MG Sports Cars

I used to really love long bike trips. Two or three days after I graduated from college, my dad and I left Blacksburg Virginia and started an epic 8253 mile / 29 day / I-forget-how-many-states bike ride. That was the best of them! At the time, I had one of these: [www.motorcyclespecs.co.za] (except with 15 coats of hand-rubbed black lacquer, a custom stepped saddle, and a really nifty sissy bar). My dad rode a new Goldwing. We took a couple other long rides. Quebec City. The coast of Maine. I replaced the Honda with one of these classic beauties: [www.motorcyclespecs.co.za] , but it got too hard to get away once I had a career. We always meant to do the Natchez Trace Trail, but I'm not sure either of us is up to it now. I haven't had a bike in almost fifteen years. Funny thing, the bike I really miss is the first one: a 650 twin Yamaha. Perhaps one day I'll replace it with a Bonneville, or maybe just another old Yamaha (although neither of those are smooth enough for really long rides). You never forget your first girl motorcycle.

Remember the "Water Buffalo"? [www.youtube.com] I had the blue one. Some ride for a first bike. Took it trail riding up on the central "mountain" on Guam, what a hoot. Did my first porting job on that engine and it ran like a scalded dog. Outran 750 Hondas, no problem. (of course being a 2 stroke has some advantages) Had a couple Bonnevilles, in fact I sold one to buy the Sporty. The ubiquitous Honda 350 (SL version, that's basically a very early 4 stroke enduro... sort of) and the Yamaha DT400B, twin shock brother of the first monoshock production bike (I think). Oddly enough the Yamaha was one of my favorites and I set it up with a dual sprocket on the rear so I could change it over from the street to the trail gear in about 30 seconds. I rode it to Indianapolis and back one weekend, and did a great deal of trail riding with it. It was a great ride for around town. But, I had a bad neighbor who stole it. Those enduro bikes they have now, I swear you could ride one off the roof of your house. I can't get that WWII movie out of my head where that guy (Newman maybe?) tried to jump all the barbed wire in a POW escape attempt. I think of trying that on the Bonneville and I just cringe. But when I was riding the 400 the hot new thing was a Yamaha 600 4 stroke Enduro. I swear, that bike was lighter than my 400. It was faster too, had great legs, great lights, and a button to start it. Something like that would suit me just fine.

What this has to do with Monte's MG I have no idea, but I'm enjoying it.

JB

I did 28 years in Naval Aviation, mostly as a Maintenance Chief and a P-3 Flight Engineer. Thinking back, should I have done something else, probably, but the flying could get your pluse up now and then, most often when the airplane wasn't interested in what you're doing. Most of the time it was just drilling holes in the sky looking for Russian Submarines; water to the horizon any way you looked and not much is more boring than that.

That's OK Jim, we're just waiting on Monte anyway and I think it's fun to talk other things ever now and then. Last year when we went to the Bend the place was covered with Duro Sport BMW's but one guy had a new Bonniville and to be honest I was more impressed with it, certainly more than the old one's I had. One thing I thought was cool is they installed fuel injection using cases that look exactually like the old tickler carbs and they got around to putting the gear shift on the correct side. When I had the British bikes I also rode Yamaha dirt bikes and switching back and forth almost on a daily basis would distroy using natural instinct in the dirt.

Yeah, I can relate, switching back and forth between the 400 and the Bonne. Hitting the brake and downshifting at the same time could put you sideways when you really didn't need to be. When I built the forward set for the sporty I switched sides but I still sometimes hit the wrong pedal. In '73... well who knew what they were thinking? I switched back and forth so many times and so often from British bikes to Japanese ones, I'll probably never be right. First bike I ever rode was a Bonneville, then bought the zuki, then another Bonnie, rode both switching off, then the Norton and the zuki, sold both so I wouldn't die (da*n near rode off the road into a creek at speed on the zuki,(in a tight curve) only thing that saved me was hitting a pothole at the side of a driveway and using the edge to bounce back onto the pavement). Then later the 400 and the second Bonneville. But, I don't ride as fast as I used to either so that helps some. Fell off the bike enough times to not want to anymore. Bikes might not wreck by themselves, but you get to savor ALL of the pain.

Oh, by the way. My grandfather was in the Engineers. Came home with a couple German rifles. He never talked about it either. I sort of suspect having a good buddy die beside you does that. I was on Guam for the Evac. I can tell you, those were some scared people. I've got nothing but respect for those young fellows who go to war, and they deserve every bit of it.

