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Riding a vintage?

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Not a lot of action in this thread in a while so I will add my current "vintage" rides. FWIW, Texas qualifies 25 years or older as vintage.

1990 Honda RC30:
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1997 Honda CBR1100xx:
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The 2000 RC51 doesn't make the 20 year cut-off yet but I will still own it in 3 years:
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Polk540 said:
Nice bike! That thing looks clean as ****. How fast does it go?
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Its about 99 points out of a 100. A concourse judge might notice the discrepancies but most other folks wouldn't. It took first place in its class at last year's Harvest Classic.

The items that are not original have been changed for riding and serviceability (e.g. replacing the cold steel exhaust bolts for stainless ones that won't rust/seize/snap).

As for top speed I have never really tried to find out (and to be honest you are the first to ask) but I can tell you with the astronomically tall gearing it gets to 140 faster than you would expect.
 
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philipbarrett said:
Twin round lights were the best look ever.
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I think so too.

I had a NC30 but sold it last year to fund restioration of my 1987 VFR700F2 Interceptor, affectionately nick-named Spark by my wife after the fuel pump caught fire when the rectifier shart itself and arced the harness.
 
G-Man said:
Can't speak to your age but the RC30 is registered as a vintage bike.
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I guess older than 25 means vintage.

I don't really have a problem with that; but in my mind, it has to be one cam and/or pushrods, points ignition, and no more than 1 brake disc to suggest "vintage" to me...

Now, if someone is offering it to me, I'll call it whatever you want!
 
I sure left off a LONG time ago! I posted 6 of the bikes from my collection way back in 2012-13, since then it's changed. I still have all the ones I posted except for the Honda 305 (CL77), but I had a few more come and go since then, now up/down to 28 bikes.

Here are a few more for now...

1956 Triumph 6T Thunderbird 650 rat rod, rescued from humiliation but not quite running yet-
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1964 Triumph 6T Thunderbird 650 street tracker scratch built w/ Storz bodywork, .040 over top end, Akront shouldered alloy wheels with new Dunlps, batteryless wiring setup with no more than 5' of wire altogether, and a custom reinforced swingarm complying with AHRMA's limited rules for modifications. Front end is from a 70s Triumph.
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1966 Triumph T120R Bonneville 650, unrestored, purchased as-is back in 2008
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For anyone who has noticed, it should be pretty obvious that I'm into classic Triumph big twins; I've got 12 in the collection at the moment...

(I'll post more, later)
 
Here's a few more for today..

1966 Triton - '66 Triumph Bonneville engine with '66 Norton 650SS powdercoated frame, Suzuki GT550 front end with 4LS brakes, my own design 6061 alloy engine mounting plates, my own design swingarm spindle upgrade kit with sintered bronze bushings, M.A.P. belt drive, clutch & big bore kit, Amal MkII carbs with K&N air filters, hand-wired electrical harness with each circuit individually fused, Tri-Spark electronic igniton with dual-lead coil, Excel shouldered alloy wheels laced by Buchanan's, Avon Roadrider tires, oil filter & cooler, clip-on handlebars and rearset footpegs & controls, central mounted early Commando oil tank, transmission upgraded to 5-speed, lots of other nice bits & bobs.
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I've since installed an alloy tank on it, but only have this cruddy photo-
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1967 Triumph T120R Bonneville - restored by me in 1999 (engine overhauled by a friend, before I learned how to do it myself) Still one of my very favorite bikes, and gets MANY compliments wherever it goes. It's definitely a recognizable classic.
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It makes me want to cry every time I see a Triumph that has been chopped up into a mess. Especially into a cheap hard tail. The motorcycle gods will punish those.
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My baby will be 20 end of this year.
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rickmillertx said:
I used to have an 82 750 and I did a lot of modifications to it. Would have kept in longer had the starter been stronger. Even with the recommended mods to the starter I still never felt comfortable with it.
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The FIX for the start problem took a twin-trace oscilloscope to figure out. Really odd quirk! The strain on the battery will drop BELOW 10Volts which is the minimum for the idnition to even fire! There's an $18 voltage STABILIZER on E-bay that gives a smoothe 12Volts through the cranking, and now all the bikes with it fire right up on the first bump. Just blip the starter enough to get to TDC and it's on!
I also got a DIGITAL TCI from a company called IGNITECH.CZ in Czechoslovakia for $125.
All these fixes are from my own discoveries.

Now, I have 3 750's '81/'82/'83
 
$18 voltage STABILIZER on E-bay that gives a smooth 12Volts through the cranking
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That is what I needed on my vintage scooter, at times the battery would just turn the motor over, adding something like a booster charger would allow it to kick right off. I added a lithium battery that would start out at a higher voltage, that did the trick most of the time.

Can you link to the stabilizer, is it a special type of unit, how did you hook it up?
 
Doesn't feel vintage/old '86 Wing

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TLRam1 said:
That is what I needed on my vintage scooter, at times the battery would just turn the motor over, adding something like a booster charger would allow it to kick right off. I added a lithium battery that would start out at a higher voltage, that did the trick most of the time.

Can you link to the stabilizer, is it a special type of unit, how did you hook it up?
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[ame="http://www.ebay.com/itm/311627034464?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]DC Voltage Stabilizer 8-40V to 12V 6A 72W Car Power Supply Regulator Waterproof | eBay[/ame]

cut the power wire to the ignition box. Combine black wires together to gnd. connect red to power wire from ignition sw. connect yellow to box power wire. Screw it down or zip-tie
 
1968 BSA 441 Victor "thumper", I restored it in 2004, installed a Sparx electronic ignition. I didn't have all the fasteners cad plated and now regret it...
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1969 BSA A65 Lightning, acquired already restored as partial payment for a client's Norton restoration.
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I some fine bikes GP. I loved riding the 441 back in its day. A torque monster. Whatever happened to the sl350 project?
 
It's still all apart, with the frame spray painted, and the Marzocchi shocks on it.

I've got no time for it, not for a few years. My son is only 6, although he's the size of an 8-year-old. My guess is he'll be big enough to ride it when he's 12 or 13, to I've got 6 or 7 years to get it done.
 
grandpaul said:
I don't really have a problem with that; but in my mind, it has to be one cam and/or pushrods, points ignition, and no more than 1 brake disc to suggest "vintage" to me...
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this isn't vintage to you?

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A recent barn find. I haven't had time to do anything with it. 1971 Triumph Trophy 500. Got it for $600 with clear title and key.

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