Q's about bikes in Blighty
in [UK Motorcycles]
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From: Eiron on 22 Nov 2009 03:39 Catman wrote: > Sean_Q_ wrote: >> ...and other drive-on-the-left countries such as New Zealand. >> 2. If the throttle is still on the right, how do you wave at other >> bikers? > > With far more skill than usually seen in NA Throttle on the left was so American cops could make progress while waving a pistol at fleeing felons. ISTR an episode of Happy Days that mentioned a Brit bike with a left hand throttle. Can't remember if it was a real bike though. -- Eiron.
From: Domènec on 22 Nov 2009 03:51 "Eiron" <E1ron(a)hotmail.com> escribi� en el mensaje de noticias news:7msbl8F3hlbdcU1(a)mid.individual.net... >> Sean_Q_ wrote: >>> 2. If the throttle is still on the right, how do you wave at other >>> bikers? > ISTR an episode of Happy Days that mentioned a Brit bike with a left > hand throttle. Can't remember if it was a real bike though. Google reports left hand throttle as something usual on snowmobiles (no clues), amputee's bikes and typical of shite olde Indian septic bikes. http://www.wgby.org/localprograms/indian/pages/hatfield.html Indian's Engineering Firsts Indian, over the years, was either first or the first manufacturer of significance to adopt a number of features. Electric starting for the Indian in 1914 was the first in the world. Rear suspension on the Indian was not the first but certainly was the first motorcycle of stature and of any significant sales to have rear suspension. That came about in 1913. The first footboards on American motorcycles and probably in the world were in 1912. As a consequence of Indian's victory in the Isle of Mann international race, they came out with what they called a "tourist trophy" model that had a starting mechanism which was one of the earliest and these footboards which was the first in the industry. I think they probably were the first to use some kind of twist grip control. On the earliest engines, the speed was controlled by adjusting the status of the ignition system. You would do what is called retard the ignition, make the spark occur later if you wanted to slow down. And you'd make the spark occur faster by twisting the grip towards you if you wanted to go faster and that was the right hand grip. So the very first Indians, the speed was controlled by the right hand. The odd thing is when they decided to add a throttle, they already had the ignition control on the right so they put the throttle on the left. Over the years, the throttle became the speed governing mechanism. Indian never bothered to move the throttle. So they went from right hand control of the speed with the ignition to left hand control by the throttle and they just kept it that way all the years running. They were the only motorcycle to in the world with a left hand throttle. And yes, policemen did shoot and drive: http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=7 Indian had individual consumers but also the endorsement of organizations such as the French and US governments during the war years and the New York City police who appreciated the left hand throttle system, which allowed the rider to shoot and drive at the same time.
From: Catman on 22 Nov 2009 04:28 Eiron wrote: > Catman wrote: >> Sean_Q_ wrote: >>> ...and other drive-on-the-left countries such as New Zealand. > >>> 2. If the throttle is still on the right, how do you wave at other >>> bikers? >> >> With far more skill than usually seen in NA > > Throttle on the left was so American cops could make progress while waving > a pistol at fleeing felons. Was it really? > > ISTR an episode of Happy Days that mentioned a Brit bike with a left > hand throttle. Can't remember if it was a real bike though. Yeah, I saw the same one. The Fonz proved that the accused wasn't guilty of the bag snatch as he couldn't have taken his hand off the thorttle to grab the bag the way it was described. -- Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3 Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply) 116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS 156 V6 2.5 S2 Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see. www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
From: Pip Luscher on 22 Nov 2009 04:58 On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:28:04 +0000, Catman <catman(a)rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote: >Eiron wrote: >> Catman wrote: >>> Sean_Q_ wrote: >>>> ...and other drive-on-the-left countries such as New Zealand. >> >>>> 2. If the throttle is still on the right, how do you wave at other >>>> bikers? >>> >>> With far more skill than usually seen in NA >> >> Throttle on the left was so American cops could make progress while waving >> a pistol at fleeing felons. > >Was it really? Ive heard of that but only on certain models of Indian AFAIK -- -Pip
From: spike1 on 22 Nov 2009 04:33
And verily, didst Sean_Q_ <nospam(a)no.spam> hastily babble thusly: > ...and other drive-on-the-left countries such as New Zealand. > > 1. Do they have the throttle on the left and clutch on the right hand > side of the bike? (ie, mirror images of the North American arrangement?) Same as US. Brake/Throttle on the right, clutch on the left. For feet, gears on the left, brake on the right. There are some older models with the controls reversed though. Nortons and stuff. > 2. If the throttle is still on the right, how do you wave at other > bikers? Why would we wave? A nod's normally enough to acknowledge other bikers. > 3. Do you wave at other bikers at all? Or are there so many on UK roads > that you don't bother. No, we tend to nod. > 4. Is the kick stand still on the left? Yes. > 5. How easy is it for a North American to get used to riding > on the "wrong" (for us) side of the road. Does it feel like Alice's > Looking Glass world? Dunno, I've never ridden on the wrong side of the road. I've always driven on the left, you might get a better answer to that one from the euro-touring-isti. -- | spike1(a)freenet.co,uk | "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" | | Andrew Halliwell BSc | | | in | "I think so brain, but this time, you control | | Computer Science | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." | |