What you need to know before buying your first British motorcycle

Norton V4 RR is THE TT racer reborn

Everyone has their favorite British bike, mine happens to be the Norton.

If you are thinking of upgrading your bike, will you truly venture out, or stay with the big five? Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Every biker who wants to be taken seriously must own at least one British bike.

Let us explore the long list of affordable luxury bikes with a well-known history in the motorcycle world. Owning a bike with some real appeal will have all your friends talking, it will woo the crowds, it could possibly make you new friends wherever you go and may enhance your biker reputation. Imagine the alluring appeal of combining a Norton and Triumph which equals a Triton. What a powerful machine that would be! Whether you buy a Norton or a Triumph, either choice is an excellent one. Once you make that leap you will be hooked for the rest of your life. Believe me!

Nortozuki

Green is my favorite color on a bike

Triton

Norton

Bob Dylan on his Triumph

Everyone has their favorite British bike, mine happens to be the Norton. I've been a one man advocate for British motorcycles in New York and if a manufacturer is interested in collaborating with me, feel free to give me a call, or let me know via www.twitter.com/mikesmcconkey.  When my American doctor draws a sample of my blood he phones to ask: "What is Castrol R?" Only a true biker will know the answer.

The Beast

John Dobb is standing to the left of The Beast

In my last post I mention a cardboard box which had followed me around for over 40 years and in it I found slides of "The Beast" built by a brilliant and true English eccentric (Brit to my New York friends) John Dobb whom to this day still has his foot on the throttle. As you can see back in 1973 it created a lot of local interest outside the engineering company were I worked. That day I snapped over 20 pictures of the Beast.

Newspaper headline proclaiming "Roll-Royce's 200mph supercar

The Beast engine was a 27-litre Rolls-Royce Merlin, see links for more details. was featured on TV and in newspapers at the time and to this day, including Hot Car magazine in 1973. It wasn't just for looks though; that Meteor still had 700bhp and 700lb/ft of torque even without a blower, and earned an RAC-certified speed record at RAF Elvington airfield for the flying half-mile, along with inclusion in The Guinness Book of World Records as 'The most powerful road car in the world' at the time. John Dobb confirmed the rumor to me that his car was gaining notoriety for its speed on public roads; endorsing a newspaper headline proclaiming "Roll-Royce's 200mph supercar" probably helped bring the car to the attention of Rolls-Royce, who predictably weren't amused when an existing German Roll-Royce customer contacted them about ordering a Roll-Royce car that "outrun" him  (the German) on the Autobahn at over 150mph while driving his Porsche. Roll-Royce threatened court action against John Dobb for breach of copyright for using of the Greek temple grill on The Beast. Love the story!

My reflection in the RR grill its the only time you will see me.

 Read more on the following links. Roll-Royce Car Company, RAF Elvington Airfield, Facebook John Dobb, The Guinness Book of World Records, Porsche, CLASSIC DRIVER.

 The following pictures speak for themselves

 

 

Michael S. McConkey

Michael McConkey (circa 1972) sitting on a Triton motorcycle (a hybrid-like bike constructed with a Norton Featherbed frame) which was considered the best in its day. With an Triumph Thunderbird 650cc engine, this motorcycle unfortunately did not have the famous 'Bonneville engine' What a shame! Check out my post; My British Motorcycle Days.

Stars With British Bikes In Their Eyes

Bob Dylan on his Triumph Motorcycle

Bob Dylan"Like A Rollin' Stone" singer Bob Dylan owned a 1964 Triumph Tiger 100. He stopped touring for several years after he was involved in a motorcycle accident in 1966.

One thing I am certain of is that celebrities come and go but the good old British bikes retain their star power!

 Norton Commando

Biker babe! The 52-year-old Matrix actor looked hunky as ever while riding off on his Norton Commando motorcycle in a vintage jacket. Keanu Reeves owns several motorcycles including a 1973 Norton 850 Commando, Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide and a West Coast Choppers Bike.

Keanu Reeves with Jay Leno  

Jay Leno riding his Norton 650 SS 1962 

(I never understood the clip-on-seat which was often stolen) 

Jay Leno's 1958 BSA DBD34 Gold Star

Jay Leno garages house over 200 vintage cars, 100 motorcycles and a complete machine shop with 7 full-time employees fill up all the space. Jay just bought 2 new adjacent buildings along the Burbank airport to house all the new rare pieces found or proposed to him on a weekly basis.

House" actor Hugh Laurie owns a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.

Hugh Laurie

Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson on a Triumph Motorcycle in LA

Green Hornet actor Ryan Reynolds owns a Ducati Paul Smart 1000 sports bike and a Retro Triumph Motorcycle.

 Richard Gere

Richard Gere

Mr. Cool on his Trumph 

Steve McQueen had over 100 motorcycles. He loved his British bikes

BSA A65 Lightning 

Hunter S. Thompson rode a BSA A65 Lightning with the Hell's Angels and documented his experience in his book, Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga.

On his Norton Commando

"Dawson's Creek" actor Joshua Jackson also owns a 2004 Triumph Speedmaster

Free as a bird

Clint Eastwood was seen riding a motorcycle in several of his films. He owned a Triumph motorcycle but doesn't seem to do much riding these days.

The Wild One

Marlon Brando rode a 1950 Triumph 6T Thunderbird in the film The Wild One. He also owned his own bikes. Brando said, "During those early years in New York, I often got on my motorcycle in the middle of the night and went for a ride – anyplace. There wasn’t much crime in the city then, and if you owned a motorcycle, you left it outside your apartment and in the morning it was still there."

British Bikes and Girls have always gone hand in hand

James Dean the rebel

The Rebel on his Triumph

Rebel Without a Cause actor James Dean owned a 947 CZ 125-cc and a Triumph TR5 Trophy.