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You're right there! It depends on how you define "good", of course, but my first RE - an iron-barrel - was terrible. The engine was fragile - a poor 1950s design with an electric start bodged on. Each bike sold by my dealer came with a warning about it being unsuitable for modern driving conditions, which typically involve sustained high-ish speeds. The finish on the chrome and paintwork was terrible.
The J-series is so much better it's on a different planet. Built on new, state of the art plant; a brand new engine and chassis design; and a finish as good as any, especially in the price range. You are right - they haven't always been this good.
BSA Goldstars (DB series), Velocette Thruxton, Matchless G80, Norton Manx and ES: all terrible motorcycles, especially if you buy into the BS from guys that never rode them. With the exception of the Manx I've ridden them all and in their day, which admittedly is long gone they were all outstanding bikes, as were most of the "cooking" versions from builders like Ariel, AJS, BSA etc. A nicely restored one is still a blast to ride. Even Triumph built some great singles the Tiger 80 and 90 being two of the best.So they have gone from outstanding bikes in their day to terrible motorcycles yet still a blast to ride ?!
By "modern" I assume you mean the UCE? If so, I totally agree - the automatic decompressor is probably the worst piece of inept engineering I've ever seen. It subjects the lifter to a really extreme acceleration and makes an awful noise. It is crude beyond description.Yup, UCE is what I meant. My decompressor is also long gone. The starter struggles some days but that's probably due to the battery getting tired.
I disabled mine the day after I bought it new. The UCE always starts just fine on the button, so it's quite unnecessary.* It's very easy to disable and is easily reversed should you need to take it for warranty work. You just need to put the spring in the other way round - it becomes clear when it's in front of you.
*Some people claim that the automatic decompressor protects the starter sprag clutch from damage due to the engine bouncing back off compression when you switch it off. It's true it stops the bounce back, but loads of my bikes routinely bounce back and give the starter a kick through the sprag clutch without hurting either. The reason the sprag clutches failed was because they were badly engineered and not up to the job. There is no other bike you can buy that requires a decompressor to protect the sprag clutch and starter motor.
