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Post by toshtego on Dec 8, 2019 12:58:44 GMT -5
Certainly by 1970, British autoworkers were facing labor disputes and their efforts fell short. British Leyland, the amalgamation of British vehicle makers, did little to encourage craftsmanship in the way they managed the assembly lines.
I had a 1967 MGB GT which was one excellent car. I bought it in England. The fit and finish was first rate. Leather seats, nicely stitched, lots of chrome. The company was still independent and the Abingdon plant workers had pride in their product.
My observation with the 1960s British cars is that owners mostly screwed up the synchronization of multiple carburetors which was not something they understood right off.
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Post by Darin on Dec 8, 2019 13:02:25 GMT -5
Perhaps we should change the thread title? 
Just joshin' … I've been taking my Focus SVT to work everyday and you gotta' love a good sports car!
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Post by pepesdad1 on Dec 8, 2019 13:31:11 GMT -5
That is not a Jaguar any longer. The heart of a Jag is the XK double overhead cam I-6 with Weber or SU carbs. I found the XK to be a strong engine. Ditto the tranny and electric overdrive. The weakness was everything made by the Joeseph Lucas Company. And British assembly line that were over worked and didn't care any more. From all reports the Chevy/Jag hybrid was a great driving and dependable car. I had a British car for 2 weeks before I returned it. My buddy had a Sprite that left us stranded more often than it got us to our destination. The new Triumph motorcycles and Indian Royal Enfields show what they can do when they pay attention to quality control. I had a teacher in junior high school that had a candy apple red XKE that he only drove once a month. His daily driver was a Volvo. Like so many beautiful Italian cars that were great to look at and for the occasional joy ride. The Alpha-Romeo was a beauty...rode in one that had a pair of machine guns mounted in the front...the owner's name was Juan Batista (son of Cuban Dictator Batista). Still, was a beautiful car! |
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Post by toshtego on Dec 8, 2019 17:43:24 GMT -5
And British assembly line that were over worked and didn't care any more. From all reports the Chevy/Jag hybrid was a great driving and dependable car. I had a British car for 2 weeks before I returned it. My buddy had a Sprite that left us stranded more often than it got us to our destination. The new Triumph motorcycles and Indian Royal Enfields show what they can do when they pay attention to quality control. I had a teacher in junior high school that had a candy apple red XKE that he only drove once a month. His daily driver was a Volvo. Like so many beautiful Italian cars that were great to look at and for the occasional joy ride. The Alpha-Romeo was a beauty...rode in one that had a pair of machine guns mounted in the front...the owner's name was Juan Batista (son of Cuban Dictator Batista). Still, was a beautiful car! I have long admired Alfa's. They made a coupe in the 70s which was really interesting. The GTV, as I recall. Thes Spyders where all cool cars. I rented one once and drove it through northern California. |
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Post by Baboo on Dec 8, 2019 19:12:27 GMT -5
MV Agusta and Ducati V4 are my style & speed...
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 8, 2019 21:08:18 GMT -5
And British assembly line that were over worked and didn't care any more. From all reports the Chevy/Jag hybrid was a great driving and dependable car. I had a British car for 2 weeks before I returned it. My buddy had a Sprite that left us stranded more often than it got us to our destination. The new Triumph motorcycles and Indian Royal Enfields show what they can do when they pay attention to quality control. I had a teacher in junior high school that had a candy apple red XKE that he only drove once a month. His daily driver was a Volvo. Like so many beautiful Italian cars that were great to look at and for the occasional joy ride. The Alpha-Romeo was a beauty...rode in one that had a pair of machine guns mounted in the front...the owner's name was Juan Batista (son of Cuban Dictator Batista). Still, was a beautiful car! My roommate hand an Alpha that I pushed many miles. Beautiful car, red with tan leather. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 8, 2019 21:14:57 GMT -5
MV Agusta and Ducati V4 are my style & speed... I looked at an MV Augusta when I went with a friend to get his VMAX tuned. It was so F'n beautiful that it belonged on a rotating pedestal with spotlights. I can only imagine how it rode. |
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Post by toshtego on Dec 8, 2019 21:40:20 GMT -5
MV Agusta and Ducati V4 are my style & speed... I looked at an MV Augusta when I went with a friend to get his VMAX tuned. It was so F'n beautiful that it belonged on a rotating pedestal with spotlights. I can only imagine how it rode. They were a real big deal in road racing back in the 1970s. So was the HD XR on the Flat Track. I long for both but contented myself with El Norton. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 8, 2019 22:32:40 GMT -5
I looked at an MV Augusta when I went with a friend to get his VMAX tuned. It was so F'n beautiful that it belonged on a rotating pedestal with spotlights. I can only imagine how it rode. They were a real big deal in road racing back in the 1970s. So was the HD XR on the Flat Track. I long for both but contented myself with El Norton. Flat track was created by Harley people for Harley people. Very interesting and fun, but no traction in the real world. |
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Post by monbla256 on Dec 9, 2019 0:54:41 GMT -5
They were a real big deal in road racing back in the 1970s. So was the HD XR on the Flat Track. I long for both but contented myself with El Norton. Flat track was created by Harley people for Harley people. Very interesting and fun, but no traction in the real world. 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Flat_Track |
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Post by instymp on Dec 10, 2019 18:36:37 GMT -5
Certainly by 1970, British autoworkers were facing labor disputes and their efforts fell short. British Leyland, the amalgamation of British vehicle makers, did little to encourage craftsmanship in the way they managed the assembly lines.