JB

In our day we were hated by our own country and spit on, I'm glad our young men and women don't have to come home to that. My first bike was a 1939 Indian basket case; back then there were a few still around and not worth much. No matter what anybody says I think they were awkward to ride and I never liked a foot clutch. If you didn’t get the spark set just right before you kicked it you were in for a treat, still, I kind of wish I had it back

Quote:

...I can't get that WWII movie out of my head where that guy (Newman maybe?) tried to jump all the barbed wire in a POW escape attempt.

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That would be Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape".

They were all true hero's , and I hope we never have another World War but sometimes I wonder! Thank God for all our troops that put it on the line for all of us !

Don't mean to intrude on the conversation but, Jim, my first street bike was a water buffalo as well. I bought it used with a stuck motor. Rebuilt it and couldn't resist trying to port it. What a handfull to ride. Hit the throttle and wait.......and wait. Somewhere around 7500 rpm the motor decides to wake up and it's like being shot out of a cannon. Then you get to use the fadetron 5000 drum brakes and pray. Prior to that I raced motocross. Started with a yammy 100mx and ended with the 400. The 400 had a shaved flywheel and would launch you off the bike if you weren't fully commited to your starting kick. It also ran just fine backwards. Handle bars to the crotch suck on the start bar. Been through CBRs (turbo'd), Kawy 900s (punched out to 1308) Can Am's and an old Bultaco. I still have the water buffalo somewhere in Dads barn but it's got 30 odd years of dust on it. These days I ride my 57 Lambretta LD150 and am having a blast. It also keeps the lovely Lynne from fainting everytime an ambulance goes by. (She's seen the Odesy with the Vmax on it but so far she thinks it's "cute")
Cheers
Fred

Fred, you're not intruding, this is not a private conversion; we're still just setting around waiting for Monte.

"P"

X2
That's wild Fred. I went conservative on the porting, sounds like a good thing I did. Basically just a clean-up job and sharpened the divider to a razor's edge, pretty much the same on the transfer ports, and blended in the port openings. It was enough to wake it up. I made the mistake once of winging the throttle and dropping the clutch as it went past about 5 grand and it da*ned near broke my wrists and threw me off the back. Mine was a '74 so it had the dual discs which really hauled it down. I put solid bushings in the swing arm, reversed the fork legs, drilled the rotors and put 4.10 x 18 tires on both ends and that made it fast enough in the corners to be really dangerous. Back in W.Va. with it I soon found out how dangerous it could be, and the next day it went up for sale. (The problem was that the acceleration was just overwhelmingly addictive and I knew I'd never be able to stay away from the edge. That was what nearly put me in the creek.) I ran the freeway test loop with a customer bike he'd loaded up with bags and a windshield and at 100 it got into a bad speed wobble (same bike but not mine) that nearly had the bars slapping the tank. That was a scary moment. It had a penchant for breaking the gear indicator switch but otherwise was a decent bike, but riding any 2 stroke is purely an exercise in throttle and brakes, and a big 2 stroke is no different. Was your 400 a mono-shock? I think the motocross bikes were, and the enduros were tube shock. But the one that was the very worst for launching me over the handlebars was an old 45 flathead trike with manual advance. If that thing wasn't just right it didn't matter how committed you were, Ka-POWW!! You were on crutches for a week.

I'm done with bikes that have bad manners. I like enough torque to lift the front wheel, can't climb without that, and enough power to handle the city freeway, but I'm thinking something like that 4 stroke yama 600 enduro is going to be the hot lick. Should have pretty good gears too I'd think. Wonder if they've come down enough for me to do a straight trade?

JB



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2010 09:12AM by BlownMGB-V8.

Yep, it was a 75 mx 400 mono shock. Heavily modified to get a whopping 8 inches of travel!
I agree with the bad manners. Who needs that in this day and age? The power thing is a problem too. I rode a buddy's R6 a while back because he insisted that it was a great bike. This was after a long discussion on how, back in the day, a 600 was a girls bike. I came back from launching the thing in the air over a hump in the road and crossing two lanes of traffic, to tell him that I'm not old enough to ride that bike yet. Fantastic bike, not enough brains.
I haven't kept up with bikes for years. Is the 600 enduro a single? I rode a yamy xt500 for a while back in the 80's. Huge torque but a little heavy.

Fred