Thanks,...it"s a change to see a well informed feature of this kind,...well done.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback

I like the sound of the 2 stroke twins.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well when I do the Japanese bikes that should be perfect

@derekp2674

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 Bring on the X7 !

@TheKRU251

Жыл бұрын

The chocolate engined X7 with blamange handling ? I had one, but preferred the Suzi GT250M and later 250C I bought previously. But the whiff of two stroke ? Gorgeous.

@upsidedowndog1256

Жыл бұрын

@@TheKRU251 I start my chainsaw just for the smell sometimes!

At 17 I had a BSA B25 Starfire, great bike. I felt like the king of the road when I bought it. I'm 70 now and still got the original number plate on my garage wall.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Brilliant

My first legal bike was a Starfire, loved that bike.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Ran on3 for decade and I must say it was enjoyable to ride

I had the leader in blue and white without the screen, at the time I lived around high Wycombe area and most summers we went down to Devon and Cornwall . Being the good old girl she was she NEVER a let me down or missed a beat , light and nibble and easy to ride and she was in good nick

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Brilliant and very underrated design

Royal Enfield was my favourite bike in my youth, could not afford one. Wonderful presentation, thank you.

@nickcoppard5335

Жыл бұрын

Yes I had every model of crusader recently sold my super 5 ssy 316

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

They made some fascinating small bikes I think the company was a little too small to avoid trouble

@conanhayle

2 ай бұрын

Deeprose bros ,Catford se6 , sold that Enfield 250 in 1964

I passed my test on a Model 14 CSR AJS in 1970. Went out the next week and bought a Norton Atlas 750 for £159. Currently bimbling around on an AJS 350 Model 16.Happy days!

@bikerdood1100

5 ай бұрын

Nice 👌

I used to have an AJS 250 and loved it, I had good times on that bike in the early 60.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Very underrated bikes the amc machines

@johnlongford1734

16 күн бұрын

So did I

I had an Ariel Arrow Supersport 1966 to 1968. I loved it.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

Cool

That BSA brings me back to my first bike, a Triumph Trophy 250. Fun one to get myself broken into the trials and tribulations endearing to us enthusiasts .

@bikerdood1100

10 ай бұрын

Mine was a Suzuki which had the advantage of keeping me fit because had to push it home from time to time 😂

My memory of the Barracuda was a schoolmate who left to an apprenticeship came to school to show off his shiny new BSA250. While revving it somehat over enthusiastically the rod popped out of the front of the crankcase. The local shop did not belive it was a warranty claim and it was never seen again. Great pity as it was a good looking and sounding bike.

@bikerdood1100

5 ай бұрын

Boys and their toys 😂 This is what happens when you flog something too hard It snaps 😂😂😂😂 An important lesson for ant teen

Takes me back. My brother had a James 250 and I had an Arrow. The Ariel would run rings round the James in the twisties. Mustn't forget my most reliable bike of that era, the '60s, a DKW 197. Neglected in the shed in favour of my latest acquisition, the Deek started and ran on demand for a decade, ending up in my uncle's garden as my young nephews pounded it round the trees. These days I get my kicks from a 1290 SAS. Bikes are better in every way now, but we had fun on those old machines.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

I’m not sure they are necessarily They really have no dial at all A 2 wheel IPhone They simply aren’t engaging and are generally over sized and massively overpriced devices designed to appeal to middle aged men with too much cash The industry has ignored younger riders in favour of old farts for years Not sustainable I worry very much about the future I think there is reason the new REs have sold well Many People want the essentials of riding. Minus the completely unnecessary crap they bolt on today

Took me back to my youth. I had a Starfire and it got me to work and holidays at Skegness which was the nearest we got to the seaside.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Owned a Starfire for a number of years and really enjoyed it

I bought a new BSA Barracuda which I `customised’ with clip on handlebars, swept back exhaust and megaphone silencer. I loved it.

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

Expect it was pretty load

@JollyGraham

4 ай бұрын

@@bikerdood1100Of course!

