Show us your dads bikes
Discussion
Idea taken from the "show us your dads cars" thread in GG
my Dad never had any cars but he had a LOT of bikes.....these were my favourites (in no order)
GOOGLE IMAGES not "his" ones...I wish I had photos of them all







the Hesketh 1000 was his ONLY V-Twin..it was a pile of s
t



show us your dads bike
my Dad never had any cars but he had a LOT of bikes.....these were my favourites (in no order)
GOOGLE IMAGES not "his" ones...I wish I had photos of them all








the Hesketh 1000 was his ONLY V-Twin..it was a pile of s
t 


show us your dads bike

My dad hates bikes, and has always tried to veer me and my brother away from them. He succeeded with my pansy brother, but he had a tougher job on his hands with me. Although he thought he had won when I got married young and had to follow up quickly with a family car!
That didn’t keep me away for too long though, and how he sighed when I bought my daughter a bike!!
Fair play to the old git though….he always comes and supports/laughs at me when I race at Cadwell
Needless to say he’s never had a bike, and I’m not even sure if he’s been on the back of one.
That didn’t keep me away for too long though, and how he sighed when I bought my daughter a bike!!
Fair play to the old git though….he always comes and supports/laughs at me when I race at Cadwell
Needless to say he’s never had a bike, and I’m not even sure if he’s been on the back of one.
Fleegle said:
My dad hates bikes, and has always tried to veer me and my brother away from them. He succeeded with my pansy brother, but he had a tougher job on his hands with me. Although he thought he had won when I got married young and had to follow up quickly with a family car!
That didn’t keep me away for too long though, and how he sighed when I bought my daughter a bike!!
Fair play to the old git though….he always comes and supports/laughs at me when I race at Cadwell
Needless to say he’s never had a bike, and I’m not even sure if he’s been on the back of one.
My dad was the opposite, he hated cars. That didn’t keep me away for too long though, and how he sighed when I bought my daughter a bike!!
Fair play to the old git though….he always comes and supports/laughs at me when I race at Cadwell
Needless to say he’s never had a bike, and I’m not even sure if he’s been on the back of one.

Strangely I was 'round the old man's the other day and found a couple of old pic's of his bikes so snapped them with my phone.
We still have the two either side of mum. The one on the left is his old race bike which is on the road now and used loads. It's a 1928 AJS K8. It's had compression plates added and re-carbed as it was running on dope then. Still hasn't got a silencer though
The one on the right is the 600cc two-stroke Scott which is back on the road again now (but not quite as purple!). Don't know what happened to the Ariel in the background though 

This is the Ariel again:


We still have the two either side of mum. The one on the left is his old race bike which is on the road now and used loads. It's a 1928 AJS K8. It's had compression plates added and re-carbed as it was running on dope then. Still hasn't got a silencer though
The one on the right is the 600cc two-stroke Scott which is back on the road again now (but not quite as purple!). Don't know what happened to the Ariel in the background though 
This is the Ariel again:

Pretty much identical to this (a poor man's Manx - Dommi 88), except for extensive head work - bigger valves, ported and polished, etc. Nearly killed him twice. The first around Oliver's Mount when the throttle jammed open - fortunately recovered by banging it into top gear and then bogging the engine down using the brakes. Try that on a modern bike with 180bhp 
It finally died following a SMIDSY when a car pulled out in front of him sending him flying over the car and destroying the bike. Shame as it was a lovely thing.


It finally died following a SMIDSY when a car pulled out in front of him sending him flying over the car and destroying the bike. Shame as it was a lovely thing.

My Dad's always had old bikes and cars. He had a large collection of Douglas's and Lea Francis's with his Dad. Which was good for me because they built a large garage to house them. So years later I was able to put mine in it
Also meant they couldn't stop me from riding. Strangely enough my Mum always fealt I was safer out on my bike than in the car?
He had a XS250 for years to ride to work on. Very handy, as when my work hack broke down I borrowed the XS and he got the bus to work
He only has a few bikes now, a BSA M21 Sidecar outfit (which he bought as a wreck in 1978), so we have pretty much grown up with that bike. A couple of Honda CB175's in boxes and a BSA Bantam we bought him for his 70th a few years ago. Still riding them now and again.
Will have to go digging for some pics off my Mum.
Also meant they couldn't stop me from riding. Strangely enough my Mum always fealt I was safer out on my bike than in the car? He had a XS250 for years to ride to work on. Very handy, as when my work hack broke down I borrowed the XS and he got the bus to work

He only has a few bikes now, a BSA M21 Sidecar outfit (which he bought as a wreck in 1978), so we have pretty much grown up with that bike. A couple of Honda CB175's in boxes and a BSA Bantam we bought him for his 70th a few years ago. Still riding them now and again.
Will have to go digging for some pics off my Mum.
Yoda. said:
This is my Mother on her (I think) BSA Bantam. She used to ride around most of the UK on it after the war as a mid-wife.

My Father had bikes too, but I have no pictures. I think he had a Vincent 'Blackshadow' amongst others, but don't remember him talking about them that much.
My Father had bikes too, but I have no pictures. I think he had a Vincent 'Blackshadow' amongst others, but don't remember him talking about them that much.
IIRC Yoda was 900 hundred years old Judging by that picture, your forum name is particularity apt 
Some of my Dad's bikes...
I think this one is a unit 650 Thunderbird. Pictured in about 1968.

