Last Wednesday was British Motorcycles in Key West Day. I finally got to ride with Chuck while he was blatting through town on his BSA 650.
It's a work in progress and not quite ready to take to Highway One but it looked and sounded lovely riding around town. Those were the days when motorcycles were much more spare and essential than today. We took off riding without cell phones or GPS and amazingly enough we not only arrived, frequently but we had fun traveling hopefully too.
Facing facts: Chuck is an engineer by trade and loves messing around with machinery so he's just the man to won and maintain a forty year old motorcycle that needs rather more attention than my 40 year old twin. Chuck has the BSA nicely tuned too, nicely enough he could start it barefoot:
I took off down Frances Street and let Chuck pass me, looking good, on our way to lunch.
The Beeza sounded like a million dollars with pretty much open pipes and a firm hand on the throttle. Chuck grinned at me later and said he spotted a neighbor looking rather old fashioned at him. "Middle aged hooligan!" he referred to himself cheerfully. 
Following Chuck I got occasional whiffs of burnt engine oil from the right cylinder but it was impressive to see how easily he could change gears in flip flops on the elderly gear box and how smoothly the bike took the turns in town, no popping or back firing or hesitation.
It is a much finer way to get around Key West than on some anonymous scooter. And you tend to make friends as you go. Here Chuck got a copy of Motorcycle Classic slipped surreptitiously to him with a BSA featured on the cover.
Chuck is always trying to palm off old finds on me but my wife has a one motorcycle rule which is fair enough. Otherwise I wouldn't mind at all having a second machine under the house, an old Moto Guzzi perhaps and riding that around town I too might be seen grinning like this: 
In a world filled with unnecessary complication the BSA is the perfect antidote. Get on and ride and damn the electrons!
It's a work in progress and not quite ready to take to Highway One but it looked and sounded lovely riding around town. Those were the days when motorcycles were much more spare and essential than today. We took off riding without cell phones or GPS and amazingly enough we not only arrived, frequently but we had fun traveling hopefully too.Facing facts: Chuck is an engineer by trade and loves messing around with machinery so he's just the man to won and maintain a forty year old motorcycle that needs rather more attention than my 40 year old twin. Chuck has the BSA nicely tuned too, nicely enough he could start it barefoot:I took off down Frances Street and let Chuck pass me, looking good, on our way to lunch.The Beeza sounded like a million dollars with pretty much open pipes and a firm hand on the throttle. Chuck grinned at me later and said he spotted a neighbor looking rather old fashioned at him. "Middle aged hooligan!" he referred to himself cheerfully. 
Following Chuck I got occasional whiffs of burnt engine oil from the right cylinder but it was impressive to see how easily he could change gears in flip flops on the elderly gear box and how smoothly the bike took the turns in town, no popping or back firing or hesitation.It is a much finer way to get around Key West than on some anonymous scooter. And you tend to make friends as you go. Here Chuck got a copy of Motorcycle Classic slipped surreptitiously to him with a BSA featured on the cover.Chuck is always trying to palm off old finds on me but my wife has a one motorcycle rule which is fair enough. Otherwise I wouldn't mind at all having a second machine under the house, an old Moto Guzzi perhaps and riding that around town I too might be seen grinning like this: In a world filled with unnecessary complication the BSA is the perfect antidote. Get on and ride and damn the electrons!
4 comments:
That is one sweet BSA! It reminds me of my Honda GB 500 (if you are not aware of this machine, please Google it, Michael) in all regards.
Good stuff.
Jennifer left Key West about an hour ago, by the way.
GB 500's are very cool rides; if one pops up I'm sure to add it to the stable.
The BSA is in need of an engine freshening - it's running on a 50/50 mix of oil and oil treatment, as the clearances have gone away on the oil feed bearing, and it only runs well when the oil is thick. Ten miles is pretty much its limit.
So - I have to decide on a full rebuild by a custom builder or a partial rebuild by yours truly.
It is great fun to ride, tho!
Michael - great lunch, thanks!
From the cycle corner,
Chuck on Fleming.
Greg: I liked the Honda single but I went with the Yamaha SR500 in the end and rode that all over the place. I wish Triumph would make a version but who would buy it?
I hope Jenneifer enjoyed key west too bad meeting alyne didn't work out.
Chuck: full restoration please.
Michael and Chuck--
I will forever regret selling that GB 500; it was just the perfect dance partner. I honestly think it handled better than my CBR600f2 super-duper bike.
Nothing like a Thumper at speed.
Take care, guys...
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