of racing - on an SRAD 750)
My 2015 R1 is now a dedicated track bike and after 8 days on track this year I feel like I'm in control of it.. it was the other way around for a good few days!
Any other track guys here?
Pic attached from 3 days a couple of pals and I had in Aragon last month to round the year off. (Unfortunately we got rained off for the last day !)
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Wow! Yes, I definitely remember the blue Harris Magnum Fireblade. Was among the best Streetfighter creations ever. There was also a naked Spondon GSXR with rectangular headlights and polished frame. That was the No 1 ever for me. I was always in awe of people's ability to build such amazing bikes.
Surely you must have some pics somewhere.i think it's time you showed them!
I think that was Nik's Spondon, he still has it, and a Harris - unless you are thinking of the Harribox, a Harris box-framed chassis, they only did a few. Most were for racing. I have some somewhere, it is the image hosting thing, it is a right pain when the original picture is 7 or 8Mb... I bet IMGBB harvest images for use elsewhere, otherwise how do they pay for the servers etc? Much of the Streetfighter archive went up in smoke 2008, we used the same secure, storage facility as some financial organisations. Strangely the entire place went up in smoke one night, we lost the entire archive, back copies, film archive, show stuff... the lot. I have most from about 2007 onwards that I did, by then I had had enough of working 18 hour days and having 7 days off in 5 years (not 7 days per year, 7 days total in 5 years) and gave up doing the studio stuff on top of the locatin shoots. I would get back with rolls of film from location features and some editor or other would collar me and I would then have to set to in the studio to do their 'new gear' or something that needed doing urgently. I actually had a camp bed and sleeping bag at the back of the studio and often just put my head down for a couple of hours before heading off again - it was great for a young thruster though! Ian was looking for a studio to rent, so I gladly swapped places - he used do our studio work by way of rent for the studio fo rhis commercial stuff. I was glad to take a step back.
No, it was definitely a tubular framed Spondon. Some pics would be great if it's the one I'm thinking of. Probably the greatest looking Streetfighter ever if it's the one I'm thinking of. If your mate still has it I'm sure he has pics. I'd keep it in the front room where the TV goes if it was mine!
Just finished giving the Bonny a bit of a makeover.
Before
After
The weather is stunning, if now pretty parky, and I had decided that as it's the end of the season it's not a bad time to test ride with a view to buying. I do miss a few more CCs and the sound of a Triple or Twin. Had a few bikes lined up, and but damn and blast, Fate is clearly telling me not to be a silly boy, as at least one disk has slipped, meaning riding a bike would be even more exciting than normal!
So for now I have to content myself with surfing the dealership websites, and enviously listening to the mostly large cc bikes riding through the twisties on what is simply a perfect weekend to be out and about.
Rear mudguard/tail light looks better.Just finished giving the Bonny a bit of a makeover.
Before
After
Are you leaving the indicators off?
Yep. I painted it BMW blue so I don’t need them anymore.
You've fitted the BMW automatic hand waving system then?
much cleaner looking and i like the new paint job.well done.been riding my t120 recently and am finding hand signals[ the directional type] are not recognised by the modern motorist.Just finished giving the Bonny a bit of a makeover.
Before
After
Thanks. Can’t say I’ve noticed that issue, plus you can’t inadvertently leave an arm signal on.
Press embargo on Norton factory launch lifted this morning so expect a lot in the press.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UIdEnYyvU
I think Robert Hentschel is wearing a Bremont Norton chrono
The lad appears for about 1/16 second in this one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzS-XkE8Fvs
Last edited by Gyp; 11th November 2021 at 11:15.
Probably the last run out of the year, yesterday.
Despite my better judgement, I watched "Infinite" last night. The only saving grace was the CCM in the latter stages of the film. Unlike the film, that was worth watching.
Yu can buy a new bike and lose £000s the moment it leaves the showroom, or buy an airhead, ride it, service it yourself and the next owner pays you to ride it, cheap insurance too. You can buy a nice one for less than the first year depreciation on some of these modern bikes.I’m very partial to BMW twins, as we have at least 9 in the family at the minute, but they are at a completely different entry point. Nothing wrong with that, but depends what you are considering.
