Cheers Raymond. Scotland man. I love Scotland. We go up there for our hols. Not this year though, sadly.
Hi Guys,
As the thread says I'm new here, and from the UK. Looking forward to taking part in this forum and seeing what you guys are building/doing with your XS's.
Just acquired an XS 650 - well, 270 degree rephased 750cc Street Scrambler styled bike tbh - bought from a pal in Australia (engine was built by Daryl Hutcheon in Melbourne). Had it about a month now, awaiting UK registration. The Jap Bonnie is a bike I've wanted for quite some time, being great to bobber/chop etc. When my pal was selling his I just had to ship it over here. I'm currently fitting a 7" LED headlight to it and have designed billet mount brackets that a pal of mine is currently machining up for me. Also having the seat recovered in chocolate nubuck leather and am having some new 2 into 2 304 stainless hi-rise reverse mega zorsts built to add to the scrambler look.
Other bikes? I also have a KTM 1290 R Superduke (to keep me young when out on a fast blast with the lads), a 1340 EVO Harley softail that I've customised, painted in metallic olive green with gold pearl wavey US flags and 'weathered' army stars etc. and a ground up custom built bike styled on Indian Larry's bike Grease Monkey, powered by a fairly rare 84" S&S shovelhead motor. The missus passed her bike test a couple of years back and has a Honda 500 Rebel that I've customised for her, painted it in a matte metallic olive green colur, shod it in knobbly Bates Baja's. She loves it.
Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself and to say Hi.
Hi Fred, how long since you lived in the UK?
As for the Jap Bonnie, I guess its known as that in the UK cos it was a 650 360 degree twin, like the Triumph, sort of a poor man's Triumph back.in the day. Not saying it's a poor man's anything, as i love the bikes personally, but just saying.
Manny, I apologise for getting off thread. Pete, you have very neatly encapsulated the economic choices facing most young grads in post-war Britain.
I worry about the kids setting out now into the post-Covid economy. The choices look like:
1) live at home with parents and have a bicycle
2) live in a grotty flat and eat cheap takeaways
3) live in an OK flat and starve.
I may be wrong, but I’d guess that you didn’t become a zillionaiire, Fred - but nonetheless,
I’d say...good choice mate and the UK’s loss was definitely Canada’s gain. .
Pete