1948 Norton International, again pictured in the late 1960s.

This one's a pre unit 650 Triton. Looks like another Thunderbird engine. Pictured in the late 1960s

This pic taken in 1971.

There were loads of others.
Tiger Cubs
James
Scott
BSA Gold Star
BSA Shooting Star
Royal Enfield Bullets
Kawasaki GPZ750
BMW R850
Silk 700S
Here is the great man himself in 1971.
No tax, no MOT, no insurance, no helmet and no worries.
RIP Dad.

I think this one is a unit 650 Thunderbird. Pictured in about 1968.

1948 Norton International, again pictured in the late 1960s.

This one's a pre unit 650 Triton. Looks like another Thunderbird engine. Pictured in the late 1960s

This pic taken in 1971.

There were loads of others.
Tiger Cubs
James
Scott
BSA Gold Star
BSA Shooting Star
Royal Enfield Bullets
Kawasaki GPZ750
BMW R850
Silk 700S
Here is the great man himself in 1971.
No tax, no MOT, no insurance, no helmet and no worries.
RIP Dad.

Pat H - Some brilliant pictures there, I recognise a few from the period pictures thread.
I keep meaning to scan and post up some pictures of my dads old bikes. He is motorcycle nut, it's where I get it from I suppose. Back in the 60's to mid 70's he used to race in the UK and at a few internationals. He has had many, many bikes.
I'll dig some out next time I'm home.

I keep meaning to scan and post up some pictures of my dads old bikes. He is motorcycle nut, it's where I get it from I suppose. Back in the 60's to mid 70's he used to race in the UK and at a few internationals. He has had many, many bikes.
I'll dig some out next time I'm home.

bob1179 said:
Pat H - Some brilliant pictures there, I recognise a few from the period pictures thread.
I keep meaning to scan and post up some pictures of my dads old bikes. He is motorcycle nut, it's where I get it from I suppose. Back in the 60's to mid 70's he used to race in the UK and at a few internationals. He has had many, many bikes.
I'll dig some out next time I'm home.

Bob, I found an old topbox stuffed with old race programmes from the 60's and 70's when I was round my old man's during the summer. It would be a very remote chance but some may feature your old man. They're a real mixed bag, but if you know roughly where he raced and what sort of bike I'd be happy to have a look through them next time I'm round there. He was gonna give them all away but I've told him not to!I keep meaning to scan and post up some pictures of my dads old bikes. He is motorcycle nut, it's where I get it from I suppose. Back in the 60's to mid 70's he used to race in the UK and at a few internationals. He has had many, many bikes.
I'll dig some out next time I'm home.

Also, I think the archive at my brother's work has some catalogued pictures of riders from that era that they bought from a fella who was pretty analytical and listed evrything. Again, a pretty remote chance but may be worth a try! I know I was over the moon when I found the programmes with my old man listed in, especially as there's little notes as to what happenend to him in the race. Seems the silly old fool ran out of fuel in at least one (he always was tight then
). Your dad must have ridden at a pretty high level if he raced on the continent? I'd love to see any pic's if you get the chance

srob said:
Bob, I found an old topbox stuffed with old race programmes from the 60's and 70's when I was round my old man's during the summer. It would be a very remote chance but some may feature your old man. They're a real mixed bag, but if you know roughly where he raced and what sort of bike I'd be happy to have a look through them next time I'm round there. He was gonna give them all away but I've told him not to!
Also, I think the archive at my brother's work has some catalogued pictures of riders from that era that they bought from a fella who was pretty analytical and listed evrything. Again, a pretty remote chance but may be worth a try! I know I was over the moon when I found the programmes with my old man listed in, especially as there's little notes as to what happenend to him in the race. Seems the silly old fool ran out of fuel in at least one (he always was tight then
). Your dad must have ridden at a pretty high level if he raced on the continent?
I'd love to see any pic's if you get the chance
That's a brilliant offer, I appreciate it. I'll give the old man a shout and get some more information for you, it'll be nice if he turned up in some old programmes.Also, I think the archive at my brother's work has some catalogued pictures of riders from that era that they bought from a fella who was pretty analytical and listed evrything. Again, a pretty remote chance but may be worth a try! I know I was over the moon when I found the programmes with my old man listed in, especially as there's little notes as to what happenend to him in the race. Seems the silly old fool ran out of fuel in at least one (he always was tight then
). Your dad must have ridden at a pretty high level if he raced on the continent? I'd love to see any pic's if you get the chance

In his own words he was 'crap'! He ran a team called 'T-Mag Racing', they raced mainly at club level. At one point Harry Weslake sold the team some 'works' engines on sale or return and they went testing at Paul Ricard only to be hopelessly outclassed by the Japanese engined machines.
I was talking to my dad about it over Christmas and he was telling me how he used to wheel and deal bikes and parts, swapping gear with other teams as money was very short. His chief (re. only) mechanic worked at the fleet division of Middlesbrough Borough Council, so when they bought a knackered old Transit as their team transport, he took it into the workshops where it magically reappeared with a new engine, gearbox, brakes rear diff, interior and a whole load of new panels! He also organised sponsorship from Duckhams and still proudly wears his slightly faded Duckhams paddock jacket.
He saved loads of old newspaper cuttings and photos of the team as featured in the local rag. We've also got a ton of cine film that I really should transfer to computer, it would make some really interesting viewing as there is a lot of film of a young Barry Sheene and even George Fogarty with some snot nosed little kid who kept touching the bikes in the paddock and harassing the mechanics...

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