5 of the most Underrated Classic British Motorcycles

[@peter7624]

Great video without any BS, exaggeration or bias, and always accurate and enjoyable to watch. Thanks for posting.

[@bikerdood1100]

Thanks Well I’m not trying to sell anything except my love of bikes

[@milesjenkins1405]

Thanks for covering these underrated bikes

[@bikerdood1100]

I love a good underdog

[@brockett]

Another very nice video , Well done. In 1964 I passed my test on an Golden Arrow lent to me for the day by a friend after my BSA Bantam was struck by a car a few days before.

[@bikerdood1100]

Ouch ! Still ended well, if not for the Bantam

[@lenburns6287]

I had a 250cc BSA C11 with a plunger back suspension, when l was a young teenager. It was a miracle how l stayed on the thing as l negotiated and went around traffic islands. I later on put it in for a bright red twin carb 600cc Norton 99. This was like throwing your leg over a pneumatic road drill, the vibration l suffered driving it, made more than my teeth chatter. I was glad to get rid of it, for a 650 cc Triumph TR6 Trophy, which gave me years of pleasurable motoring. Happy days.

[@bikerdood1100]

Yes not all Brit bikes vibrate harshly, but some do We found our A10 very smooth, the A7 especially so

[@Backrun]

The high rise pipes on that first matchless are stunning true works of art !!!

[@bikerdood1100]

That prewar bike is a doozie it’s true

[@joefriday4171]

wonderful, thankyou. I myself aged 17 had a BSA A10 650cc 1959 model. That was back in 1970. It was fitted with a huge double adult sidecar that I hated. But it was the only way I could ride a 650 on L plates. Those were the days. I wonder if you could one day cover that model A10? You would make at least one old man really happy thank you.

[@bikerdood1100]

My uncle ran an A10 with a double adult in the early 60s which I thin’ is one of the reasons I think I run an A10 today So I have indeed covered the A10 because it’s my favourite twin I will cover it again in the future no doubt although it shows up in many of our videos

[@williamnethercott4364]

Another good selection. As an AJS Model 8 rider, I would say that all of the AMC machines are indeed underrated.

[@bikerdood1100]

Indeed so

[@richardrichard5409]

Not by engineers though😎

[@michaelarchangel1163]

My first ever bike was a 1953 A7 Plunger, which I bought for £15 in 1971 when I was 16 and still a schoolboy. It had pulled a sidecar for most of its life. A review of a Royal Enfield Interceptor mk2 would be good, with its factory dynamically balanced crankshaft and great styling.

[@bikerdood1100]

The interceptor 2 is a lovely bike One of Britains best

[@johneverett3947]

I was blessed to grow up in a motorcycle family. Four girls and three boys and all road except one. In my late teens at one point, there were 14 motorcycles parked in the carport, Mx to road bikes. From The folks BMW 750 toursers with Vetter fairings To the Z 50 for the youngest. Pops ( God rest his soul) had several British bikes. In my 20,s we both belonged to the local BSA club in the CA Bay Area. One of his bikes at the time was a Triumph 750 Jubilee . I found a beautiful white an Crome 1977 Triumph 750 T 140V in cafe trim with Vance and Hinds rear sets, fork brace, clipons, gutted dunstall pea shooters and a matching quarter fairing. It was fun but miserable after more than 30 minutes to ride. So I converted it back to proper except for the pea shooters because they just sounded so cool. At one point I even had a Norton 650 Atlas in black with gold pin striping with the classic upright barrels and low exhaust. Pops and I with my wife as passenger would go for rides up Hwy 1 through into the wine and gold county, such great memories. My younger brother still has the Triumph Jubilee and Pop’s Beautiful red 500 Gold Star Mx. 😊

[@bikerdood1100]

Nice 👍🏻 Got to respect a biking family, similar story here with my Grandfather riding in the 1920s and the as a despatch rider during the war. My uncles all rode and know I, my wife and son all ride today and put the videos together. Great to hear from you

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

Great video 👍 so many British bikes to choose from, glamorous or not they all deserve recognition!

[@bikerdood1100]

That’s the point of the video 👍

[@joycecottingham9432]

Great video,three of us had AJS Sportstwin 31csr in 59-62 ..None of us had crank failures (not Conrod) despite not having the later stronger ones .The AJS won the 1960 Thruxton 500 mile race,the Oulton Park 1000km and also Silverstone!! It beat Bonnevilles Constelations, Super Rockets Goldstars Venoms even Phil Read on a Norton 650ss !!. No one remembers any of this except the haters who always refer the so called crank issues.Richard Cottingham

[@bikerdood1100]

Very true Problem was more one of image really

[@marlecmarine5393]

Very nice video to watch, clear and interesting, i love the AJS 650CSR, great bike if you can find a nice one.....

