Every time,

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

8 minutes ago, Earache said:

At least they didn't smell of piss and wurthers, so they've got that going for them.

They certainly didn’t smell like they washed too often and I wouldn’t mind one bit if they tried a mint rather than the  rancid coffee they whiff of  

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

39 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I've never encountered a bike salesman that was as well informed about the bike that I wanted to buy than I was.

Even before the net I did a lot of reading and research, and whenever possible I tried to speak to an existing owner for their feedback.

Preferably an owner that could talk about the model within the context of how it compares to other models.

That’s not really how bike stands at shows work. You might research the bikes that most pique your interest but when you’re wandering round the concessions you ask about the bikes that catch your eye. 

[XTreme]

16 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

That’s not really how bike stands at shows work. You might research the bikes that most pique your interest but when you’re wandering round the concessions you ask about the bikes that catch your eye. 

Haven't been to a bike show since the late 70's......I was always bored to tears. Except the one in London in 1972 when they unveiled the Z!.

That one was groundbreaking, not because the show was anything special, but because It was a massive development for motorcycling in general.

The K0 started the momentum in 1969, but the launch of the Z1 in 1972 changed everything as we knew it. Forever!

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

10 minutes ago, XTreme said:

.....I was always bored to tears. 

And yet you bought a Honda

There were no owners forums or internet research back then you would have had to wander over to the bimbo and asked if they actually know anything about the bike and gone home empty handed, literally, not even a mobile phone pic to wank over. 

Granted the Z1 is a beautiful bike. 

[Six30]

1 hour ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

I prefer to talk about bikes with someone who actually knows about the bike, you know, get the info you want about the bike you want to buy. You can keep your wank bank stocked up with internet images like everyone else.

For the record most of the men I've bought bikes from are ugly old munters with tits down to their knees

@Buckster has a bike shop ... and you buy bikes off him .... 

[XTreme]

21 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

There were no owners forums or internet research back then you would have had to wander over to the bimbo and asked if they actually know anything about the bike and gone home empty handed, literally, not even a mobile phone pic to wank over. 

Ever heard of Motor Cycle, Motor Cycle News, Motorcycle Mechanics, Motorcycle Sport, Bike, Cycle World etc?

And we all met in large groups virtually every day back then......very often hooking up with groups from other areas on the weekend.

It's what I loosely refer to as the Real World! Which ironically was a much better world than now in so many ways.

What you say @Clive?

[Clive]

5 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Ever heard of Motor Cycle, Motor Cycle News, Motorcycle Mechanics, Motorcycle Sport, Bike, Cycle World etc?

And we all met in large groups virtually every day back then......very often hooking up with groups from other areas on the weekend.

It's what I loosely refer to as the Real World! Which ironically was a much better world than now in so many ways.

What you say @Clive?

Our local (very dubious) bike shops would tell you the bike your were interested in was the best thing on 2 wheels, every bike in the shop was, according to him/them.

I bought the GT550 because 2 guys in our group jad one and gave a honest opinion of it, it could have been a Honda 750 Four instead of the GT550, but the Honda dealer was not a man to be trusted,  took your money then you where on your own.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

Ever heard of Motor Cycle, Motor Cycle News, Motorcycle Mechanics, Motorcycle Sport, Bike, Cycle World etc?

And we all met in large groups virtually every day back then......very often hooking up with groups from other areas on the weekend.

It's what I loosely refer to as the Real World! Which ironically was a much better world than now in so many ways.

What you say @Clive?

I nearly mentioned oldy Worldy mags but let’s face it they’re crap. You wait an age for a bike you’re interested in to appear and get one persons take on it which is always skewed because bike journos don’t trash talk bikes. 
 

I’m 50 Pete I remember the crap old analogue world very well, I grew up it it. 
 

Without the new world you wouldn’t have the life you have. You literally work and live online. 

The reality of ageing before the internet was social isolation and depression. I used to see it all the time. Depressed old people.. exhausting energy vampires who would cry at the drop of hat because you simply gave them some time and listened to them. 
 

Now mostly they can see what their children and grandchildren are doing, they stay connected and feel part of their families lives. 
 

I can guarantee you the much better world you used to live in would be shitting all over you in old age. 

