NEW TV PROGRAMME: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes

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D-Rider · #1 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:41 pm

Just spotted a new 8-part TV series of Timeshift starts tonight at 9pm on BBC4

The first programme in the series is:
Full Throttle: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03fv7sl

Time to get some of what you pay your license fee for!

fatboy · #2 Post by **fatboy** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:30 pm

Well spotted !
Will stay up for that

joecrx · #3 Post by **joecrx** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:52 pm

VHS tape in recorder and time set , incase i fall asleep,

D-Rider · #4 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:29 pm

joecrx wrote:VHS tape in recorder and time set , incase i fall asleep,

Oh dear - you've screwed that up Joe. It's on at 9 not 11

Aladinsaneuk · #5 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:18 pm

temporal shift in jock land?

D-Rider · #6 Post by **D-Rider** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:51 pm

Well I watched it and it was a pretty good programme.

Dave Croxford brought a smile to the face every time he was interviewed.

Unfortunately I'm not sure that it did much good for the image of motorcycling though.

If you missed it, I guess it'll be on i-player.

The programme that followed it about the NW200 was really good ... but how many of the heroes featured have bought it along the way...
Sad to reflect on that.

HisNibbs · #7 Post by **HisNibbs** » Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:15 pm

Thanks for that. I would have missed it otherwise.

#8 Post by **mangocrazy** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:45 am

Yes, really enjoyed both programmes, but the one on British Bikes ignored a lot of inconvenient truths and just focussed on the hedonistic, speed-related aspect of it. Which is OK, I don't have a problem with that - I'd be lying if I said that aspect of motorcycling doesn't appeal to me.

But one day I really would like to see an honest dissection of the rise and fall of the British Motorcycle industry (pre-Hinckley Triumph). There's a fascinating story there to be told, if someone has the balls to tell it.

But it was interesting to me that the two finest motorcycles of the era (Brough Superior and Vincent Black Shadow) were both V-twins with a Vee angle not dissimilar to the Rotax V60...

D-Rider · #9 Post by **D-Rider** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:27 am

mangocrazy wrote:
But it was interesting to me that the two finest motorcycles of the era (Brough Superior and Vincent Black Shadow) were both V-twins with a Vee angle not dissimilar to the Rotax V60...

Yes they have always been the 2 classics I've wanted to own - ever since I started out with bikes - and never will due to the prices they command.

With its 60 degree v-angle I've always felt that the Falco is in many ways a modern incarnation of the Vincent (even if the rear cylinder is the opposite way round.

BTW you might find this website to be of interest:
http://www.diagnosis2012.co.uk/britvtwinsnow.html

Obiwan Kenobi · #10 Post by **Obiwan Kenobi** » Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:00 am

Agree with that, was a good programme til about half way through.

First half about the british bike manufacturers pre and post war and how bikes became part of british life, with some nice old classics filmed....

...then it went a bit too "rockers and mods" and not much about the bikes.

But any bikes on the TV are good!

BikerGran · #11 Post by **BikerGran** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 2:02 am

I thought, at least there was quite a lot of bike film in it, not just old codgers talking about bikes.

Willopotomas · #12 Post by **Willopotomas** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 6:51 pm

It's a shame they didn't mention much about what actually happened to the decline of the Brit bike industry, and instead focussed on the social aspect. It was still a very good program mind, but the title is a bit misleading. I was hoping to see an actual account, but as Mango said, that will take someone will balls to say it. I have a pretty good idea of how it went down hill.. And have it on the personal account of people who worked there about what went on behind the scenes.

fatboy · #13 Post by **fatboy** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:39 pm

When Meriden went bust, my local bike shop bought as many T140's as they could, rebuilt the lumps. Got talkin with the mechanic, he showed me a box full of SKF main bearings with 3 punch marks on outer race denoting SUB STANDARD. from factory motors.
Fraud squad were a bit busy looking at the books, assetts stripped from a sruggling company.
sodding shame really