[Guest]

I went to a vintage english bike (Vincent, Norton, BSA, & Triumph were the brands) rally in Nashville last weekend. Upon talking to many of the guys there I found out many of them race the bikes. Well, I have always heard the old bikes would flex and wobble when raced. So, I asked several of them how it felt as the bike did this and how does it compare to today. A lot of them prefer the old style because they felt it gave them more feedback than today's bikes. Some disagreed and said it scared the hell out of them, but loved to race the old bikes.
Then I read the latest Roadracing World mag on the new BMW 1200r. The writer felt the front end was scary as hell because it offered no feedback.

So, this made me curious of the different flavors of feedback.

Therefore, I was wondering what some of the more seasoned riders on this board thought about the progression of the modern motorcycle and what we have gained or lost.

Boring day and too much time on my hands…I know.

 

[Guest]

Re: Vintage Racing (RVT100004)

Visit your local HD dealer and take a test ride. You'll be able to tell the difference for yourself.

 

[Guest]

Fork flex,frame flex and particularly swingarm flex caused the bike to wallow when cornering hard.Combine that with hard,skinny rubber and you had a pantload of "feedback".

 

[Guest]

I spent a fair amount of time racing in AHRMA. I can tell you two things for sure: First, the "British" bikes are actually very expensive reproductions constructed of the most modern materials, and second, the difference between modern asphalt-surface motorcycles and 1970's-era versions is even greater than the differences between the respective modern-vs.-vintage motocross bikes.
The absolute best example I can use to illustrate is the comparison between a 1973 Yamaha TD3 250cc production roadracer and a 2003 Yamaha TZ250 production roadracer.
The TD3 engine is so peaky and nervous that the throttle works like an angry light switch. No power whatsoever below 9600rpm and none above 10,800. Tie this to a transmission where first gear is about like third on a street bike. Put the whole shebang into a flexible frame and swingarm using 1.85x18 front and 2.15x18 rear wheels with really primitive suspension components and the result is truly thrilling to ride. By comparison, the '03 is tractible, plush, grippy and almost magical.
Both bikes give tons of feedback. The real difference is probably in the messages they send to the rider.