MOTORCYCLES, AND THE UNANSWERABLE QUESTION!

[@Frank-e9p]

I have had my Sportster 883 for 25 years and 400,000 mi and I am still in love with it. I love all of my motorcycles whether they are on the road or in storage they have a forever home like my shelter dog. They all have a forever home.

[@richardjones3112]

If it puts a smile on your face it’s a good bike.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@richardjones3112 So true!

[@sdriza]

best bike I ev600er had was an 84' Honda Nighthawk 450.... no illusion of going "fast" on it - but fast enough to cool off in the summer the seating position was upright, which I like least between "relaxed" backwards and "aggressive" forward, but on that bike - it was perfect, and I could ride all day on that sucker

[@Thruxtonrider21]

Another great video! Again, I love the reality of your videos mate. Keep it up 👍

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Thruxtonrider21 I just do a ride and say what's going around in my head!

[@Peter234100]

As you say every one’s idea of a good bike varies, as do tastes over the years. I have had all types of bikes over the years from CB175 in 1970 to BMW RT 1200 and many many more over the years. However after over 2 years on my Royal Enfield Classic 350 reborn I have to say this is the bike that has stolen my heart. Just a joy to ride and puts a smile on my face every time I ride her. 😊 Ps love the sound of your old bullet 350

[@MsDenver2]

I bought an Enfield classic 350 for my retirement, I’m 65 so I didn’t want speed just a nice sounding bike to enjoy uks beautiful country side , I just put that filter in from Hiscox to let the engine breathe and it’s smoother and slightly deeper sound . You do get people coming up and chatting which is nice . Yours sounds lovely I love the per ,per per sound 👍🏍️

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Cars are (mostly) used to drive from A to B, however bikes are often ridden simply for the pleasure of riding, the destination is secondary. From my first bike on the road a FS1/E moped & the freedom that gave, to a GSXR1100 & now back to a Honda CT110, bikes are something either you get or you don't.

[@richardyardley5127]

It's all about how a bike makes you feel. I love my Classic 500 but your 350 here sounds like the happiest bike I've ever heard chugging away. Happy days 🙂

[@BlakesPipes]

I still love both of my bikes after 3 years of ownership! ❤

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

Blake's Pipes Hello stranger!! There you go, good bikes then!

[@BlakesPipes]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 always good to see you. It's summer and the beach is calling and hard to motivate myself to do anything more then to walk into my back yard and onto the beach. 😂

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@@BlakesPipes Lucky fella!

[@BlakesPipes]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 it's funny you say that. I always step in dog shit. I rented this place with out knowing it was waterfront property. I did get lucky and trying to live it up. I tell everyone, once in your life, rent a place on water for a year. Rarely will you ever regret it.

[@BlakesPipes]

​@@Volcanicbrown1878try to make this quick, I was running a 10 mile run on a Saturday morning, stepped my right foot onto the grass one time to avoid other people walking on the sidewalk. Got home, and walked up stairs, sat on the bed to take my shoes off and got smeared of chocolate. But it was not chocolate! Just my luck. I could write a small book on my luck.

[@RockerMark]

Correct! It is an unanswerable question. I would say a Ducati Monster is not a good bike but the Ducati owner would think my ‘52 Panther was the biggest heap of crap ever to come out of Yorkshire. Horses for courses. We all have our reasons for thinking our own bikes are good but in fairness, they are all better than driving a 4 wheeled box.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@RockerMark I was heavily into Panthers back a decade or so, had 9 pf them at one time! all heavyweights 100's and 120's.

[@RockerMark]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 Had my M100 since 1981 and always hauled a chair. Hoping to get out next spring and enjoy.

[@rodneygunn788]

350 bullit and Ducati bait 1998

[@aladinfox4098]

Hi VB ,interceptor owner here for two years ,i've done similar stuff to mine and just converted rear wheel to tubless and I am too far down the road changing things to not wanting to hang on to it but i get what you mean. Though not considered a fast bike i enjoy it most at speeds between 50 and 80, speeds below that not so much....the new RE Bear looks interesting but still the same short stroke engine. 💨

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@aladinfox4098 Yes, I agree! Mine gets pretty unstable over 70mph, I put it down to those awful Ceat tyres!

[@gordonsuddery4635]

For me it's the one you love to ride and enjoy gives pleasure,it doesn't matter what make it is. Love your video my best wishes to you from the Philippines ❤️💪👍😉😀😁🏁🏍️🛺🐑🇵🇭🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@Frank-e9p]

When you can see the headlight on the road it's getting dark.😊

[@felixVanDiemen]

Well done on the Cafe Racer gearbox fix, excellent stuff 😃 I will check that video out.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@felixVanDiemen Please do!