@JohnSmith-kl1zn

15 күн бұрын

Mother in law wants it in her 70s

@JohnSmith-kl1zn

15 күн бұрын

😮

Nice video, which takes me back. Unfortunately, the BSA C15 was fragile, as was the Triumph Tiger Cub from which it was derived. The Ariel Leader was well-equiped and a decent commuter/domestic tourer but, at 209 Pounds, fairly expensive in the day; unsurprising, given all the panel-work. Villiers tended to lay their own smoke-screen and British bikes were generally somewhat expensive. I looked elswhere and in 1963 bought an utterly reliable 1963 Jawa 250 twin-port single for 120 Pounds brand-new. I had a 75-mile each way commute, so reliability was critical; it never once let me down.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Price was. Bike issue for the RE The Ci15 can be very reliable given regular oil changes ,often missed by novice riders of the day ditto most leaner bikes really.a lot of survivors out there which says something I suppose

@chrisweeks6973

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 Later production versions of the C15 ended up ok, but the earlier ones, particularly the ones with the externally-mounted contact-breaker on the back of the crankcase, were prone to a number of problems.

Glad you included the Arrow, I had three in total, not at the same time, just kept buying another, loved em. I would say the best British 250. Its a shame it never got the development it deserved.

@johnwalters5131

Жыл бұрын

Yes , Ian it was OK but did need a bit of development . As an 'Arra' rider you will not have suffered the blue fog it left in its rear ; indeed if you were with a group the 'Arras' were always ordered : 'back a the bunch' 😅

@iankeith763

Жыл бұрын

@@johnwalters5131 Great to get your response. You must be my age? I am 73, still ride. I had all the Arras at the same time as I owned big bikes, I had my T110 engined Tribsa, but still loved to ride the Arrow. We didn't have the high technology lubes of today, probably not as much smoke with modern oils. Due to arthritis, I can cope with it, I wanted something fast but light, bought a Honda NSR250. 250 2 stroke twin, but oh my, what a bike, Modern 250's are all boring, nothing exciting.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Best British two stroke Probably

Happy memories! My friend Philip had an Ariel Leader and myself an AJS CSR Sapphire. I could not drive downwind from him for fear of suffocating from the blue haze!! Both were excellent learner bikes. Moving on to present day I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed 60 more years of motor cycles, every bike being special in its own way.

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

Nonsense Smells wonderful that two stroke perfume 😂😂

nicely balanced overview, took me back to my youth.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

I'm of the 250cc generation, I got mine in 1976. However, as all my mates were going from FS1E's or similar to Suzuki GT250's or Yamaha RD's, I bought a Royal Enfield from a guy a year above me at school. It looked like a Continental GT but actually only had a four speed engine. I was not the only Brit bike fan, my mate Colin had a Starfire and Pete had an ex Police Triumph TR25 (same bike as the Starfire), Pete also had a Cotton 250 trials bike and Danny had a Greeves Pathfinder as his weekend bike. Test passed my RE eventually moved on to a lad 10 miles away and I took on an ex Police T100P. I'm still riding, touring on a Suzuki VStrom 650, but there is a T140V slowly coming back to life in the garage.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Ah the T140 that most underrated of Brit twins

A very good summary of British 250s. Your coverage of the AMC bikes was welcome, they are often overlooked but performed well and handle very nicely. I have an AJS Model 8, so, if you haven't already looked at them, I think the AMC lightweights would be worth a review.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Very trendy yo just right them off as old man’s bikes it seems

@williamnethercott4364

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 There's an old press review (in The Motorcycle?) from the sixties which points to the AJS Sapphire 90 being anything but an old man's machine but its so hard to overturn perception.

Thanks that was fantastic a lot of memories thank you

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

I had a Golden Arrow in about 1969. One fault was the small capacitors on the low tension lead that fitted on to the distributor plate would burn out after about 3 months. Dirt cheap,no probs, and fitted in about 2 mins. I rode mine from Grimsby to Birkenhead no probs, The secret was if you heard it chinking, being a two stroke ,you just stopped and let it cool down. But then you had to move the distributor backplate fractionally to start it again. 5 minute job again. Brilliant runner. And I had a tool kit comprising of a stubby screwdriver, and a small adjustable spanner. Changed a puncture with them. Great bike and mine had a racing seat and tank and quick fit megaphones. Barani Ali rims, and rear sets.with my ace bars on I often changed it to a cafe racer in about 30 mins.Had a specially made long banana seat as well.And a wooden facier panel for the dials. Sitting in a high Pennines cafe and looking way down on the M62 being built was a great memory. Modern weekend warriors. Get off and feel country. That's what Britain was made for...ENJOY

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Brilliant 😂

@davidworsley7969

11 ай бұрын

I love the info, but you can see why the Japanese took over the market-Boringly reliable.

