more bike porn

[Damrongsak]

Sarolea history - nice pics:

 

https://www.sarolea.com/story

 

[Justgrazing]

Munch 4 banger but not the NSU car engine that they used in the Mammoth .. and a bit of an oddball front wheel .. 

 

[Justgrazing]

1925 Henderson V8 .. How cool is that .. 

 

[Damrongsak]

Danish Nimbus ‘type-C’ modified to a drag bike.  Info & pics:  https://www.designboom.com/technology/nimbus-type-c-landspeed-custom-gonzo-motorcycles-09-26-2017/

 

[Damrongsak]

Here's a stock 1950 Nimbus Type C.  Appx 750cc and 20 horsepower.

 

[Justgrazing]

Norman B2 trials .. 

Norman B2 195cc road bike .. 

Northrop Grumman B2 stealth bomber ..

3 of these arrived in Brit' sometime last week under darkness for planned exercises from Fairford with the RAF and their new F35's around the country .. 

No p*sspot helmet flying a F35 ..

Is there a scarier looking plane than that .. 

 

 

 

[Damrongsak]

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

...Is there a scarier looking plane than that .. .

F117 is pretty scary.  I saw one (or several?) do a low-level flyover the White House in Washington D.C. one time.

 

 

[Justgrazing]

Hurricane and a Hurricane .. 

 

[Justgrazing]

[ballpoint]

Bikes and planes.  Now we're talking...

 

Patsy Dawn meets Bombshell Bonnie:

[ballpoint]

Bike meets plane, here's the offspring...

[ballpoint]

Bike falls from plane...

 

The War Department ordered over 4000 Royal Enfield WD/RE 125s, known as the "Flying Flea", during WW2.  Many were dropped with paratroopers behind enemy lines on D-Day and during Operation Market Gardener. 

The bikes were placed in protective cages for the drop:

 

 

Royal Enfield made a special edition Pegasus 500 to commemorate them a few years back.  Seen here with one of the original paratroopers, and a Dakota C-47:

 

[Damrongsak]

28 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Bike falls from plane...

Post-war civilian RE125 (circa 1950):

 

[DJ54]

Saw this in a post today......who would that 

[Damrongsak]

28 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

Saw this in a post today......who would that 

Combo exhaust, crash bar and knee warmer.  Brilliant!

[canthai55]

10 hours ago, ballpoint said:

 Operation Market Gardener.

Lost 2 Uncles there - not to be pedantic, but no 'er' after Garden

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Lost 2 Uncles there - not to be pedantic, but no 'er' after Garden

Yes, spellcheck added the 'er'.  I realised when I read it after, but too late to edit.

[canthai55]

Was a real sheett show. Dutch underground warned the Allied command weeks before that the German army was there in strength. but as usual ...

"War is where old rich guys send young poor guys to die"

Coupled with the unbelievable arrogance of the 'Upper Class'

[ballpoint]

6 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Was a real sheett show. Dutch underground warned the Allied command weeks before that the German army was there in strength. but as usual ...

"War is where old rich guys send young poor guys to die"

Coupled with the unbelievable arrogance of the 'Upper Class'

Immortalised, of course, in the movie "A bridge too far".  Five VCs were awarded during the operation, with only one recipient, Major Robert Henry Cain, surviving it.  His commanding officer called it "the finest VC of the war", and his story was brilliantly told by Jeremy Clarkson, who, despite what people may think of him, has made some excellent non-car related documentaries (not that I don't like his car ones either).  And Cain was a Manx man, so even this story has some connection to bikes, however tenuous.

 

Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen it and wants to watch it.  Do so before reading any further: 

 

 

At the end, Clarkson reveals that Cain was his father in law, though he died in 1974, before Clarkson met his daughter, so never met him.  A modest hero, his daughter wasn't even aware that he had won the VC until after he died.

[ballpoint]

Some Guazzoni Matta 50s from 1969:

 

 

And a '74 Matta 50 Cross

 

 

[ballpoint]

Sticking with 50s, a '73 Mondial 50 Sport:

 

[ballpoint]

A few more Mondials through the years:

 

1954 200 Constellation

 

1956 175 Turismo Veloce

 

1968 Mondial 50

 

1995 125 Enduro

 

2006 Piega SP1

[Randell]

BP I don't think I have ever heard of the great looking bikes  in you last 3 posts ,very classy for the age . Thanks  a lot I am always learning something on this thread

[ballpoint]

Another lesser known Italian brand.  Italjet:

 

1966 Mustang.  Nice seat.

 

1966 Trial 50

 

1967 Piranha 50

 

1969 Scout

 

 

[Justgrazing]

BSA A10 ..

BSA Thunderbolt .. 

Fairchild Republic A10 Thunderbolt ..

BSA kicked off making armaments before expanding into bicycles then bikes .. 

Fairchild Republic's A10's original brief was to turkey shoot Soviet armour funnelling through the Fulda gap in Germany if cold war went hot firing 30 mm D U tipped shells from the biggest rotary cannon that ever had wings attached to it .. That scenario never appeared but it demonstrated its withering firepower in Iraq and Afghanistan in a close air support role .. Not fast , not really a looker but 'ard as nails and carries more bullets than a cartoon superhero .. And the noise one of these makes circling its quarry has been described as the sound of Satan's arrival .. gulp .. 

 

 

[Justgrazing]

30's Bianchi DOHC bevel drive single .. 

Della Ferrara 175 and a Frere 350 both 1930's .. 

And a couple of 60's Santamaria Tigrotto tiddlers .. The bottom one with added totty and tatt's .. 

 

 

[Justgrazing]

BSA Lightning .. 

English Electric Lightning .. not same same .. 

The bottom pic' of those over an' under shotgun style exhausts sums up the Lightning perfectly as it gets gunned at takeoff .. 

 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

BSA Lightning .. 

That was the bike featured in the UK ITV series Boon with Michael Elphick:
https://www.smiths-instruments.co.uk/blog/bsa-lightning-motorcycle-star-of-film-and-television

A great TV programme, seven series back in 1986-92:

 

[Justgrazing]

1 minute ago, bluesofa said:

That was the bike featured in the UK ITV series Boon with Michael Elphick:
https://www.smiths-instruments.co.uk/blog/bsa-lightning-motorcycle-star-of-film-and-television

A great TV programme, seven series back in 1986-92.

Indeed it was .. Good of you to drop in 'Sof .. we don't have too many visitor's apart from our regular con's .. Almost like a knitting club here its now .. 

 

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

Indeed it was .. Good of you to drop in 'Sof .. we don't have too many visitor's apart from our regular con's .. Almost like a knitting club here its now ..

Reminds me as a kid, my mother saying, "knit one purl one," whatever that meant.