Jump to content

GRIPES


Phil Perry

Recommended Posts

I have been contemplating what to do with my dad’s ashes for 17 years. They are currently in my office at work, I have decided to have them in placed in one of the new walls at the Tamworth cemetery. He was not from there, but loved country music his whole life. Now I have moved house to the coast after23 years there, I think it would be the best place. 2 of my grown children still live there, so I will try to make an effort to drop past when I am back in town.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With respect to your Loved Ones, but on another note ...

 

Remember when the first Commodore and the first XD were released? Those cars are now classified as "Modern Classic" and can be issued with "Historic Vehicle" plates. Makes you feel all rusty and worn inside when you remember "Oowing" and "Ohing" outside car dealers when they first appeared. And if you are a Baby Boomer, you are "Classic Acceptance" - 1950 to 1969, so think of EH Holdens and Ford Cortina GTs, and "Hey Charger!"

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did think of keeping my 1998 Delica , awhile longer to go onto that register.

But 

Not if it stops it being a ' mode of transport ' .

I'm not driving as many Ks as when I was younger,  

The fuel price has taken the " joy of motoring " away . LoL

spacesailor

 

  • Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it's 25 years in NSW but if you don't do many miles it will save you a fair bit of money' IF there are extra rules like 12 month club check  I'd go for it to save the expense and it's an all over Australia thing now. The "Delicia" is not a bad thing, just a bit narrow. Most of them were "grey imports" coming in through Queensland..  Nev

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got the bike on normal registration because being where I am living, I couldn't meet the attendance requirements most clubs have. I have my car on pensioner's rebate. That only saves a fee to the government. I still have to pay $2.00 per week for the plates. Both bike and car still require CTP, but it annoys me that the capacity limit for cheap rego for motorcycles is 700 cc and my bike is 742 cc. Poor old engine only makes 25 HP at 4000 RPM. It's no crotch rocket - 64 mph (102 kph) out of the crate. As well it is a solo bike with no pillion facility, so I can't injure a passenger.

  • Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah the real output and speed would be more relevant. The WLA is detuned as supplied by lowering the compression also I think your heads will have a 5 stamped on them. You can take abut 1/8th of an inch off the base of them to get the original WL compression same as the cast iron headed 39 model

  • Like 2
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Quality of the WAR model  Harleys wasn't reduced at all during the war and some knuckleheads and UL's were also used in the war but to a very limited extent.. I've had 2 brand new 45 Engines pass through my hands in tropic proof condition and they have to be stripped and reassembled to get rid of the hardened wax or whatever it was. ALL the roller bearing fits were right on the Mark. Nev

  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the UK those war surplus ' Harley ' bikes .didn't get bought, 

Lots were just scrap iron , but BSA, & Indian.  Were sought after.

1937 BSA 250 Empire Star .

Indian Chief,  Brave , Squaw. 

I picked up. Not knowing how those prices would ' sky-rocket 

In the 60s & 70s .  Now you can't buy one cheaper than a house .

spacesailor

 

  • Informative 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only 2 Indian types were used  in England. 'The 1200 cc Chief model 340B and the poor performing 500cc 741B Both are vee twins, relatively heavy and have LEFT hand throttles and gearchange on the RHS and left side foot clutches. 

The WLA Harleys were never officially on the UK register and the equivalent WLCs were used. Same is in Canada. The brits were going for lighter Bikes all the time and these  US bikes were different and although comfortable and reliable, they were heavy and thirsty and mainly used for road work. Convoys  messages etc. They were sold but I doubt they were scrap. The 741 was grossly underpowered. NO Harley had a left hand throttle. THAT was exclusively an INDIAN thing going way back.

   These bikes now are worth about 34000 for the smaller ones and 50,000 for the U models 90,000 for the Knucks GOOD and original. Regarding the BSA you mention some of things like that were IMPRESSED but the M20 BSA was one of the most common military bike s around. Also one of the Most uninspiring in many ways. The sought after bikes after the war when muddy motorcross started to become popular were bikes like the ARIEL W/NG  350 OHV and the  G3L Matchless with telescopic forks (copied from the BMW bikes of the late 30's.. Nortons 16H 600cc sidevalve was one of the BEST Brit bikes with a "DRIVEN" sidecar wheel combo. ALL bar the 2 big Harleys easily affordable. The Knuckle head might go sky high as they doat times.  IF you want one all bar them are affordable.   Nev

Edited by facthunter
  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The song of the Indian tribe:

"Harley-Davidson made of tin.