The Arrow was my first true love! Wonderful to catch up again.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Amazing bit of design

I had a Star fire in the early 70s and just loved it. It felt fast to me. So agile and willing, I had a lot of fun with it.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Owned one for several years I can’t say I found it fast but the handling and breaks were very good

@sportmuaythaiv1045

Жыл бұрын

I was a proud owner of 250 Starfire in 1968. It's the most beautiful bike I've ever owned. I was a college punk, and weigh only115 pounds at 5;7" I rode the bike from Angola, Indiana to Sudbury, Ontario. I did the return trip in just one day. It helped me to graduate to Hornet 650 in just one year. The 750 Rocket Three was too heavy for me. Today I ride Triumph 765 RS. British bikes is in my blood, yet I had to have a Ducati. So it's the 950S SuperSport for me. I yearned for a 450 single cylinder Ducati, but couldn't afford it then.

Happy days I remember my RE Continental, C15 and Barracuda well.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Hopefully fond memories

@derekr54

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 Absolutely!

In 1965 after return from the far east in the RN I bought a Honda 250 Dream SS Within 6 months I had lost my licence. I was the first person to be caught doing over 100 mph on the A1 near Wetherby. This bike left British small bikes for dead. I was caught by an Austin Westminster clocked at 98 to 104 mph for over 1.5 miles. He only bought me when I slowed for a roundabout Yes we had them then on the A1.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

A very steep down hill section I assume

@terrylomax6799

5 ай бұрын

A great bike. I had a crusader sports that I tried converting. Bucket seat, leather tank cover, 350 gold star exhaust. Looked the biz. Con rod came through casing outside Brighton. Looking at the Dream 250 I spoke to a motorcycle cop in the showroom. He said " one of these was stacked on the western avenue and the fuel tank split. Inside it said Australian peaches ". We all know better now.

I drove my 1962 C15 into London to college and back every day, not fast but very reliable, and 100 mpg, always started, the only issue was a tinkling small end, had it and the pin changed, but the noise was just the same. Should never have sold it, it was a little gem.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

I think the C15 is a much underrated bike Great sound for its size too

Had a B25 Starfire in the late 70s, I must have had the reliable one they made 😉 , being young and stupid I got a Z650 as soon as I passed my test, in terms of enjoyment it was a big step backwards.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

I think like most things reliability can often say more about the owner

Thanks for another great video.hi from🇳🇿

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

1966 I was riding a James Commodore. 250 AMC single, and after my elderly D1 Bantam it felt like riding a rocket!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well after a D1 a bicycle wouldn’t feel slow

I learned on a friends BSA Starfire and then passed my test on my 250 Triumph Trailblazer. Loved both bikes.

@bikerdood1100

10 күн бұрын

Nice

@garryw-vc6qm

10 күн бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 I now have a Triumph Hurricane that has sat in my garage for nigh on 40 years. Why is it in the garage?...... because the wife wont allow me to put it in the living room!!!

Nice video, I remember working in a local motorcyle shop in the 60's, and they were a BSA dealer. The boss also rode a C15 trials bike and a scrambler and went on to ride for the BSA works team with Sammy Miller in the Scottish 6 days trial.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Fascinating, obviously a very accomplished rider

I owned a 250 Matchless in the 60s brought it new and I can still remember the rego 623KPO

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Fond memories ?

nice one, dad had a crusadef sports, always liked the look of the ariel arrow myself

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Good taste you and your dad I’d say

Interesting video. How about doing one on AJS Stormer, I had a 250 version that came in kit form to avoid purchase tax and it had a Villiers engine that was very good. The Stormer was very competative and won British championships in the early 70's.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Think I put the stormer in a video on trail bikes I recall Plan to cover British Scramblers so bound to come up again

@prestcoldandy910

Жыл бұрын

And the norton jubalee twin

That was a great watch very interesting thanks for uploading

@bikerdood1100

21 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

I have a Royal Enfield Turbo Twin with the Villiers 4T engine, it’s a great wee bike. 👍

@nickcoppard5335

Жыл бұрын

Wish I still had mine

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

One of the best looking Villiers powered bikes

Very good informed video, well done!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

I had a 68 B25 but it had a C15 engine. Must have blown up before I got it!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Very likely

Very educational, a fascinating insight 👏👌👍

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

We try

Fortunately I started my motorcycling way before the 250 learner limit, took my test on a MSS, 500cc, Velo. By the way the best T4 engined bike was the Norman B4. A really fantastic looking sports bike and rapid, I had one and an Arrow, boy did they smoke though, however it did stop them from seizing, something that the T4 was prone to doing. Mine was and so were others that friends had, this happened when you throttled back going downhill. An interesting video.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Norman Bit to Southern for me 😂

That took me back a few years. Many of my mates had either a C15, AJS, Fanny Barnet (as we used call them) or a James. I seem to recall Norton had a 250 called the Jubilee?