[XTreme]

Just now, Clive said:

Our local (very dubious) bike shops would tell you the bike your were interested in was the best thing on 2 wheels, every bike in the shop was, according to him/them.

I bought the GT550 because 2 guys in our group jad one and gave a honest opinion of it, it could have been a Honda 750 Four instead of the GT550, but the Honda dealer was not a man to be trusted,  took your money then you where on your own.

Generally the GT550 was pretty reliable......yours was the exception.

[Clive]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

Generally the GT550 was pretty reliable......yours was the exception.

Just lack of spares and rust, got plenty of that.  

[XTreme]

4 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

You wait an age for a bike you’re interested in to appear and get one persons take on it which is always skewed because bike journos don’t trash talk bikes. 

Not the case with Mark Williams in Bike magazine! He was a fucking legend! The only man to ever write off a Maserati in Powys, and eventually spent some time in a US Jail!

Anybody else remember him?

[boboneleg]

12 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Not the case with Mark Williams in Bike magazine! He was a fucking legend! The only man to ever write off a Maserati in Powys, and eventually spent some time in a US Jail!

Anybody else remember him?

He wrote an article in TBM about me once 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

1 minute ago, boboneleg said:

He wrote an article in TBM about me once 

Cool, let’s see it. 

[Sir Fallsalot]

2 hours ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

I prefer to talk about bikes with someone who actually knows about the bike, you know, get the info you want about the bike you want to buy. You can keep your wank bank stocked up with internet images like everyone else.

For the record most of the men I've bought bikes from are ugly old munters with tits down to their knees

What you on about I've never sold you a bike

[XTreme]

Just now, boboneleg said:

He wrote an article in TBM about me once 

Wow! Is it online?

He was the one who introduced "attitude" to motorcycle journalism.

Cos most of the other Brit publications were writing as if we were still living in the cloth cap and side valve era.

[Clive]

18 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Not the case with Mark Williams in Bike magazine! He was a fucking legend! The only man to ever write off a Maserati in Powys, and eventually spent some time in a US Jail!

Anybody else remember him?

Yep.

 

[XTreme]

1 minute ago, Clive said:

Yep.

 

And LJK Setright?

Though most of his stuff got a bit technical for me!

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

11 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Wow! Is it online?

He was the one who introduced "attitude" to motorcycle journalism.

Cos most of the other Brit publications were writing as if we were still living in the cloth cap and side valve era.

Yer and probably saying things were better in the old days

[Clive]

3 minutes ago, XTreme said:

And LJK Setright?

Though most of his stuff got a bit technical for me!

Mark Willaims talked (in print) a language I could understand.

But as you say Setright was to technical for my feeble brain.  

 I bought Bike each month for years, I had a stack of them that stood 3 feet tall, 

when we moved house i could not give them away, no interest, ended up binning them all, 

[XTreme]

1 minute ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

Yer and probably saying things were better in the old days

No......he wrote to a younger audience and was very controversial.

25 years later Dan Walsh pushed the boundaries even further!

He was a real fucking nutter!

[XTreme]

1 minute ago, Clive said:

I bought Bike each month for years, I had a stack of them that stood 3 feet tall, 

Same here! That stack was our bike search engine back then!  

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

1 minute ago, XTreme said:

No......he wrote to a younger audience and was very controversial.

25 years later Dan Walsh pushed the boundaries even further!

He was a real fucking nutter!

Fancy that. Young people not wanting to listen to old farts. Never happened before

[XTreme]

2 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

Fancy that. Young people not wanting to listen to old farts. Never happened before

I would listen to old farts (or anybody for that matter) if I felt they had knowledge and experience to pass on!

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

22 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I would listen to old farts (or anybody for that matter) if I felt they had knowledge and experience to pass on!

What you needed was good connectivity, something like the internet where you can find the resources you like

My father in-law confidently announced the internet would never catch on Now he streams all sorts of content providers and orders everything online!

[Clive]

1 minute ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

What you needed was good connectivity, something like the internet where you can find the resources you like

My father in-law confidently announced the internet would never catch on Now he streams all sorts of content providers and orders everything online!

My father in law had a huge computer, he never had the Internet in his house ,he just played Patience & MahJong on it.