[@bikerdood1100]

They are very under appreciated bikes

[@rickh8380]

Another great collection of old iron. I really liked the BSA A7 in that green. Also the Matchless with the high rise exhaust pipes looked amazing. Ride safe guys and take care. Cheers.

[@bikerdood1100]

Glad you enjoyed it A7 definitely one of our favourite bikes

[@chrisweeks6973]

The 1959/60 BSA catalog for the A7 Shooting Star gave the colour as Polychromatic Green. I too was always partial to the bike, back in the day.

[@alistairbernard9574]

A Superb selection of Machines. Great video 👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@paulscofield8506]

Good video thanks. For long distance riding the 500 twins of any British make were the best . Smooth ,reliable ,economical

[@bikerdood1100]

Certainly are pretty good We have a road test of a T100 in due course

[@johndonlon1611]

BSA A7 was license-built by Meguro in Japan and Edward Turner said they were better made than the home-built versions. Kawasaki's Meguro K3 is available in Japan now; a direct descendent of the BSA. I hope it comes to the US relatively soon. Your videos are terrific.

[@bikerdood1100]

Well Edward Turner was a bit of an ass at times I think Still doesn’t sound like something he’d say But who knows Covered the megura previously I think

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

I’ve always liked the Ariel Arrow. It was a touch of fresh air when compared to the competition. Don’t know how well it sold in the continent though.

[@bikerdood1100]

Not sure either

[@terryblack2219]

Thank you another cracking video, so nice to go beyond the Goldies and trumpets, still know some people riding the 350 and 500 matchless, used them myself occasionally, but I do have a preference for 350 maybe it’s the knobbly ties alloy mudguard, love a jam pot just need a bigger garage 😢

[@bikerdood1100]

Ditto my garage ain’t big enough Not even close

[@davidbnsmessex.5953]

A different and interesting review , any chance of doing “Montgomery” motorcycles or any less well known brands ? .

[@bikerdood1100]

That’s a nice idea I do plan to cover some of the less well known brands

[@billmago7991]

Early in WW2 a BMW was captured and sent to Plumstead were AMC copied the telescopic front end which then became the teledraulic fork . best one on the market light years ahead of the roadholder.....the G11 /model 30 is considered the best of the matchless AJS motor, the early G12/model 33 had some issues with crank material, but was later improved with the nodular iron crank. G12 /Model 33 are good reliable bikes, most bikes now have been fitted with the later "noddy" cranks

[@bikerdood1100]

Agree with most here, light years ahead of the road holder though Not so sure about that though I have to say

[@coolhand1964]

I have been collecting and riding 'frumpy' AJS and Matchless motorcycles for 20 years. I turn heads wherever I take them. Ride them in the manner for which they were intended and there are no problems other than can be expected for a 70 yr old motorcycle. I tell people if you want neck snapping acceleration and putting your knees down, go buy a new bike. I am currently well on my way to restoring a pair of very desirable twin exhaust pre-war 350cc and 500cc models. Patience and a piece found here or there has been the key, even down here in Australia. Nice to see all the posts saying how nice they looked. Prices are increasing across the AMC range as people discover how underrated they were or look at the values of other makers. Just a note: There was never a unit Matchless, they always had separate gearboxes, even the Commando used a separated system ( by the time the Commando was released the Norton factory was closed and all assembly was done at the Matchless factory at Plumbstead. So they're really a Matchless with a Norton badge. 'CSR' = Competition Sports Road. 'CS' = Competition Sports. 'C' = Competition. Examples being the G3LC, (L for teledraulic forls), the 30CS or the G12CSR (all of which I own). I think I need a bigger shed. 😅🇦🇺👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Well indeed that twin port was a looker Keep up the good work down there 👍🏻

[@richardrichard5409]

Only until July 1969 as the Plumstead factory was subject to a compulsory purchase order by GLR😎

[@coolhand1964]

@@richardrichard5409 Please explain, haha. What only happened up until 1969 and what's a GLP? I have no idea what this means.