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

They did Parallel twin engine in an a James frame Not necessarily their best work Bad reputation for reliability Improved over time but never great Better when enlarged to make the 350 navigator

@richardwilson6392

Жыл бұрын

It didn’t

@richardwilson6392

Жыл бұрын

Typo: I mean it did

@davidworsley7969

11 ай бұрын

Had "Road holder" Forks as I recall.

Have just come across your excellent video. The Panther 250 was my first motorcycle age 16 in 1962. The thing I most remember was the turbine like smoothness of the Villiers 2T better in that respect than anything else I have ridden. A friend's Ariel Golden Arrow seemed very rough in comparison. Brakes were not great though. Also I quickly removed the centre stand as it grounded very easily when cornering. I replaced it with an after market prop stand. Eventually the silencers got clogged with burnt oil. I took out the baffles and cut the most clogged half off and then filed the ports in the remaining half out to try and stop them clogging up. This transformed the performance and the noise. It was only later that I realised I had inadvertantly created crude expansion boxes!

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

The model 65 I plan on featuring it in a video on 1950s 250s at a later date There’s a 350 model also, these were dropped and later replaced by the Villiers engined bike 2T is by reputation the smooth user friendly unit, the 4t not so much The Ariel Arrow I’d rougher but also a fair bit more rapid of course You can’t have both in the same motor it seems. Carries over to Japanese bikes. Been on an RD359lc which was very buzzy when you opened it up

Loved this video as my mate owns a BSA Starfire.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Me too for about a decade

My 1st ( legal) motorcycle was the Enfield Continental GT. Fabulous bike that had been professionally race tuned. ( valve sizes, polished ports and carburetor jetting. Racing profile piston and 3'point spark plug) & also fitted with an upswept Dunstall Megaphone exhaust ( which made it sound glorious). Yes, the 5 speed gearbox set-up was tricky. The way I got over it was to have the bike in second gear and then set the selection plates at neutral. This would ensure that ( weirdly) all the gears operated correctly with neutral in the right place. Yes, strange, but, it worked for me and for another mate who had a GT. They were quick ( for their day) and I could easily see off any other British 250 of the time especially on acceleration. Another mate had a BSA Barracuda 250. He could never catch me. Close, but, not nearly close enough ( lol). To my thinking, which is subjective, the Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 was probably the best looking, best performing British 250 of the 1960's. A real gem of a bike. A very pleasant memory indeed. I wish I still had it.

@bikerdood1100

5 ай бұрын

A friend of mine ran one He said the gearbox could be awkward, well 5th gear at least Very pretty thing a shame it was quite expensive back then. Enfield was not a large company then

The 2T engine fitted to the James was a lovely unit, quite gutsy for a 250 .

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

That’s what I hear

The Ariel Leader Arrows were years ahead of their time and better than the opposition. Did you know that a lot of Arrow/Leader engines ended up being used in Hovercraft racing?

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Seems a strange end

@hereandthere4763

Жыл бұрын

Yes, it was a very good engine when Adler first built it in 1954. Had a Golden Arrow. Was very pleased when I part exed it for a Suzuki Super Six. Now there's a 250!

@kenh3344

Жыл бұрын

Had a RE continental GT in 1966. RAB 63 D cost 275 pounds . March. Went to Iom with it. Later did a gander and gray conversation with 500 cc triumph eng in it . Wish I had kept it. Especially as a RE no problem with it great bike. Thank you for this nostalgic experience look back .v good.

@hereandthere4763

Жыл бұрын

@@kenh3344 Have a 1958 RE Constellation. Deceptively fast bike. Enfields always ubderated for some reason.