Ride them out and push them in."

 

Also, if there is no oil pooling under a Harley, it's out of oil.

 

The Australian Army was using British bikes like the BSA, Matchless and Norton early in the war, but once the Japanese came in, supplies of all military equipment from Britain ended.  The Australian Army got both Indian 741Bs and WLAs as Lend Lease support, but the WLA soon replaced the 741B. The Kiwis seems to have gone the other way with their selection.

 

The WLA has a 3-speed transmission. It will happily chug along in second gear over a range of speeds from 14 mph (about 20 kph) to 25 mph (40 kph) which are suitable speeds for running with the trucks in convoys of the time. Despite having a girder front fork assembly and an unsprung rear, I am told by experienced riders that the WLA will handle unsealed roads better than a bile with a fully sprung frame. I'll soon learn because I have a nice straight 10 km length of unsealed road at my front door. 

  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Although old Harleys have rigid frames at the back, they do have well sprung saddles. Probably fine for the speeds they were expected to be doing.

The  seatpost rides on a double coil spring which is inside the rear  vertical frame tube image.thumb.jpeg.738ee433638175acd2a27b8566e9e7c8.jpeg

It makes for a very comfortable ride, and I have only bottomed it a couple of times when I hit potholes. And I'm not as light in weight as your average 1940s 20-year-old.

  • Like 1
  • Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fix that so it doesn't. It'll stuff your back. Use heavier springs. The rear on dirt with  corrugations will fishtail on the 45's so don't overinflate the rear tyre.  The forks and frame are very well made.  Harley mechanicals are much better than Indians except in the Veteran period .. The last Chief built used essentially the same gears as the1918 Powerplus did. Nev

  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the late 1970's, I knew a little bloke who was a local librarian, but who had a keen interest in all types of vintage motoring. He owned a WLA and he decided to ride it from Perth to Albany (about 400 kms).

I can recall him telling me how exhausting a ride it was. He said, "Just the sheer physical effort of keeping the thing pointed in the right direction continually, left me absolutely buggered! I had to get off and rest for 15-20 minutes, every couple of hours!" He said he would never ride that far again on it.

 

Edited by onetrack
  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably had the rear  tyre pressure too high.. Not many bikes of the period had a more comfortable seat. The military one has the seat further forward which is not a good idea. The ground clearance of the foot boards makes it easy to ground them on turns. Plenty were raced on 1/2 mile oval tracks  against 500cc OHV's..Nev.

  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, it looks like my bike will never run again. I was negotiating the purchase of an ignition coil from a bloke in the States and sent the money to him via PayPal, which he received. However, PayPal took $USD25 as its fee. I had not been advices of the amount of the fee before sending the money. So the payment was short. He did the right thing and initiated a return. I said that I would resend with extra to cover the fee and he could keep whatever was left after taking his money for the coil and whatever PayPal wanted. 

 

Unfortunately, he did not understand what I meant to say and told me that I was being sarcastic and that he won't deal with me. I'm not going to waste money getting a coil elsewhere because that was the cause of my original problem - poor quality reproduction coils. 

 

I sent him an explanatory email indicating that I wasn't intending any sarcasm. Looks like I'll have to get someone to act as an agent to get a coil from him. 

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plenty of my mates are running the best of the imported coils and carry a spare. You can fit it in 20 minutes with your eyes closed (almost). They  easily go a couple of years if you don't leave the ignition turned on.. The same coil fits back to 1929.  They are originally full of Battery pitch which helps cool them and seal them from water. If it's chromed, paint it flat black.  Oil in them would help. but I've never done it.. A lot of people test them wrongly. The spark is ONLY from one lead to the other. Never to earth. Nev

  • Like 1
  • Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My gripe of the day is those nitwits who post everything they do on soshul meja.

 

"Numbnuts is having lunch with dickhead at Joe's diner."

 

"Goofball is flying from Melbs to the GC".

 

Who the hell gives a damn?

 

Next you'll see " Twitface is taking a bog at the station dunny."

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...