[@johnhudghton3535]

Nice vid. Thank you. How about one covering similar capacity classics from a similar era? Tiger Cub C15 etc

[@bikerdood1100]

Done a few thinks previously 350s. 250s and so on

[@johnhudghton3535]

@@bikerdood1100 I shall take a look - cheers

[@bikerdood1100]

@@johnhudghton3535definitely something I’ll be going back to in the future

[@alexanderpotts7308]

There are some British bikes that you haven't covered in your videos like the Panthers which I believe were made in Yorkshire, and there are some other hardly known British bike manufacturers, some of whom only made frames or tuned engines. I would love to see you cover some of those if you can

[@bikerdood1100]

I have covered P&M A few times as a matter of fact Peeling and more (p&M) Manufactured bikes in Cleakheaton until folding in 1966 Seem to remember Panther in at least 3 videos

[@750triton]

How about bikes that were ahead of their time? Designs and features like shaft drive, upside down forks, horizontal opposed, water cooled etc

[@bikerdood1100]

Nice thought 🤔

[@SirBeauJangles]

Id love to see a full analysis of as standard as possible a really good BSA RGS… one with the RRT2 box. Should be pretty close to unridable through a town with those very close ratios - so open road it’d need to be. Possible? - or too tall an order? (I think just finding ANY one you could actually borrow would be quite a challenge.) Not many made, but no shortage of replicas around by all accounts.

[@bikerdood1100]

Well hold that thought Tom tested one a while back but trying to get him to finish the thing is no mean feat

[@cousinjack2841]

Such beautiful bikes and some of those seats look like they were designed by an artist, not an engineer; perhaps they were. The A7 will do nicely for me thank you. Interesting vid as usual; thanks.

[@bikerdood1100]

We fancy an A7 We do have an A10 though already

[@UncleWally3]

Interesting! One question that springs to mind; “underrated” presumes the existence of rated so, where can I find an official or high quality rating (sorting and ranking) of British Classic Motorcycles?

[@bikerdood1100]

Nothing to do with quality The statement assumes perception of the machine It’s not top trumps 😂😂😂😂

[@richardhorton25]

My first big bike at 17 years old in 1969 was a 1948 Matchless G80 rigid, FJB101. If anyone still has it I would buy it back in a heartbeat

[@bikerdood1100]

Nice 👍🏻

[@Tribsaboy]

All nice bikes, but you forgot to mention the terrifyingly abysmal front brake on the Ariel Arrow. I still have a 1958 AJS model 18, built by Peter Pykett who worked with the Rickman brothers. Faithful old 500 single.

[@bikerdood1100]

Poor brakes not uncommon with that particular suspension system Honda Cub is horrible Whole suspension unit locks

[@exeterinterception]

yet another interesting video

[@bikerdood1100]

Well it’s the bikes that make it

[@paulsire]

Genuinely curious, as someone who was looking for a mid 70's CB750 and was told that spares outside of serviceable consumables were difficult to source, what chance of these niche bikes?

[@bikerdood1100]

Well British bikes ain’t niche in Britain really even the Ariel sold at least as many as the Honda CBX 6 As with all things out of production some parts are harder than others but it’s much easier than it used to be Things like cranks can be hard to find for some machines but in general it’s probably easier in the UK to find parts for these than a Honda from the 70s Remember the UK bike market was Much bigger in the 50s than even the 70s so bikes like the A7 are definitely not Niche being extremely common and sold in the UK in much bigger numbers than modern bikes For a my A10 for things like crank cases it’s used parts but a lot of stuff is available New fuel tanks clutches chains all that kind of thing are out their new. For others there are a lot of specialist dealer( Hitchcock for RE) and for the more Rare machines the owners clubs are a very good source on new old parts We’ve have 6 British bikes and never had parts supply problems When my Starfire wheel crumbled I thought I’d be off the road for ages but got a complete wheel in under a week of EBay

[@mikepatterson3124]

Road and owned a 441. Best mountain trailing bike ever

[@bikerdood1100]

Nice Like most big singles Fun to start

[@overlandworld2253]

For me the Arrow was such an ugly bike. Even at the time myself and friends wouldn't be seen dead on it as well as the Le Velo. Being a lot younger then i guess the same applies to the Honda C50 another bike that your friends would laugh at you if you turned up to meet them on their Garelli's, Gilera's and Fizzie's. The ugly ducklings were never babe magnetics and when you're young that's high on your list of priorities 😂 Great video as usual 👍

[@bikerdood1100]

Not a video about pretty bikes though That’s one for another time

[@overlandworld2253]

@@bikerdood1100 video about ugly bikes?? Could be controversial 😅

[@bikerdood1100]

Try Which is very much a double edge sword I quite like C90s incidentally I don’t care what girls think about my bike Like Mrs Bikerdood they can bloody get their own 😂😂

[@overlandworld2253]

@@bikerdood1100 😅✨️😅 you're absolutely correct..on both points 😉

[@ianrichards4907]

one of the things the g12 matchless was known for was its ability to allow its conrods to go from internal to external !

