PU, with all due respect, your start in motorcycling in the 80's, was 20-25 years after the heyday of British bikes. I'd not expect oil tightness from a 25 year old Lexus, never mind a simple, cheap form of transport. So, your thesis that all British bikes were of poor quality is based on neglected and mangled examples. Japanese machines were better in some ways, especially their engines, but not in all ways. Handling especially. Honda apart, they also tended to suffer from lack of durability in the finish: chrome of the peeling variety, frame paint flashed on to steel. But then, they weren't meant to be long-lived. As for parallel twins, the Kawasaki W650 twin is being replaced by an 800cc version. Apart from NSU inspired camshaft drive (nice!) and the balancer shaft, it's very much in the mould of older British twins. Light, not warp-speed capability, flickable. Shame Lanchesters idea was never picked up by British bike makers, but some preferred to spend "their" money on gold Rolls Royces. Rather similar to the Freds of this financial paradise and bonus culture:)
Last edited by: NortonES2 on Thu 2 Dec 10 at 20:28
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