[@thepipesmokingbeekeeper8917]

Hi Great to hear from you always look forward to your videos Your absolutely correct if your bike makes you happy it doesn’t matter what it is I’ve had rocket ship Japanese and American tourers and nothing has made me happier than my classic 350 Love Paul’s rant vids always makes me smile Atb Terry

[@FrokieKlarth-qe3ei]

I'm happy to hear that you've found a private road to confirm your cafe racer's repair's a success! :) About your Interceptor 650, I would like to see the changes you mentioned. Please. --------- I enjoy riding my Interceptor 650 lazily and slowly, with third being my favourite gear. On slowing down, I downchange when the rpm approach 2000 and, when accelerating, I change up at about 3000 - 3500 rpm. It's nice that the same bike/engine also allows for fast riding fun when I'm in the mood. :) What I don't like about my Interceptor 650, is, that it's proven to be unreliable. I was about to experiment with a smaller front sprocket but the bike is currently a non-runner. :(

[@jobucklandbuckland8031]

just 10 days ago on the Wednesday i bought a 22 plate Meteor Supa Nova , 2000 miles from new after selling my FZ6 and I am slowly getting used to it , so far I've done 300 miles including a trip to London from Northamptonshire , Do i love it well I'm getting there i love the looks the comfort and the relaxed riding style it encourages , the engine I'm adjusting too due to the difference of 4 cylinders to one but yes growing more attached to it andcat wait to hop on it for the next adventure ,

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@jobucklandbuckland8031 Great to hear!

[@Chuck-vv3wu]

I love the sound of that Bullet suck’en through that carb, great vid.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Chuck-vv3wu Yes it's got the pancake air filter fitted and makes lots of sniffing noises!

[@johndyson6936]

Royal Enfield and BMW day at Mid Suffolk Light Railway, Wetheringsett tomorrow sunday 18th. Weather looks good so I'll be there. It would be good to meet up

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@johndyson6936 Sorry, off to work again tomorrow!

[@berryslokker8949]

Rusty or not, your bullet is a beauty with a very nice sound. Keep riding save sir.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@berryslokker8949 I do have a shiny one of those too!

[@splodge57]

Ever since I bought a late 70's Guzzi 850 I've always liked a low revving bike with plenty of torque. My 2020 Triumph Speed Twin 1200 has a great engine, it's my idea of a good bike.😊

[@williamnethercott4364]

Lovely video and a lovely bike, keep them coming! Your definition of a good bike works for me. I have an old AJS Model 8, lightweight 350 and it took very little time for me to fall in love with her. She's quite noisy, vibrates and doesn't go that fast but neither do I. Now that I've fettled the engine, as I accidentally found out this morning, she'll pull from 20mph in 4th gear and generally starts first time. Decades ago, I had a Triumph 3TA and felt the same way. I'm glad you got your 5-speed gearbox sorted, I would recommend Paul Henshaw's channel to anybody who is interested in British bikes.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@williamnethercott4364 I didn't realise that your AJS was the lightweight version! Still a very under rated bike although the 250 versions could snap crank pins, funny the 350's never seemed to suffer from that problem. I too would recommend Paul Henshaw's channel.

[@williamnethercott4364]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 From what the previous owner told me, the original crankpin lasted about 59 years before it developed a crack but the bike still got him to his destination. I think AMC had so many problems with the 250 that they must have strengthened the suspect bits by the time the 350 came out. It also has the heavyweight teledraulic forks that the 250 didn't have.

[@petersheppard6085]

I don't know what time it is...I'll have to get a little hand put on this watch (Hilda Baker)...lol......Do love the music in your vid's...thump-thump-thump....

[@Stefan_trekkie]

All true, VB. I have left my opinions on other people's bikes aside for many years. Everybody rides what they like or need, depending on the location and preference but have to say this.. For many decades the bike industry adopted short stroke engines, to get top end and top speed. And the only way to get low down torque is to side up the engine. Still thinking about the Hunter 350, like it more then the classic/bullet .

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Stefan_trekkie Great comment!

[@mred7030]

the one < s > in the garage .

[@patrickgreenman8248]

It's a shame you don't like your 650 Interceptor after all the mods you've done (probably not helped by the fact you all have 750s!),but I think that unfortunately if you're not a fan of the basic engine design, in this case a short stroke which has to be worked harder ,then whatever changes you make,its never really going to get your stamp of approval, but good luck anyway VB!Great video thanks for sharing.

[@kafkastrial8650]

One that don't throw the rear chain miles away and you have to push the soddin thing all the way home , in my opinion that is !

[@TheNorfolkThunderbolt]

The unanswerable question has a different answer on different days. Sometimes you need multiple bikes to answer it!

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@TheNorfolkThunderbolt On that basis, I can justify the the bikes that I have got! Phew!

