biggs682
Touch it up and ride it
- Location
- Northamptonshire
A Toyota is always a Toyota no matter where it's made , when they first started making Carina's in the UK we had customers asking for a British made one over the Japanese ones .
Unknown bike ?
- Thread starter woodbutcher
- Start date
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A Toyota is always a Toyota no matter where it's made , when they first started making Carina's in the UK we had customers asking for a British made one over the Japanese ones .
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
Quite an interesting revelation on several counts. I am assuming that the bike is from the 80's and that may fit in with the policy that Raleigh seemed to have adopted in winding down it's manufacturing in this country. It might have been that they were imported to fill a shortfall in supply at the time. The other point is that in the 70's many companies had manufacturing plants dotted around the world. Chrysler/ Simca which became Peugeot had a plant in leicestershire. British Leyland had plants in Australia, Italy, Brazil and many other places and likewise Ford and General Motors. The chances are that when you thought you were buying a home produced car it was in fact manufactured abroad. The early Fiesta's were made in Spain.
It is good that the frame coding system has worked and that you have been able to identify it and discover where it was made.
It is good that the frame coding system has worked and that you have been able to identify it and discover where it was made.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Just don't rely on the airbags to save you if it's a pre-2010 model
I used to be 2IC over at the C1 Owners club. 107 and Aygo members were welcome, as they had essentially the same car. Aside from minor faults on the early models which were quickly revised out the 107 and C1 were very solid cars. The Aygo, however, was a different story. In their haste to make it visibly different to its siblings Toyota gave the car it's own outer body, which also necessitated unique glass, seals, weatherstrips, welts etc. They leaked like the titanic, and Toyota never got a grip on the problem, never even really tried. They issued a few half hearted recalls to habe some cosmetically hideous secondary westherstips glued into place. This never worked, and looked appalling. Then they started suffering massive electrical faults due to the constant interior dampness. Toyota were pith poor sorting it out.
There are good cars, there are bad cars, and Toyota are as capable as doing bad as anyone else. In the end it matters not - by the time a car has been through 6 or 8 owners and it's value has dropped to £2k it's as-new integrity is meaningless. The best new car will be a shed if it's been thrashed mercilessly from cold and it's missed servicing, but a crap new car that's been well rattled and driven may still be much as it was when new.
Ssang Yong, who have a reputation for crapness, have shot to the top of the What Car reliability index, whereas Toyota are languishing below the middle ground - the exact opposite of public perception.
Buy with your eyes, not with preconceived notions of brand image.
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
You are a hard man sir. Bug*er all point in trying to baffle you with bull**itJust don't rely on the airbags to save you if it's a pre-2010 model
I used to be 2IC over at the C1 Owners club. 107 and Aygo members were welcome, as they had essentially the same car. Aside from minor faults on the early models which were quickly revised out the 107 and C1 were very solid cars. The Aygo, however, was a different story. In their haste to make it visibly different to its siblings Toyota gave the car it's own outer body, which also necessitated unique glass, seals, weatherstrips, welts etc. They leaked like the titanic, and Toyota never got a grip on the problem, never even really tried. They issued a few half hearted recalls to habe some cosmetically hideous secondary westherstips glued into place. This never worked, and looked appalling. Then they started suffering massive electrical faults due to the constant interior dampness. Toyota were pith poor sorting it out.
There are good cars, there are bad cars, and Toyota are as capable as doing bad as anyone else. In the end it matters not - by the time a car has been through 6 or 8 owners and it's value has dropped to £2k it's as-new integrity is meaningless. The best new car will be a shed if it's been thrashed mercilessly from cold and it's missed servicing, but a crap new car that's been well rattled and driven may still be much as it was when new.
Ssang Yong, who have a reputation for crapness, have shot to the top of the What Car reliability index, whereas Toyota are languishing below the middle ground - the exact opposite of public perception.
Buy with your eyes, not with preconceived notions of brand image.
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I wonder which model it is ?
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
Me too, but wouldn't have any idea of how to research which one it is. Maybe as the project continues some clues might appear
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
There are some Raleigh catalogues online. It just needs a bit of detective work. It is a Granada as I went and compared it with mine. The handlebars and stem look similar. I would think it is from 1982.Me too, but wouldn't have any idea of how to research which one it is. Maybe as the project continues some clues might appear
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
My money is on 1980, April going by the E in there
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
l just looked for Raleigh Granada on the inter web and l agree it looks very similar to the one my son has .....l will give him the good tidings !
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
The Raleigh Granada does have one huge give away I am sorry to say . It has Raleigh stamped into the seat stays at the top. I have been doing a bit of trawling on the net looking at some American catalogues and it looks like the cable mountings on top of the crossbar don't feature until the 80's. I did find a model in a 1982 catalogue which had centre pull brakes but had different equipment, a Clubman 12. I haven't looked at the home market catalogues yet.
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
Oh well back to the drawing board, l didn't get round to emailing son re the Granada idea, so no humble pie for me
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
Ask him if he can remove the seat post? If he looks down inside the tube he should be able to tell what type of tubing it is made of. If he can see a raised line running down the length of the tube it will mean that it is seam welded. If the tube is completely smooth then it will be tubing and be of a higher quality.Oh well back to the drawing board, l didn't get round to emailing son re the Granada idea, so no humble pie for me
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
Ok will do, thanks !
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I've been looking through old catalogues and haven't found anything yet. Close but not quite. A bit of a puzzle. My Granada bars have the same wording engraved into them, actually it is a separate outer sleeve. It looks as though your bike doesn't have a lever on the left hand side for the double clanger?
You would think that Raleigh would have had it in a catalogue somewhere!
I did discover that British Raleighs had the top cable clips as far back as 78.
You would think that Raleigh would have had it in a catalogue somewhere!
I did discover that British Raleighs had the top cable clips as far back as 78.
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woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
You are right, l can't see a left hand lever or the front mech. for that matter ! Will ask son for some more pics of details rather than "arty"angle shotsI've been looking through old catalogues and haven't found anything yet. Close but not quite. A bit of a puzzle. My Granada bars have the same wording engraved into them, actually it is a separate outer sleeve. It looks as though your bike doesn't have a lever on the left hand side for the double clanger?
You would think that Raleigh would have had it in a catalogue somewhere!