@kenh3344

Жыл бұрын

@@hereandthere4763 Good British bikes . I like the old stuff. But then they were my days. Indian stuff don quite float my boat. But the it's good to see in part the heritage. In them . Got a 250 nr mint honda cbr, for sale spoke wheels original mega s 13 ooo miles from new w reg 1980. 43 yrs old. If you know any body interested. 2,500 pounds? Thank you for your reply comment. Nice.

What I could never understand is when it became obvious that the the Arrow and leader were not selling well, is why BSA didn't put the engine into a traditional frame and folks and sell it as a Triumph and BSA. Little 2 stroke twin 250cc bikes were very popular. BSA/Triumph had the dealerships and back up to sell the bikes by tens of thousands.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

In reality the sales were rather better than people think They did in fact build a prototype in a conventional frame but it was scrapped when the gearbox manufacturer withdrew from bike gearbox production, modifying to fit a BSA box would be too expensive ( apparently) and that was that

My 1st real motorcycle was a like new, used 68 Trophy 250. Pretty much the same bike as the Starfire.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well yeah Different tank Only me difference was a different sprocket

First bike was a Royal Enfield Crusader Sports, then a Goldie. Great times.😊

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Up market choices

@paulroberts7561

Жыл бұрын

I used to drool over a friends Crusaders sports, couldn't afford one myself. I had BSA C12. Flat out, down hill with a gale force wind behind you I could get it up to 60 mph.. but I loved that bike, my first taste of freedom on the road.

I owned the Royal Enfield Crusader. Super low down torque. Joy to ride and hear. Problems with electrics were a reoccurring issue. I would certainly buy another.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Oh Lucas

@SpeccyMan

Жыл бұрын

There's no letter O in the word recurring and only one C.

I had an Ambassador 250 2T . Aged 14 on dirt roads on Kits Coty. Sadly, it only ran the once. Massive learning curve! I got an FS1-E and then a Honda CB250 k3. I'd be interested into why the Honda cams used to run short of oil and seize in their cam boxes regularly..You produced a great vid. Thanks. Love from Downunder.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Ta 👍🏻

Hi I have owned a little G2 CSR for 30yrs and love it

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

They are seen as old man bikes and over weight but just as quick as the opposition in reality

@ravenbiker9509

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 Hi the one I got was one of the last built in 1966 which was fitted with alloy mudguards which nearly makes it trendy I think well maybe

Barracuda engines were stamped C25, not B25. Basically the same bikes, but the C25 had a high compression piston and an exhaust valve lifter lever.

@bikerdood1100

8 ай бұрын

Well the Starfire was stamped B25 and did not have a valve lifter the 441 however did

Great video 👍

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

Thanks, a sheer Delight of Raves & Engines from the past - only ' Turkey' was the ' AD' break . Well Done Bikes . 👍

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

👍

You missed the best of the lot which was a DMW Dolomite 11 250 twin beautiful looking bike with Earles Front Forks great handling with lot's of inavation

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well nice little bike but the Earles forks give a bike a heavy look for me

@gregnorth6413

26 күн бұрын

British!

I had a 250 Starfire in the early 70’s and really liked it a lot except for its tendency to leak oil. It was a nice looking bike though.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

They shouldn’t really leak Problem is usually what the previous owners got up too

Great video,

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

I started riding on a Matchless G2 CSR, this was competitive for the time. It would do 80 mph on the clock. Merchanically it was a bastard between pre unit and unit. The front end was OK, the back end was bad and flexy, luckily it did not have more power

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

They were a curious design for sure

I've got to agree with you. Most people who knock the Ariel Arrow are talking through their butts. In many days they were the motorcycle Mini of the day. Nice to ride (with some care for that front brake, easy to maintain and, as some of us found out, easy to tune and capable of a surprising turn of speed in its day!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well they are pretty much as quick as anything else available at the time

I had a Ariel Golden Arrow for a fewYears. I purchased it new and enjoyed every moment of riding it. There was other250 bikes that where faster but being a 2 stroke it was quicker of the mark. Handling was good and reliability was second to none. The goden arrow was one of the bikes I should have kept, but parted with it for a 350cc Triumph twin.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

We all have bikes like that

I like the Ariel and Villiers two strokes. Looks like an awesome bike shop at 9:03 in the video.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

A few here in the Uk

@46spanner

Жыл бұрын

Often known as the Ariel Bleeder…I had an Excelsior Talisman

@gregnorth6413

26 күн бұрын

Villiers still going strong

Great Video thanks, I noticed the RE Continental GT has the wrong speedo fitted, the original GT has a 100MPH Clock, but its still a great bike, well done with the video its brought back some great memories,

