Does anyone remember? (NGC)

[rtbickel]

After seeing several recent postings about cool custom/retro bikes, I recall reading in one of the then-current cycle magazines back in the early 70's about two brothers that hand build a pair of V-4 bikes.  I don't mean just assembled/customized, but literally cast the cases and cylinders, machined the crank, rods and gears, welded up the frames, hammered out the gas tanks, etc. etc.  They looked about as good as anything coming out of the factories at the time.

And as for weird, who can forget the wonderfully loopy (NGC also) Munch Mammut back in the day?

[oldbike54]

 There is a father/son team in England who build replica MV GP bikes , and another guy who builds complete 7/8 scale Manx Nortons in 250 CC displacement for vintage racing purposes . These folks astound me .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

And as for weird, who can forget the wonderfully loopy (NGC also) Munch Mammut back in the day?

A great piece of history .... a 1200cc NSU car engine packed into a bike frame.   Considered hugely scary fast and powerful in the day, only experts need apply, strong men's knees would buckle at the thought of riding it.

But how time does march on!   1177 cc, 88 horsepower, 135 MPH.    Any 16-year-old can wander into his bike dealer with a few grand for a 600 or 750 sport bike nowadays, and ride out on a bike that will wax a Mammut on a drag strip, on the track, or ESPECIALLY on a road!

Lannis

[jas67]

No discussion of building motorcycles completely from scratch, including casting crank cases and cylinders is complete without bringing up the Britten V1000:

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

A great piece of history .... a 1200cc NSU car engine packed into a bike frame.   Considered hugely scary fast and powerful in the day, only experts need apply, strong men's knees would buckle at the thought of riding it.

But how time does march on!   1177 cc, 88 horsepower, 135 MPH.    Any 16-year-old can wander into his bike dealer with a few grand for a 600 or 750 sport bike nowadays, and ride out on a bike that will wax a Mammut on a drag strip, on the track, or ESPECIALLY on a road!

Lannis

" Oh what a joy was the Munch!
Displacement had it a bunch.
The view from the seat
was Germanically neat,
but a Z1 would eat it for lunch!"

Cycle magazine - 25th anniversary issue

[Arizona Wayne]

I sat on Barber Museum's Britten back in `01.  It felt smaller than I expected. 

[Aaron D.]

" Oh what a joy was the Munch!
Displacement had it a bunch.
The view from the seat
was Germanically neat,
but a Z1 would eat it for lunch!"

Cycle magazine - 25th anniversary issue

Beat me to it Charlie. That was a great issue!

[wymple]

I sort of remember something about a pro drag racer, or brothers from Sweden, I think, who build their own engines from scratch & kicked some serious butt.

[redhawk47]

After seeing several recent postings about cool custom/retro bikes, I recall reading in one of the then-current cycle magazines back in the early 70's about two brothers that hand build a pair of V-4 bikes.  I don't mean just assembled/customized, but literally cast the cases and cylinders, machined the crank, rods and gears, welded up the frames, hammered out the gas tanks, etc. etc.  They looked about as good as anything coming out of the factories at the time.

And as for weird, who can forget the wonderfully loopy (NGC also) Munch Mammut back in the day?

Motus?

[Arizona Wayne]

Motus?

No....not sure the current Motus players were even born then.  But 1 of their fathers was involved in MC doings then.

[rtbickel]

The engine was configured like a V-Max if I remember it correctly.

[Chuck in Indiana]

No....not sure the current Motus players were even born then.  But 1 of their fathers was involved in MC doings then.

Yeah, Sidney Conn was a serious Guzzi guy, and had the Guzzi balloon at Bonneville during the record runs in 99? Memory fails me again. 

[larrys]

No discussion of building motorcycles completely from scratch, including casting crank cases and cylinders is complete without bringing up the Britten V1000:

Saw the Britten almost win at Daytona, til his battery died. It was clearly faster than everyone else. I was pitting for Jimmy Adamo that year. Jim placed third.
Larry