Vintage riding

Here’s a nice video of a couple of old codgers putting thru Meldrew’s neighborhood across the Yorkshire Dales. Nice old bikes too:

A bit more in my area than Meldrew's. i have ridden those roads many times, Kettlewell to Hawes, a very popular biking destination. Not, i might add, at the same time as these chaps. But, definately on the same roads or should i say lanes.

Awesome .... thanks for posting up that video Tim. "Lanes" is right ... barely enough room for two bikes side-by-each let alone two of anything else. Wonderful countryside views.

I think you're exaggerating a bit with the 'barely room for two bikes side by side' mate. For a start any motorcycle riders with a modicum of common sense wouldn’t ride like that as there's a lot of blind bends, hill summits, and corners. The odd stray sheep to look out for on the road, groups of cyclists, etc. The roads are also lined with dry stone walls built by farmers over many generations to keep their livestock from straying, and they're very unforgiving if you hit or clip one.

The minor roads in the Yorkshire Dales are narrow although they're wide enough for our European sized cars to safely pass each other with care and consideration. If you see a large vehicle approaching you pull right into the side of the road, give way, or you or the other vehicle will use a passing place if there's one nearby.

With lockdown I haven't been into the Dales much this year, in the early weeks North Yorkshire Police were stopping vehicles from going into the Dales without a good reason. They were doing the same in other areas of the country to discourage second home owners coming into rural areas from cities.

I enjoyed Timothy's nostalgic video, it reminded me of the smell of damp tweed and years ago watching a load of vintage bikes going past the Tan Hill Inn up in the wilds of the North Yorkshire Dales taking part in the annual Beamish Reliability Run.

Meldrew wrote:

... snipped ... I think you're exaggerating a bit with the 'barely room for two bikes side by side' mate. For a start any motorcycle riders with a modicum of common sense wouldn’t ride like that ...

Not an exaggeration as I was comparing the roads I saw in the video to what we have here in Canada. You've ridden here so I assume you know what I am talking about as our standard for one highway lane is 12 feet wide.

And you're right ... our vehicles tend to be super sized compared to many European sized models. The side-by-side (bikes) example was simply a visualization. we do not ride side by side here either ... unless you are in an outlaw MC.

One good reason for riding in the countryside in the UK, we do not have any predatory wildlife. The occasional sheep or rabbit, or pheasant in the road. Nothing compared to Canada and the things you might have to contend with.

Not vintage, but I had a 'blond moment' & thought it would be a good idea to buy a 1957 Zundapp 201s, as something to do if we have lockdown 2 (the boredom returns)

Very nice choice bud, I'm assuming it's a 2 stroke, with Earls forks, shrouded rear shocks, gear lever on the left, enclosed chain, nice plush seat and decent sized rear rack, and one of those weird headlamp keys similar to the ones on MZ's. All the good full fat practical stuff.  

6 or 12v electrics?

Zundapp, my first ever 2 wheel ride, a dirt bike model at that

Thank's for sharing the video Tim, it was really nice to look at it....

Michel

Meldrew wrote:

Very nice choice bud, I'm assuming it's a 2 stroke, with Earls forks, shrouded rear shocks, gear lever on the left, enclosed chain, nice plush seat and decent sized rear rack, and one of those weird headlamp keys similar to the ones on MZ's. All the good full fat practical stuff.  

6 or 12v electrics?

Hi bud  Yep 2 stroke 250 single, geometry of the Earles make it fully 'anti-dive' Single seat & the Craven rack were what attracted me to it more than the already restored dual seat model also on the market.  Key in the headlamp (under a sliding cover) is flat rather than the earier round ones.
Currently it's 6volt but will look into possibilities for conversion to 12   Collected it wuth the trailer from Littlehampton, West Sussex then on to Hildenborough, Kent for evening meal with my old school friend then home, left at 09:15 Saturday got back at 02:15 Sunday
64 years old & you can go up to it 'tickle' the carb & half choke starts first/second kick every time (left side kickstart)
Needs a few electrical niggles sorting, then some 'sympathetic' restoration work mostly cleaning rust 'spiders' which will be easy as it was brush enamelled at the factory, steering damper knob & possibly front wheel rim need rechroming.

oldwingguy wrote:

Zundapp, my first ever 2 wheel ride, a dirt bike model at that

I believe you could get a lot of componants from Wassel for the off road models bud

Excellent little video.
I know that road well out of Kettlewell. I'm impressed with those old bikes getting up that hill because its a serious climb.
Usually there are a few cyclists going up there too looking utterly miserable

The cyclists you see may look miserable but keen cyclists challenge their own stamina and fitness by pitting themselves against a 'to do' list of steep hills or gradients. I saw such cyclists slowly pedalling their way up Trapping Hill in Nidderdale on an unseasonably hot day.

There's another steep hill over in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park called Rosedale Chimney Bank. This shares the title of England's steepest road with Hardknott Pass in Cumbria as they're both 33% or 1 in 3. Chimney Bank has long been nicknamed "The Chain Breaker" by cyclists, but there doesn't seem to be a shortage of them wanting to pedal their way up it.

The Bern, that's a great looking classic. It's been many years since I've seen a Zundapp! In my younger years I thought they'd named it Zundapp because that's kinda how it sounded to me.

Fascinating video ... bikes approaching 100 years old! Wonder what they'll be like 100 years in the future.

Gorgeous countryside! I need to spend some quality time in northern England. If anyone wants to trade homes + scooters and spend time in southern Florida near the Atlantic Ocean and Palm Beach, holler at your boy ;o).*

* after the virus is under control and some semblance of normalcy returns, of course.