@bikerdood1100

9 ай бұрын

Points there for geekery 😂

@alancaudle7476

9 ай бұрын

Keep up the good work, I looked for various RE C GT videos on you tube, found a few interesting ones, yours it number 1 and added to my favourites, Ive rebuilt one and done 100 miles on it, (plenty of neutrals to choose from@@bikerdood1100 🤣

Watched your post last night. Very interested as I had Royal Enfield 250 back in the early 70s. Mine was the 4 speed Clipper variant . Same engine and chassis but lower state of tune, sans the café racer bits. I noticed you identified the engine as wet sump; a common mistake. It was in fact dry sump but the oil tank was a separate moulding built into engine casing. It is interesting to note that Enfield Madras, who are now known as Royal Enfield make a Café Racer version of their 650 twin called the Continental GT. So not only has the GT grown in size the Interceptor has shrunk.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

The pre units used a cast in take Bullet etc Common mistake

Remember all of these my first 250 was a Norton Jubilee 250 twin cafe racer, clip on's rear sets large tank etc

@bikerdood1100

2 ай бұрын

Glad your enjoying our videos 👍

The tank on the Enfield Continetal GT the bottom joint used to split very nice looking bike but the tanks were rubbish , my first bike was an Excelsia Talisman 250 cc then Norton Jubilee that lasted about two weeks and turned into a hand grenade , then a BSA C12 which wasnt too bad then an Ariel Arrow Racer which left Bonevills and Rocket Gold Stars standing from a standing start until it got to around 80 mph and ran out of steam down hill though it could touch just under a ton.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Fibre glass Bloody nightmare now

@peter7624

Жыл бұрын

Had a C12 in '67. Reliable and economical, but not exciting. The only Jubilee I ever saw was in a cardboard box in pieces.

With the Starfire it had a problem with the conrod breaking; I had two that broke.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Did we thrash it 🤔

Excellent, thank you! Thank goodness my old Norton Jubillee wasn't included!!!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Not their best work unfortunately Great idea and concept Didn’t come off Let’s blame AMC interference

@lauriebloggs8391

Жыл бұрын

A bit like the Wulf? The Hooper/Favill modular V range? And so on.............

@gregnorth6413

26 күн бұрын

Loved the Jubilee. My sister had a Navigator in Singapore.

BSA Staffier was my first ever ... bought a 66 model in 68 and was my back and forth to work transport. Vibration was an issue ... always something falling off or coming lose LOL. Big gap between 1st and 2nd gear would catch you unaware during downshift. Torquey but ran out of breath at highway speed ... not really intended for US use. The big brother 441 was preferable but out of my reach back in the day. Later on ... well I did a redux in the mid '70s.... Kicking it over from the seat was an invitation to a nice bruise on your inner thigh from the oil tank cap.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Surprisingly difficult to start for such a small engine I found

This is a group of machines that have attracted a great deal of adverse comment for as long as I can remember. I mus admit to harbouring a soft spot for the AMC 250's and the Ariel's.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Nothing wrong with either Common knowledge is commonly wrong

I know nothing about motorbikes. For me, the 3rd one looks nice. Liked the design & handlebars & the fact it's good for 6ft+ folk. Loved the colour & badge too.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well that’s why the channel is here Hopefully learned a bit of history as well as looked at some pretty bikes

I always regretted not buying my mate's 250 Matchless in the early 70s, and that is what drove me on to do my test earlier this year. Very familiar with the junction in the last road clip. I wouldn't like to be riding an older bike on many of the roads in that area.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

If you need the clip in Shropshire t the very end I seem to be fine Death road ? A lot of middle age men ride bikes that are too powerful for them at speeds that are too high Not necessarily the roads fault

@eddiehawkins7049

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 No, not Shropshire. The location at 14:08 is Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire. The subsidence is horrendous in the fens. I grounded the suspension in my van at about 20 mph on one road. Very straight roads, but driving or riding anywhere near the speed limit is impossible on many roads.