I had a 1967 MGB GT which was one excellent car. I bought it in England. The fit and finish was first rate. Leather seats, nicely stitched, lots of chrome. The company was still independent and the Abingdon plant workers had pride in their product.
My observation with the 1960s British cars is that owners mostly screwed up the synchronization of multiple carburetors which was not something they understood right off.
And Lucus electrical back then. |
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Post by monbla256 on Dec 10, 2019 19:49:05 GMT -5
Certainly by 1970, British autoworkers were facing labor disputes and their efforts fell short. British Leyland, the amalgamation of British vehicle makers, did little to encourage craftsmanship in the way they managed the assembly lines.
I had a 1967 MGB GT which was one excellent car. I bought it in England. The fit and finish was first rate. Leather seats, nicely stitched, lots of chrome. The company was still independent and the Abingdon plant workers had pride in their product.
My observation with the 1960s British cars is that owners mostly screwed up the synchronization of multiple carburetors which was not something they understood right off.
And Lucus electrical back then. |
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Post by toshtego on Dec 10, 2019 22:17:18 GMT -5
And Lucus electrical back then. I had a lot of English cars and trucks but never had those electrical problems until a 1969 Rover 2000 sedan. That would not start if it rained. odd! |
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Post by toshtego on Dec 10, 2019 22:19:31 GMT -5
They were a real big deal in road racing back in the 1970s. So was the HD XR on the Flat Track. I long for both but contented myself with El Norton. Flat track was created by Harley people for Harley people. Very interesting and fun, but no traction in the real world. I did some amateur class Flat Track racing with my Norton. It was OK but not up to HD KR and XR standards. Those things had the torque to pull out of corners like nothing else. If the track had been longer and paved, I might have had a chance. LOL! |
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 10, 2019 22:27:33 GMT -5
The BSA that I restored that was burned up by the garage that finished the tune was raced on flat tracks by the guy who traded me a trunk load of guns for it. I know that it won the first 3 races he entered it in. Cam, 12.5 pistons, balanced and everything upgraded in the engine. He stripped off the lights and everything electric because the harness was burned up. It was the single carb version, but I know that he put a racing carb on it.
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Post by bigwoolie on Dec 12, 2019 18:40:25 GMT -5
My 2nd son, the Marine in Hawaii, just bought a 2019 Indian Scout. Awesome looking bike. If I was in the market for another bike, I'd surely have to look into one myself.
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Post by trailboss on Dec 12, 2019 19:11:13 GMT -5
My 2nd son, the Marine in Hawaii, just bought a 2019 Indian Scout. Awesome looking bike. If I was in the market for another bike, I'd surely have to look into one myself. It’s good to see you, stranger! |
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Post by bigwoolie on Dec 12, 2019 19:29:59 GMT -5
My 2nd son, the Marine in Hawaii, just bought a 2019 Indian Scout. Awesome looking bike. If I was in the market for another bike, I'd surely have to look into one myself. It’s good to see you, stranger! Thank you, Sir. Been a busy time, just relocated the family to the Washington/Idaho border area south of Spokane. Not an ideal time of the year to move, I suppose, but I never do things the easy way.  |
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Penzaholic
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Post by Penzaholic on Dec 13, 2019 9:30:33 GMT -5
Thank you, Sir. Been a busy time, just relocated the family to the Washington/Idaho border area south of Spokane. Not an ideal time of the year to move, I suppose, but I never do things the easy way. Likely so far out in the back country, that the hoot owls screw the chickens. |
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Post by pepesdad1 on Dec 13, 2019 9:59:09 GMT -5
Good to see you back, Bigwoolie...we been missing ya!
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Post by oldcajun123 on Dec 13, 2019 10:47:37 GMT -5
 Yep you’ve been missed.
