Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > What's that Old Nail on your avatar

[rcgbob44]

Class!

Takes me back to the days of the Transatlantic races........now where did I leave my teef!

[Mad Dog Bianchi]

So, why didn't that glorious bike turn into something that everyone wanted. Why did BSA give up the ghost in front of the Japanese. I remember the howl of the first Rocket three I saw as it zooomed past me on an airport track in Texas many moons ago, but by then the game had been lost I guess. The pitfalls of resting on one's laurels for way too long.
BSA could have been with us today.
BTW, boootiful bike, that! Very cherry!

[Felix]

I found that old nails tend to work pretty well. It's my thumbs that most of the beating anyway.

Nice bike! And impressive riding!

[rcgbob44]

The answer to your question Mad Dog Bianchi is that the narrow minded old croanes that ran the british motorcycle industry would not listen to the people that knew what was needed, just take a look at the bBandit & Fury designs that were shelved coz they were a little radicle at the time or the monoshocked BSA MCI horizontal single.

Alas narrow mindedness was the killer of the Brit bike industry.

Next thing you`ll suggest is that they build a four pot version of the Triumph/BSA tripple and maybe even think about an overhead cam.................whatever next!

[Edited on 13-2-2006 by rcgbob44]

[Ains.]

Originally posted by rcgbob44
The answer to your question Mad Dog Bianchi is that the narrow minded old croanes that ran the british motorcycle industry would not listen to the people that knew what was needed, just take a look at the bBandit & Fury designs that were shelved coz they were a little radicle at the time or the monoshocked BSA MCI horizontal single.

Alas narrow mindedness was the killer of the Brit bike industry.

Next thing you`ll suggest is that they build a four pot version of the Triumph/BSA tripple and maybe even think about an overhead cam.................whatever next!

[Edited on 13-2-2006 by rcgbob44]

Mind you, the engineering unions had a lot to do with the UK motor industry's demise.

Shop Stewards and the usual sucking of teeth, nah mate can't do that, against the rules init. Demarkation that is; that's an electricians job that is. Have to stop and strike if you let that go through. Remember the bust up on the Isle of Grain building a power station. Boiler markers v Plumbers. It's pipes! No it isn't it's an accumulator so it's boiler makers work! Actually ended up putting bricks through each others coaches as they were coming in to 'work'.

6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other. Crap management and overly strong unions.

I read somewhere that a four pot OHC was on the drawingboard back then, or have I missed the sarcasm.

Ains.

[Monty]

Hmmm, Transatlantic match races, 8 rocket 3's all with Blair exhaust's-wonderful.

John

[gary888]

Nice to see a mans motorbike teaching the pups a lesson Stealth!!
AND it's got the gearshift on the correct side..........

Gary.

[Stealth]

Actually it's got gearshift on the japanese side as I put a cross over shaft on. I am carp at remembering 1up4down on the right and then most recently one up five down on the 998Rs race shift. So all are now one down whatever number up.

Anyway, for those Transatlantic fans here is the original John Cooper Rocket 3.

Next you know, you'll get a picture of my T160 owned since I was 17.....

[rcgbob44]

Stealth

As your clearly very unhappy with that old nail of a bike, I`ll give ya a tenner to take it away and fondle it!

[Monty]

Originally posted by stealth2
Actually it's got gearshift on the japanese side as I put a cross over shaft on. I am carp at remembering 1up4down on the right and then most recently one up five down on the 998Rs race shift. So all are now one down whatever number up.

Anyway, for those Transatlantic fans here is the original John Cooper Rocket 3.

Next you know, you'll get a picture of my T160 owned since I was 17.....

I don't know why but the gearchange thing never seems to bother me.
Ducati ST4S left hand side 1down 5 up
Yamaha TZ250 left hand side 1 up 5 down
Gilera Saturno left hand side 1 down 4 up
BSA D10 bantam right hand side 1 down 2 up
Gilera Saturno right hand side 1 up 3 down...........they are all just different.

John