My very first bike back in the 60s was an AJS 250. Great fun but they had a weakness. Riding along at about 60 mph i heard a nasty knock. It still sort of went but i later found out that the crank pin had sheared. I was told that this was a weak point and there was a mod to put a bigger crank pin in.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Oh dear

im 72 and had most of the bikes mentioned, wish i still had them, my fav was the golden arrow but we had to change coils regular and helicoil swing arm ,nightmare, but would still love it.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Bet modern ignition and coils would work wonders with the Arrow

Oh ,when we stopped to fill up, being a two stroke we would put a shot of oil in first about 20 to1 and then swish the petrol around to mix it. Happy days. And love to the pump girls at County Motors ,All long gone now. Cheers

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

I often wonder how reliable those bikes would have been with modern oils Auto lube would have been nice

I had a continental GT and would comment that yes the set up of the gearbox was critical but also, I examined the gears and dogs and would argue that the 5 speed gearbox was basically a failure because there simply wasnt sufficient room for 5 gears in the box and so compromises of space were made with the width of the individual gears and dogs. Wear was always a factor since the gearbox lubrication wasnt very good either. However the bike itself despite its somewhat rudimentary suspension would go very well and was a hoot on the bends so long as you stayed in the seat so as not to upset the suspension. I would best descibe the brakes as before their time as in you needed to pull the brakes on before you really needed them. I found the same period Triumph and BSA brakes to be much better.

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

No doubt about the gears

had a leader, but took shield & tinware off so more like an arrow- had set of hot up specs from sammy miller who of course raced em. shaved piston crowns at ports to extend overlap & i think lowered transfer ports, & bogged up crankcase with araldite to boost case compression- tho all gains from welding up expansion chambers. nice handling but i didnt have great rubber so front wld wash out in rain. were damn good well thought out bikes. 6v coils so starting a breeze.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for commenting Interesting 🤔

I owned a 250 Crusader Sports late 61 to mid 62. This the days before the national speed limit. We used to hurry up between transport café stops. It could outrun even 500 singles. A chap called Jack appeared on a Norton 650 SS. My days of arrival first at the next cafe were over. That Crusader ended up tumbling down the road at 70mph plus. Bent more or less everything except the chrome tank. That came out without a scratch. An A2 exploded view of the engine adorns my bedroom wall.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Bit of a crusader fan ?

@davecooper3238

Жыл бұрын

@@bikerdood1100 I am definitely a Crusader Sport fan. Looking back I thrashed it unmercifully & through a show off overtaking move sent it to the Great Recycling Yard in the sky.

I had both a Leader with all extras fitted and an Arrow both bought second hand in 1969, nice bikes and yes the brakes not the best but they were very reliable and easy to service and repair.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Well I don5 think poor brakes were unique to Ariel or indeed British bikes for that matter

This was a nice video

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Thanks We try

Keep them coming! Great memories. How about 150s ? Mopeds? Raleigh Wisp? NSU Quickly? You could keep going forever.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

All in good time Definitely will be doing both of those Some moped videos already but 1970s stuff so far

I had a BSA Starfire 250cc one longer. I loved that bike, should have never sold it.

@bikerdood1100

2 ай бұрын

Owned one for a decade Found it very good although not rapid

How about five three-wheelers that used motorcycle engines? You've already mentioned Bond; there was also Gordon, the AC Petite, Peel, and most famous the Morgan. Not sure if the Isetta and Messerschmitt had (converted) motorcycle engines, or engines designed specifically.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Isseta cars built by BMW had R25bike motors

Royal Enfield are still sold here in Australia although now owned and manufactured in India. Still good looking bikes.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

Still sold everywhere And in bigger numbers than ever Naturally I have a video on the subject

My first bike in 1971 Ariel Arrow had a reputation for acceleration,but it wasn’t as quick or as fast as my mates Enfield 250 sport . I also had a panther continental villiers 250 2t electric start ,a lovely looking thing and indicated 80mph on a good road ,also smoother than even the Ariel. I didn’t have a starfire but did own the sadly named BSA Goldstar street scrambler which was also slower than my mates Enfield. Just about everything that could happen to a bike did happen to it in 3000mls ,head gaskets,gearbox disintegration,electric troubles , frame crack ,and an exhaust that blew directly onto the rear offside indicator. I’d had enough and bought a Honda CB 250 Bliss.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Had a Starfire for a decade with few problems Did have regular maintenance though

My very first bike. Bought 1962, kept until 1965.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Cool