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Post by Darin on Dec 13, 2019 10:52:24 GMT -5
My 2nd son, the Marine in Hawaii, just bought a 2019 Indian Scout. Awesome looking bike. If I was in the market for another bike, I'd surely have to look into one myself. Good looking bike! |
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 13, 2019 18:30:06 GMT -5
I just saw that the new Triumph Rocket III has a bigger engine with more power and torque. 2500cc, 164 ft lbs. And it's 40 pounds lighter. 🤯
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Post by toshtego on Dec 14, 2019 2:43:57 GMT -5
I just saw that the new Triumph Rocket III has a bigger engine with more power and torque. 2500cc, 164 ft lbs. And it's 40 pounds lighter. 🤯 Around 2005, a guy I knew left a fairly recent Triumph Rocket Three with me to "try-out". I put on my ancient bucket, old gauntlets and headed out on the two lane highway running past my pasture north into CO. It is 20 miles to the next village. At 94 MPH I got down around the fairing. At 107 MPH, which seemed to be about 2/3 of the throttle, I figured I will not last long on this thing and turned around to go home. I gave him the bike back with a thank you. They are amazing. Now at 2.5 liters, it must be like riding a real rocket. |
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Post by toshtego on Dec 14, 2019 2:45:40 GMT -5
Sounds like you are doing well, Dewayne. I like the area you moved to. I hope it works out for you and the family.
The last Indian Scout I remember was a 45 inch Flathead V-twin. I used to see them around in the late 1960s and 1970s. I had a HD 45 inch flathead, So, I tended to notice the Scouts.
My uncle, BTW, was a Flight Engineer on B-29s during WWII. He once told me about the Indian Scout engine they had on the plane to run something I cannot recall. It may have been a hydraulic pump.
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Post by Ronv69 on Dec 14, 2019 10:34:16 GMT -5
I just saw that the new Triumph Rocket III has a bigger engine with more power and torque. 2500cc, 164 ft lbs. And it's 40 pounds lighter. 🤯 Around 2005, a guy I knew left a fairly recent Triumph Rocket Three with me to "try-out". I put on my ancient bucket, old gauntlets and headed out on the two lane highway running past my pasture north into CO. It is 20 miles to the next village. At 94 MPH I got down around the fairing. At 107 MPH, which seemed to be about 2/3 of the throttle, I figured I will not last long on this thing and turned around to go home. I gave him the bike back with a thank you. They are amazing. Now at 2.5 liters, it must be like riding a real rocket. I used to ride with a Triumph group when I had my Bonneville and a couple of guys had Rocket IIIs. One of them was souped up. I refused to try it. My Magna was as fast as I ever cared to go on a motorcycle. |
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Post by bigwoolie on Dec 14, 2019 13:06:34 GMT -5
Thank you, Sir. Been a busy time, just relocated the family to the Washington/Idaho border area south of Spokane. Not an ideal time of the year to move, I suppose, but I never do things the easy way. Likely so far out in the back country, that the hoot owls screw the chickens. Yep. If you want to find me, you're gonna have to burn the stump and sift the ashes. |
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Post by instymp on Dec 14, 2019 17:57:29 GMT -5
I had a 1965 Triumph TR6 Trophy that was freaky fast for what it was. Bought it used around late 60s.
I extended the front end 12", laced the rear wheel to a Harley rim & hard tailed it, seat & small sissy bar & T-Bar handles, magneto & other stuff, but kept the original fuel tank. Didn't want to stop every hour with a peanut tank.
Wasn't an "Easy Rider" chopper but looked great. And didn't need to make a 3 point turn to go the other way.
I would chicken out at 110 mph. Liked 65.
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Post by oldcajun123 on Dec 14, 2019 18:10:53 GMT -5
Had a BSA Lightning in the 60s, brought it to Baton Rouge when I started working at Exxon. One morning a truck ran a stop sign, saw it and threw the hammer down, it just make a ding sound as it barely clipped Mr rear lic holder, did a slide and chased the SOB, going to the window I was out of breath, and the young man was white as a sheet, I couldn’t talk and he couldn’t talk. Walked back to the bike , that afternoon I threw a blanket over it with a FOR SALE SIGN. Sold it that next week. My next bike was a 1995 Valkyrie.
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Post by Darin on May 30, 2020 17:44:25 GMT -5
Winter is gone … get on yer bikes and ride!! I've got an annoying slow leak in the back tire and can't find it. So, I'm assuming it's the valve stem and ordered a replacement for both tires. The rides to and from work are quite toasty now but it's still the best part of any work day. |
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Yep you’ve been missed.