Today's objects of desire.

[vernon]

I paid a visit to Temple Newsham House this afternoon:

Royal Enfield trials bike

BSA Bantam

Matchless trials bike

A lovely Triton cafe racer

Burrell single cyclinder traction engine

Burrell twin cylinder compound traction engine

Aveling and Porter steam roller

Foden steam lorry.

John Fowler steam ploughing engine.

Burrell showman's locomotive.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

All nice bikes with the exception of the Bantam. I've had the mispleasure of riding one of those wheezing old heaps and it epitomised the reason the British bike industry folded and Japanese motorcycles became the tool of choice. You'd think it would be impossible to make a two stroke that would lose out to a milk float racing away from the lights, but BSA managed it.

 

[welsh dragon]

My brothers always had a couple of bantams knocking around that they worked on, and tiger cubs. Brings back memories.

 

[Crackle]

You realise the gear lever and brake are on the wrong damn side on half those bikes as I found to my cost on a BSA Starfire when I accidentally knocked it down a gear instead of braking and shot through the junction eyes closed and breath held.

 

[Gatters]

Lovin the RE Trials bike, had may happy times aboard Bantam field bikes in the quarries n stuff when I was a yoof, think they were part of our war reparition from Germany (DKW) and so you cant expect too much when they dated back to then I s'pose

 

[vernon]

Lovin the RE Trials bike, had may happy times aboard Bantam field bikes in the quarries n stuff when I was a yoof, think they were part of our war reparition from Germany (DKW) and so you cant expect too much when they dated back to then I s'pose

I still bear the scars from a forty year old Bantam exhaust pipe burn. I too had a Bantam field bike and came of it and was pinned underneath it. I had to the 'Grasshopper' act, remember Kung Fu and David Carradine?, by using bare flesh against hot metal to lift the bike free and gain freedom.

 

[vernon]

All nice bikes with the exception of the Bantam. I've had the mispleasure of riding one of those wheezing old heaps and it epitomised the reason the British bike industry folded and Japanese motorcycles became the tool of choice. You'd think it would be impossible to make a two stroke that would lose out to a milk float racing away from the lights, but BSA managed it.

Here's some more bikes to despise:

 

[Gatters]

Bloody lovely, Panther sloper, a beat every lamp post lol

 

[slowmotion]

Chain's a bit slack on that steam roller....

 

[vernon]

Chain's a bit slack on that steam roller....

That's a design feature and not a fault.

 

[matiz]

I swopped a Mercian road bike for a bantam big mistake the road bike was quicker away fromthe lights my BSA Starfire wasn't much quicker my mate on his Honda 90 used to burn me off

 

[slowmotion]

I like the look of the Triton. BTW, didn't the GPO use red Bantams with shin guards to deliver telegrams?

 

[vernon]

I like the look of the Triton. BTW, didn't the GPO use red Bantams with shin guards to deliver telegrams?

Yes.

 

[Ern1e]

My brothers always had a couple of bantams knocking around that they worked on, and tiger cubs. Brings back memories.

I agree bl**dy bad ones lo.

 

[Billy Wizz]

Nowt wrong with Bantams that is where i cut my teeth.

That Triton has made me go dizzy, i aint seen a TT 100 in years,i remember a time when Feather beds littered my dads garage, if only we knew then.

great post vernon.