You know you are an old biker when....

Off-topic
1

  1. You grin when you hear the letters “RD”

  2. You remember Suzuki’s with Digital Gear Indicators the first time around.

  3. You miss having a reserve tap.

  4. You remember Avon Speedmasters, and Roadrunners were the tyre to have

  5. Easter meant Transatlantic Trophy

  6. You thought Japanese riders would never be as fast as our boys.

  7. Wonder whatever happened to Anti-dive forks

  8. You remember discs brakes with warning stickers on saying they don’t work in the wet.

  9. The last time you got your knee down was when you proposed

2

Did you think them up yourself, you sad old person?

Yes, every single one, except the last one!

3

I still have a reserve tap…or **** as it’s called in the manual and Avon’s are still the tyres to have (Distanzias that is)

4

Suzuki GT 750

5

Ok, admissions time…

I used to have Roadrunners on my 400 Yamaha. They weren’t as good as Pirellis.

I saw Randy Mamola trounce Sheene and everybody else at the Transatlantics at Brands.

I still have a reserve tap on the CBR.

I also have Avons (AV55/56 and bloody good they are too).

My big brother had a 650 Katana with a digital gear indicator.

I’m an old git!!!

6

My first RD was a 250B which the owner had graced with Avon Speedmasters

For those not old enough to remember, they had a SQUARE section

I saved up and soon replaced them with TT100’s…remember them?

7

And Kiwi K7 helmets…

8

And plastic sprockets

9

… you remember when the only bikes with fairings were courtesy of “Rickman”.

… you legally rode a 250 capable of nearly 100mph on a provisional license with no training.

… you remember when you instantly recognised a biker, because pre-punk absoluitly no-one else wore leather jackets.

… you remember when bikers kept their hair deliberatly long, instead of deliberatly short!

10

…when you drop your bike and wonder what else you can do while your’e down there.

…when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a track day.

…it’s frustrating when you know everything there is to know about bikes but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

11

omg i must be getting old

12

… like James May on BBC 2 at 8pm this evening, you were once jealous of your mate because he had an FS1E.

13

NEVER!

Cos i had a Fantic

14

Those square section tyres were refered to as “square death” . We called the standard Japanese tyres banana skins - & like all biking fashions dare not be seen out on our bikes unless you had a TT 100 front & an Avon road runner rear.

I had an FS1E, GT 250 B, which I blew up on a track, before track days were ever fashionable, was easier to sneak in to places in the 70’s.

I loved my RD400, it was always the one that was described as the coffin shaped tank. Mine was rebored, jetted - & had K & N air filters & expansion chambers, oh yeah & clipons. They made very good production racers on the small circuits.

I had 2 mates who had GT 380’s, we were very impressed with their digital gear displays.

Me & another mate went to see the Transatlantic Trophy at Oulton Park, not sure whether it was 77 or 78. He was never slow to spot an opportunity - & as I mentioned earlier security didn’t really exist in those days. He’d spotted an opportunity as the mechanic’s wheeled the bikes into the pits, they were let through a gate. We chose a bike each & siddled up & rested a hand on the back giving the impression that we were helping the mechanic & draft dodged through the gate into the pits.

We were able to get right to the barriers on the start grid, within spitting distance of Barry Sheene & Kenny Roberts & watched them duke it out, as an 18 year old young man I was blown away. I think Roberts won.

Now were did I put those carpet slippers & that pipe? Oh & I must pick up my copy of the Golfing Times & Window Box Weekly. Unforunately I wont be able to get my copy of Origarmi Monthly…its folded!

15

… when you can remember riding without a lid.

Actually I’m not old enough to have ridden a bike lid-less, but I remember going lidless as a pillion getting picked up from school by my dad (him: no lid, no gloves, shirt-sleeves rolled up!) Life was just so much less dangerous back then!

In fact my old man did posess a lid, but I think he only wore it when it was raining

16

…When you remember the good old days when replacing a back wheel was a piece of cake as the sprocket carrier was secured to the swinging arm and the spacers stayed in place

also… What happened to Yamaha’s self cancelling indicators? - I thought they were mint!