[@bikerdood1100]

All engines can do that To be far to them a lot of this stems from a very spectacular failure during development of the racers while in the work shop In Normal circumstances Not likely really

[@ianrichards4907]

​@@bikerdood1100 at the time it was well known, it happened to me left hand con rod came out the bottom of crancase

[@coolhand1964]

The problem was put down to the cast iron crankshafts and youthful riders who revved them until the 'bells rang'. AMC quickly solved the problem by manufacturing the crankshafts from 'nodular' cast iron. After that, no more broken crankshafts.

[@philliprobinson7724]

@@ianrichards4907 Hi Ian. I had a G9 Matchy. It was smoother than the Triumph Speedtwin, but I reckon the reason the G9 threw rods (apart from poor lubrication and not cleaning out the sludge-traps in the c'shaft) was because the middle bearing didn't allow the crankshaft to flex at all. Cast iron is very brittle anyway, what were they thinking of? (Probably saving money.) Cheers, P.R.

[@trevortrevortsr2]

I remember an old friend saying he bought a Goldstar but it was not very practical so traded it in for a matchless 600 which was a much better machine for him and his spouse

[@bikerdood1100]

I’d would never recommend something like a Goldstar for most people A twin is cheaper and does a better job for they type of riding the majority of classic riders actually do The Goldstar is awesome but like a modern sports bike is expensive and impractical

[@garymartin557]

I would like to see a video of 100cc 2 strokes from the 1980 era when 125cc bikes became the learner capacity.

[@bikerdood1100]

Hmm Done one on 80cc bikes already 🤔

[@garymartin557]

@@bikerdood1100 the 80cc and 100cc I view as different. I find the 100cc as a capacity that in some cases had a power level that could match the restricted power levels the 125cc were artificially held back to, but because of the lower capacity never were scene as popular as the 125cc bikes. The suzuki gp 100 as to the gp 125 etc. Interested in these bikes as its of my era when I was about to start my journey into this wonderful world of transport.

[@bikerdood1100]

Well only mention as an example Of course I don’t see em as the same. In practice a lot of 100s tend to be more modest air cooled bikes. We had a Yamaha RXS for a while, which does turn up occasionally in some videos

[@Lisa-Azra_Broad]

Nowadays the AMC single problem is oil pump/casing wear

[@bikerdood1100]

Well they have been on there a while now

[@ianbooth4255]

The AMC singles and twins are lovely machines, however I think that the twins, particularly the G12, are seriously underbraked for modern traffic. They all share the same 6" front brake which, when well set up, does a fine job on the singles but not up to snuff on the heavier twins unfortunately. I've done major engine overhauls on both the singles and twins and the quality of the engineering and castings are better than most others of that era IMO.

[@bikerdood1100]

My BSA has quite week brakes Think it’s something you adapt to, they do stop ultimately, just requires plenty of pull, I like to think of it as 50s ABS 😂

[@ianbooth4255]

@@bikerdood1100 If you referring to the green A7 that I've seen you riding that has one of the best front brakes on any bike of that era that I've used. However, for drum brakes to work well they do need everything to be spot on. That means a drum that is not worn out and is round, and good linings correctly lined up. I can assure you that your front brake is better than an AMC on (and that's coming from an someone who loves AMC bikes). Keep up the channel 🙂

[@annajeannettedixon2453]

one bike you not even see Has it was build for export only the early Norton Manxman 650s with USA styling . were raced right from the box and winning many races in the USA and by august 1961 became the 650SS with more home styling But the Norton Manxman today are veary rare and only 12 thats made in back to the country where biult I own one very early one a fine motorcycle there are

[@bikerdood1100]

Little too rare then really Rather like BSAs A70. Lots of very limited production number bikes sent state side

[@annajeannettedixon2453]

@@bikerdood1100 yes a blooming good bikes

[@DonLeist]

The problem with British classic motorcycles is parts availability and the expertise it takes to fix/restore one,cheers!

