The classic vehicles thread....

[Jamie-Skinner]

They wanted £400 for a Knight Rider nose cone, so we got a standard one with some damage (about £100) and he made the nose cone out of wood!

[ucl82]

That is very cool Always fancied a nice American car, maybe something very big and from the 50s.

[Jamie-Skinner]

I know what you're on about Plenty in our club I told you to get down here lol

[ucl82]

Worth a fortune now and rare.

That could be the reason there Trevor Certainly a gorgeous car, and very big too!

Very much a proper 'gangster's car'. For a bank robbery I'd have to have a Ford Transit MK1 though...

[beam me up schottky]

One of my vices is classic bikes, here's a couple of them :-

BSA Bantam D7, 1965, one previous owner to me, 2400 miles from new, even had the original tool kit !



Velocette Viper, 1965, 1 previous owner from me, most of the paint is original even the frame, I have had the tank and battery carrier re-painted though.

[ucl82]

Very lovely looking bikes there Sir That's the tank my Bantam should have had fitted. Yours has barely been run in!

[beam me up schottky]

Thankyou, I feel very lucky to own them.
The Bantam was a a chance purchase from a local garage that was closing down. The owner had taken it in part ex many years before and never got around to selling it. I was wondering around there one day and saw this bike shaped sheet in the corner, had a peek to see what it was, the guy saw me and said "it's for sale if you're interested". Not being a particular fan of Bantams at the time I replied, mainly on impulse, "I could be, it depends on price?" So after some negotiation and me still not really that bothered whether I bought it or not, the deal was done ! My first inclination was to check it over, get it running and sell it on but as I worked on it and saw just how good the condition was and that it was totally untouched I became attached to it ! When it was up and running again and I took it for the first ride I was totally astonished how competent it was, the handling just shames Jap lightweights, it's torquey and economical. The only issue is the 3 speed gearbox, this causes a big gap between 2nd and top, so you have to rev the nuts off it to keep up with traffic flow. Once up to cruising speed though it's very determined at maintaining speed !

So, I'm very glad I took that chance opportunity !

Is that a D14 tank on yours ?

[ucl82]

That's a great story, sadly I never got the chance to ride my Bantam before we sold it Will definitely get another one day (one day I will do a lot of things, I just haven't decided when that one day will be!).
Yes mine appears to have had the D14/4 'Jellymould' tank which personally I quite like.

[Paula A]

My workhorse died a few years ago.. in very inconvenient circumstances seeing as it wasn't taxed.. note Higsons beer mat for tax disk but.. I managed to sell it to a bloke in the pub just down the road for £100.. gave him the tatty papers and the screwdriver ignition key and went in the other direction avoiding the traffic warden and police who had just turned up.. hope he had fun moving it.. stuck in gear. Valve through piston best guess.. just pulling away from lights.. (bloody huge bang.. masses of black smoke.. opened bonnet to find hole in side of block with broken end of connecting rod sticking through devoid of piston. Typical it happens in London..

[beam me up schottky]

Ooooops !!:helpme: Those were the days, before ANPR, when it was possible to drive around with slightly overdue tax and mot !!
No chance now, Police just sit there waiting to pounce !!