An Arch would probably be a very nice bike, but...
Anyone bought Goldtop leather jackets? I like the look of some of them and I fancy a leather jacket for the bike. the reviews in Urban Rider are good and I like the fact they are AAA rated.
Love any feedback from anyone on here about fit, comfort etc.
Rich
A nice sunny day so a good day for another test ride.
This bike is ballistic. The engine is superb with loads of torque from way down; the gearbox and shifter are great and the suspension smooths everything out; brakes are amazing. It is quite thirsty though.
It has quite a sporty riding position, but didn't feel cramped - definitely somewhere someone used to sports bikes would be very comfortable.
Awesome gloves. Have them myself, really comfortable and reliable Well it was well worth fitting the exhaust to my mates Speed Triple… he came around tonight with a gift for me. Usually I track the price change via alitools, a really comfortable browser extension. Highly recommend!
A new pair of Knox Handroid gloves. I’m well chuffed
Last edited by Owren; 30th November 2021 at 14:55.
Although it was very kind of my mate to buy them for me, I’ve found them to be the most uncomfortable glove I’ve ever worn. They rub my knuckles and trap my fingers when braking..
I’ve just splashed out on some Rukka gloves and they’re spot on for me..
Well, I start the journey to my unrestricted bike licence next week, and inevitably I'm trying to pin down the bikes that I'll end up testing with a view to buying. I suppose this thread is just a chance to look at the options, which aren't as huge as they could have been considering I want a naked bike; it needs to be as light and agile as possible, as I'm on the small side of average; and I've pretty much settled on 650-700cc.
There are two bikes at present that meet these requirements and also make me drool in terms of looks, and I just wondered if there were any real life experiences that could be shared, or whether there are other obvious contenders that I should be thinking about.
First up is the Yamaha MT-07 - not one that needs much inroduction, and Europes biggest selling naked bike by some margin (apparently Yamaha sell around 17,000 units pa, which is remarkable).
The other bike that's making me drool - and only just discovered thanks to a pointer from our Howard - is the Husqvarna Vitpilen 701. A manufacturer better known for motocross, but with a pedigree going back to 1903, this one is slightly more of a cafe racer style.
Both of these bikes are 690cc, and both have similar handling characteristics according to the reviews - and are also easy to ride from a novice's point of view.
Any thoughts or experiences to share? Please bear the requirements I mentioned in mind - I don't want a sports bike, and I don't want anything bigger in terms of engine size.
What are you going to do with the bike?
If it is just for local spins, then fine. If you want to go away for a week, the MT07 (or a Tracer 700?) would take your luggage much better than the Husky, which is the same engine as the KTM 690. Have you looked at parts prices and servicing costs and regularity? The more highly strung, the more frequent the servicing... how much performance do you NEED, or are you looking for 120hp and only ever going to use 50 of them, like so many other riders?
Do you want a practical bike, or a designer bike?
The NEC bike show is in a couple of weeks, be a good opportunity to see a whole range of bikes and sit on them.... make a short list of features and stick to it. For me, I need something that can carry luggage and is economic to run - that means tyre life, fuel MPG, insurance costs, spares prices etc, I am not worried by what people think of me and my bike! The best motorcycle security known to man..... have a bike no self respecting scrote would be seen dead on!
LOLZWhat are you going to do with the bike?
If it is just for local spins, then fine. If you want to go away for a week, the MT07 (or a Tracer 700?) would take your luggage much better than the Husky, which is the same engine as the KTM 690. Have you looked at parts prices and servicing costs and regularity? The more highly strung, the more frequent the servicing... how much performance do you NEED, or are you looking for 120hp and only ever going to use 50 of them, like so many other riders?
Do you want a practical bike, or a designer bike?
The NEC bike show is in a couple of weeks, be a good opportunity to see a whole range of bikes and sit on them.... make a short list of features and stick to it. For me, I need something that can carry luggage and is economic to run - that means tyre life, fuel MPG, insurance costs, spares prices etc, I am not worried by what people think of me and my bike! The best motorcycle security known to man..... have a bike no self respecting scrote would be seen dead on!
Posting Permissions
