On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:

> aside from the Manx Norton's etc one day a guy brought in his Ariel Sq 4 in
> for some work - It freaked me out when we pulled the head all 4 pistons were
> TDC ????

That's two I never rode, but my first "real" motorcycle was a Matchless GS
500 single. Man, could those Brits make great handling bikes, unlike the
early Japanese stuff that had monster fast engines but handled like a cinder
block.

> Then someone explained it fired right bank, left bank and then reminded me
> it was a 4 stroke. Duh..

> A buddy kept his Competition 500 cc AJS thumper in his living room - at
> least he kept a drip pan under it.

They say older HDs didn't leak oil, they jes marked their territory. The
saying about Brit bikes was, "If it didn't leak oil, it was broke".

The Northern California BSA Owners Club puts on a meet every Spring in the
SFBA. They have some of the most fantastic Brit iron in the World. Perfect
Brough-Superiors, dozens of Vincents, Square Fours by the truckload, all of
it mint or better. Enough to make a Brit bike fan cry. I sold off the last
of my Triumph stuff (Bonny engine w/ Joe Hunt mag) a couple years ago (sniff).

nb