[@Frank-e9p]

I like duro tires Kendra tires and cheng shin tires they are nice and inexpensive and give me good service long-lasting and good road holding capabilities. I go through tires too much to spend silly money on tires I like tires I get 10,000 mi out of. It cost me more in labor to mount the tires that it does to pay for the tires themselves.

[@MarkBruce-m2i]

Interesting - as always - would really like to see what you've done to your Interceptor.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@MarkBruce-m2i Noted!

[@siriusblat9269]

I just sold my GT650 and bought another UCE 500 (my fourth) and can’t keep off the thing. For me the GT was lacking in the riding experience. I liked setting off and arriving but didn’t enjoy the bit in the middle - which is the most important bit! The 500 just gets on with it and I come home feeling like I have done something.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@siriusblat9269 I know exactly what you mean!

[@estanileon]

exactly!

[@deltabluesdavidraye]

I love my interceptor but i had to put aew cans and freeflow air cleaner a touring seat and risers with tall wide enduro bars. Its torquey enough with my velorex sidecar.Yes it raps fast but not so very far.Just a different personality.But man rhe snarling sound when i come off the throttle is hard to beat . Its sooo great of a rig on rhe gravel with 705 Shinkos. I have a 95 bullet and a 2019 Himalayan as well.Love them all but the Interceptor is definitly the more reliable and tractable bike.

[@stewy62]

I’m looking forward to your next instalment after you get your café racer legal. I wonder if you’ve considered getting a big bore kit for your Intercepter or would that just be throwing good money after bad in your opinion ?

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@stewy62 If you add the cost of the kit and the power commander, plus the clutch upgrade, to the cost of the bike You might as well buy a Triumph. It's all done for you

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

My Blackbird always wore Avon 'sports touring tyres. They were great tyres. That was a while ago but I think they were called 'Avon Road Runners'? Yes, a good bike is the bike you like. I know that they are big and heavy and maybe they have had their day, but I miss my Blackbird.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@dezmondwhitney1208 Avon Road Runners were great tyres, I have a pair on my RE Fury and can't fault them.

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 Good to hear. I liked mine. They gave me confidence in dry or wet conditions and were durable too.

[@lyndenhodder5655]

Hi VB, I don’t know what size tyre you have on the RE, but a company called Demon Tweeks sells Avon Speedmaster MkII .

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@lyndenhodder5655 Thanks for that! 325x19 front and 350x19 rear. Are they showing they have them in stock?

[@lyndenhodder5655]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 In stock for immediate dispatch it says for both.

[@Bob-xc2us]

You can tell a good bike by the way it makes you feel. Fit, finish, reliability etc. don't mean anything if the bike doesn't make you feel something special when you ride it. My W800 makes me feel something indescribable but to some other people it won't do a thing for them. To each his own. Dead on with the short stroke engines. Not for me.

[@brockett]

For me, the engine has three attributes that have to match: How it goes, how it sounds, and how it feels. When there is a mismatch you have something that just doesn't feel right. Maybe that is why the modifications to that 350 classic you bought back didn't chime with you.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@brockett I think you are right about a mismatch!

[@williamharris4426]

B31, HNTR 350, continental GT535 = Bliss

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@williamharris4426 Great choice!

[@MalcolmStaines]

Moto Guzzi owners all seem to like the same things about Guzzi's, but then I am biased.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@MalcolmStaines We are all very different but very similar!

[@borderlands6606]

Road speed is dominated by the average car. That's too fast to enjoy the kind of rural riding I prefer. When you get off the beaten track different priorities kick in, that can't be shown on a spec sheet.

[@Eastsussexbiker]

Hi you mentioned your speedo where did you buy it from. Mine is KMH too. She puffs well 😂

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@Eastsussexbiker I bought it from India, think it was around £12.00!

[@zedcharlie]

I prefer my new 650 bsa to interceptor. Very little in them but the bsa pulls really strong from 2k to 5k. Like taym says. It's a faster smoother 500 enfield. Power is delivered in the same way.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@zedcharlie I waited and waited for the BSA to come out and a year later it still hadn't arrived, so I wrongly bought the Interceptor.

[@zedcharlie]

@@Volcanicbrown1878 Well I.m still having stalling issue. But it will get sorted. Bargains to be had. 4995 new.

[@ruahinesrider]

I've seen that bike 🏍 on T.V. A good bike is the one you're enjoying at the moment.

[@ruahinesrider]

I owned Royal Enfield & last 2 bikes 🏍 been Triumphs but all bikes interest me.I would love to be able own a 1968-70 750 Interceptor.I liked my Interceptor 650. Plenty of cow 🐄 & sheep 🐑 shite all over the roads in my local area where they move stock up & down the roads try my best to zig zag through it.Pual Henshaw has some great videos that yellow Royal Enfield is amazing.

[@GapBahnDirk]

I know that you love the Interceptor really.... 😂😂🤣🤣.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

@GapBahnDirk You know something that I don't then!!!