[@bikerdood1100]

Not in the uk Also major failures are extremely rare and general maintenance is Very simple

[@bikerdood1100]

In the UK parts are extremely easy to find too

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

The idea of putting the chain wheel combined with the - brake drum maybe wasn't the smartest idea ever?

[@bikerdood1100]

🙄 They don’t suffer excess where There cast iron 😂they litterally last decades Not light allow like on some crummy modern bike

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@bikerdood1100 I hope you then see to that the chain isn't that well greased, so it ends up inside the brake when getting hot! And if wanting to change the gearing, it becomes a little more expensive. 😄

[@AA-nt5qw]

At last- a Royal Enfield included 😊

[@bikerdood1100]

? Feature them quite often Featured the meteor minor twice and the Intercepter 2 as one of the first super bikes Plus the bullet (mine at the time ) in my video on Sidecars and the Continent GT in a video on 250s Love good RE All very underrated in my book Any more and they’d call me RE bias 😂

[@bikerdood1100]

Almost forgot Featured the new 650s at least twice and did a whole video dedicated to RE Like an RE overdose 😂

[@clangerbasher]

Meteor Minor sounds like a sci-fi comic strip from the 1950's........

[@bikerdood1100]

Intentionally I expect Was the space age after all

[@clangerbasher]

@@bikerdood1100 For some reason Bleep and Booster came to mind........

[@bikerdood1100]

Well I always think of Fireball XL5 when I hear BSA Firebird

[@clangerbasher]

@@bikerdood1100 Do you sing the song though? Because I would.......

[@bikerdood1100]

Well I wasn’t But now it’s in my head 😂

[@garywheeley5108]

How about sunbeam douglas scott exelsior panther dot greaves they all get passed by🤔

[@bikerdood1100]

It’s not a top 5 I always leave room for a follow up 😂

[@philliprobinson7724]

Hi. All the 500cc and up bikes were designed to pull a sidecar. My G9 Matchy had sidecar attachment points on the frame. When the Mini came along in '59 your 2 kid family man suddenly decided he could afford to pay the road tax for the extra wheel. I'm not joking, sidecar combinations were taxed at the lower motorcycle rate. His wife made the decision. Once the sidecar market was gone, big British bikes bit the dust. You can blame my Grandma. Ariel saw the writing on the wall, and that's why they tried to "change motorcycles in mid-stream" with the Ariel Arrow. Had Ariel given it a tubular frame like the Yanks wanted, we'd still have Pommy bikes aplenty I reckon. Sixty-four years later and I'm still grieving, me, and plenty of others. Yours in perpetual misery, P.R.

[@bikerdood1100]

Well most BSA had their B range but generally had their M range intended more for side car use Having a heavier weight frame although some models made use of B series engines

[@philliprobinson7724]

@@bikerdood1100 Hi B.D. That sounds right. I had just the one B31, and limited use of a Bantam. Would have loved a Goldie, who wouldn't? Ariel's "Squaffer" was made for sidecar pulling. Excuse, it's time to change my hanky. All the best, Cheers, P.R.

[@jeremyatkinson4976]

I had an AJS as my only transport for a decade. Weak big end, stupidly small timing crankshaft bush, weedy brakes, pathetic clutch cover. Valve gear was tough and their rep is down to the excellent stove enameling.

[@bikerdood1100]

Excellent stove enamelling would be Sunbeam Although AMC did purchase Sunbeam in the 30s of course

[@jhdgdyhi8]

Fun fact, all British bikes before 1940 are underrated and all British bikes after1940 are vastly overrated

[@bikerdood1100]

Er nope Brough Superior The epitome of overrated 😂😂😂🙄😂😂😂

[@davidbnsmessex.5953]

⁠@@bikerdood1100 Especially as they were mainly assembled from other manufactures parts .

[@simonkennedy4230]

What shit have you been smoking

[@KenChandler-xu8vq]

​@@bikerdood1100we

[@richardrichard5409]

Tell me you know sweet FA about motorcycle ms without telling me😂

[@clangerbasher]

20 kilos is 44.0925 lbs in real money. Kilos! I ask you........

[@bikerdood1100]

I tend to work in kilos Most of the time But never cubic inches Leave that for yanks 😂😂

[@clangerbasher]

@@bikerdood1100 You Shrops peeps what you like? 😄

[@bikerdood1100]

When it comes to Shropshire I like to channel Kirk I only live & work in outer space Or in this case Shropshire

[@clangerbasher]

@@bikerdood1100 It just gives me great comfort to know there is somewhere even more, um, 'rural' than rural Staffordshire.