In the 70’s I got my first speeding ticket on my Greaves 250 Supersport with Villiers 2t engine Supposedly doing 60 in a 40 (dual carriageway) I got caught with vascar radar in 1975/76

@bikerdood1100

3 ай бұрын

Tut tut 😂 Honestly don’t think those things gave accurate readings, especially on something as small as a motorbike

i for one had some great time on my Ariel 250 we had three in our village club

@bikerdood1100

10 ай бұрын

Nice It’s a much maligned machine for some reason

I had a starfire for over 12 years. Unfortunately the engine wasn't so reliable. The rolling chassis with the twin leading front brake was fantastic. When the original engine finally shit itself i fitted a clapped out C15 engine instead. It only had three gears but non the less was reliable. But it was only a stopgap job until the tuned c15 engine was ready. The cefer was a stunner it was fast and reliable certainly quicker than the original one.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Genuinely didn’t have any engine problems with mine Chassis way out performed it though

I had a Norton Jubilee. Not too bad, very smooth, prone to siezing on long uphill pulls, once allowed to cool it would run normally.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

I believe oil level was hypercritical

Wanted an Enfield continental, but in the end, my Dad put me on a f%cking James captain 2 stroke, then got my rest on my mates vespa, the 2 stroke was gone and I bought a BSA c15, I've still got it, and a lot of other bikes have come and gone. Including an Indian, Bsa super rocket, vellocette viper (best bike by far), and a couple of others.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

AMC two stroke probably to boot Always got my own bikes would trust my dad to choose the tyres 😂

Wow! A Noody Bike! Our local copper had one!

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

In the UK the police used the Velocette LE 200, they were called noddy bikes because the officers were told to nod to a superior officer as they could not salute while on the move. No LE in that particular video though

I got my provisional MC licence in 1965 & passed my MC test in 1966, and for a very short period (6 months), was restricted to riding 250cc machines. Fortunately most of my school mates had 250cc machines of various British manufacture and we often swapped bikes and exchanged views. My father had persuaded me to spend little on my 1st bike and landed up with a ubiquitous Bantam 175, & save up for a proper bike when I had passed my test. I roughly concur with your assessment of the 250cc bikes, however I'd disagree that the Villiers 2T, & particularly the 4T bikes, (except possibly the RE variant) should be included on this list. I'd include the Norton Jubilee instead, the only (?) British twin 250, 4 stroke machine. It suffered many of the defects of other AMC machines, but it was generally well built, handled excellent, although the FB front brake & forks somewhat let it down. The performance was on a par with the Arrow/Leader and was far more economical than either the Ariel or Villiers 2 stroke twins. Perhaps it wasn't surprising therefore, that my first "full size" bike was a Norton Navigator 350 (much improved front brake & Roadholder forks) delux, with questionable styling, which I purchased for half the price of the RE Continental 250, but with much the same performance, and rode regularly between my home in Bournemouth & Liverpool during my first year at university. John G

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

I should draw you attention to the second video

My first motorbike was a G2 Matchless, bought VERY second hand as a 17 year old....when it was running properly, it really flew (or it seemed to)

@bikerdood1100

4 ай бұрын

That’s the thing really Who had it before and how he treated it

Yes,brill bike was one i had, 1962 Golden Arrow s s with a Avon sports fairing, Quite fast for the time, never let me down, i paid £40 for it in 1967, Def a Marmite bike, i loved it,.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Some didn’t like the styling I suppose

There was a motorcycle dealer in Stockton-on Tees 60 years ago. It had A Royal Enfield in the window. I drooled over it.

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Pretty little things weren’t they

@pmcevoy3102

Жыл бұрын

that was probably Cowies ? I bought a GT from there in 1967 and i still have it.

@tomellis4750

Жыл бұрын

@@pmcevoy3102 Yes that was the name. Hope you still ride your bike.

@pmcevoy3102

Жыл бұрын

No I don’t got it tested in 1971 put it in the garage and never moved since 🤔it’s done 7000 miles

Excellent video but I note no mention of the Norton Jubilee fourstroke twin.

@bikerdood1100

11 ай бұрын

There are in fact two videos Always pays to check out the links

Superb video but i am suprised the James 250 Commodore was not in there

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Can’t include everything at the end o& the day

An interesting fact about the C15 was the sound of it revving up which was was played in the musical hit song "The Leader Of The Pack".

@bikerdood1100

Жыл бұрын

Classic She should never have fell for him That’s all I can say