Forgot to mention @Winglad get yourself a headlight protector. It’s quite brittle and mine smashed from a stone flicked up from a car. £190 for a new one I bought a Hella clip on cover, cheap and not that noticeable when fitted. I had to get it from the US via Amazon but you might have more luck finding a local supplier in Germany.
Ade, I thought about your comment for a while and came to the conclusion, you might not be pulling my leg (although I never know with you ) Anyway, it is me on the pic. BUT this here is my dad on the last bike he owned (some days back)... And my mom (on the right) plus my grandmother. Huh! We are a rider's family On the left Rabeneick SM 125; on the right Horex Regina 350
I was expecting your family pics to look more like this Daniel ... https://images.app.goo.gl/qmnX3wPZV6qPCJVr9 ‘Cos I’m sure there was something about Broadsword calling Danny Boy....
These are fantastic photos Daniel - biking is definitely in your blood! I managed to find this picture of my dad (on the left) and my uncle on matching BSA's. This must have been taken in 1944 or 45 as my Aunt is still in uniform (Auxiliary Territorial Service). She was sent over to Normandy after the landings, which caused some amusement as she was Dorothy Day - D Day!
Winglad, Have you had a chance to get some Ks on the new bike, if so, how are you liking it? Asking because I found myself trying one for size this morning! Cheers,Ken. PS. This is a picture of my Dad and one of his brothers, prob.taken in 1930s. I know Dad rode a Rudge Ulster but don’t think this is one....can anyone name the bike please? Ken.
Great pictures, mates! Don‘t you also think there‘s a very special mood about these old images. Maybe it‘s the ‚black&white‘, or the different dresses and hairstyles, or maybe it is just our knowledge of the bygone days... @steve lovatt : D-Day made me smile... And I dearly hope, that we and our children are being spared from crossing the channel in arms. That sometimes worries me more than my eco-ideological footprint. @Kenbro : You should have seen the weather over here since I brought the bike home. It is raining cats and dogs and the occasional badger (at least their carcasses keep lying around in the ditches). So unfortunately only about 80 klicks I will keep you posted though! The weekend promises to be sunny. Being very curious about the seat of the /5: is it better than on the Scrambler 1200 (@heartlander and I were both not too excited about the latter)? So, please bear with me Cheers!
Well Steve, as you know: If you come in arms, no one is going to ask you for a clearance (They‘ll be busy sticking their tales between their legs )
So we had a couple of good days over here and I tried to treat my childruns equally affectionate All the things I wrote in the beginning still hold true. The /5 is a marvelous bike and I am really glad, I dared getting acquainted with BMW. Like Ducati, it was always on my wishlist, but I waited for the perfect fit. Ken, the only thing, I would find ‚fault‘ with, is the seat. I guess, it definitely is no long range saddle. After riding for about an hour, I get a pinching sensation in my inner right thigh (as if your briefs would get caught up with one single hair on your leg). That is: if I sit, like I am used to; which is pretty close to the fuel tank. As you can see, the seat slopes down at this position which looks great (same as on the Harley Iron 883) but I guess is not always the most comfortable solution. Now, if I move my a$$ backward a couple of centimeters, everything is fine. I just sit a little bit more ‘sporty’ on the bike. This all is no big deal, but it definitely is worth mentioning. I will not change the seat though, since it is a special design for the /5 series (which looks gorgeous) and I will definitely keep the bike in original condition. The thing which impresses me most about this boxer is its’ sound! Just try a NineT at a dealer in your area because it is hard to describe... For me, it sounds and also feels very special (like with Harley, there is a subtle vibration and shake at traffic lights and when you take off again, it sounds a bit like a VERY subdued machine-gun; a kind of dry and very fast knocking-on-dense-wood-sound. Being on the move is very much like on the new Thruxton R. The /5 feels very agile and nimble. On the other hand: when parking the machine, I really do not feel the 80 Kgs weight difference to my Fat Bob. But I guess, this is due to the fact, that HD did a great job with the weight distribution there! Ken, I hope, these impressions did help you a little bit. It is all very subjective stuff but it also is seen with the eyes of someone who had been shopping bikes abroad all these past years. (Oh: nothing in my hangar that flies. I was grounded in 2014 with health problems and therefore my airborne days are over ) Cheers everyone!
Winglad, You’re now preaching to the converted! I couldn’t walk away without it when I viewed a 2019 R Nine T Pure C with a 719 pack (Whatever that is). Only ridden 50 miles so not evaluated properly yet. Certainly feels more taught than the Street Twin and of course, the extra few CCs make it pick up a bit quicker. Jury out on the seat, but I think I can get on okay with it as i’m not a ‘Tourer’. Thanks for your reply. PS. I used to fly Gyroplanes, but, like you, got grounded, me with a heart problem.
...the heart it was with me too... Since I was with the airlines, it was pretty tough shit for my wretched little soul But congrats and welcome to the Gummikuh-Club! 719!? Did not yet find out, where the name derives from, but it’s high-end, bike loving, hands on production. A little bit like Morgan, if you ever visited the Malvern based Company, you know what I mean. They do the lining free-hand-stile. Grapevine has it, that the Romans started this way back on their chariots! (Those were the days, when their army was based on aggression, not regression )
Some Gummikuhnews... I finally decided to treat my /5 to a little upgrade: A rev-counter (plus gear indication). Did really miss this instrument and probably due to being 50+ always tried to shift into seventh gear What do you think? (web-pic; part is ordered...) I think, it also looks more classic than a single unit. The original one in the 70ies was integrated in the headlight-housing though...
