Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Vintage Royal Enfield => Topic started by: Lonely Old Dave on January 07, 2008, 05:02:00 pm

Title: Old Bikes UK
Post by: Lonely Old Dave on January 07, 2008, 05:02:00 pm
Just posting a few pics of some bikes at the British Motorcycle Museum.
Hope it works.

(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/clemo_photos/museamcaravan012.jpg)
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/clemo_photos/museamcaravan008.jpg)
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/clemo_photos/museamcaravan007.jpg)
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/clemo_photos/museamcaravan004.jpg)
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: BanditRE on January 07, 2008, 05:54:10 pm
While I was visting the Birmingham area over Christmas, I visted the museum myself. What a treat! I wish we had something like that over here. I was going to post my photos fairly soon also.

Paul
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: Leonard on January 07, 2008, 07:35:21 pm
How about you guys post a few of those in the photo gallery.  I'll forget where this string is in a couple of days.
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: BanditRE on January 08, 2008, 05:30:24 pm
Errrrrrr. I'll try. Not so smart with the posting of pictures  :P

Maybe my four year old can help............There's a bunch of them Leonard, so I'll post a link so you can see all of them, and maybe I can upload a select few to the photo gallery here.
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: t120rbullet on January 09, 2008, 05:04:28 pm
While I was visting the Birmingham area over Christmas, I visted the museum myself. What a treat! I wish we had something like that over here.
Paul

We do, in Columbus, Ohio

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/

Or just go to the VMD and sit and watch em drive by!
CJ

Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: BanditRE on January 10, 2008, 09:48:29 pm
D'Oh. Forgot about tColumbus! That's a good place too.

VMD is a place I'm always trying to get to, but never make it. One day.
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: LotusSevenMan on January 11, 2008, 11:36:55 pm
Birmingham UK Bike Museum is a superb place and it is even more remarkable when you know they had a disasterous fire a few years back that all but wiped the place out. Incredible come back and a credit to all involved with the place!!!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2028/2185700267_39e6450779.jpg)
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: BanditRE on January 12, 2008, 12:05:00 am
Birmingham UK Bike Museum is a superb place and it is even more remarkable when you know they had a disasterous fire a few years back that all but wiped the place out. Incredible come back and a credit to all involved with the place!!!

I spoke with one of the guys that works there and he told me about the fire and all the restorers that had worked on the bikes (all in a great black country accent). Amazing. Literally a few months after receiving the insurance money, they had most of the bikes back up and on show. They have a small display at the front foyer that shows a couple of the bikes that were destoyed and many other pictures of the fire. If the two example bikes are anything to go by, the restorers had a massive job ahead of them. Interestingly the guy at the museum said as time marches on, its harder and harder to get restoration done as most of the guys doing it are getting too old, and the younger folks aren't picking up the skills. If only I had that kind of talent........I could see a new business ahead for me!
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: LotusSevenMan on January 15, 2008, 11:38:45 pm
Likes lots of old 'hands on' trades I guess. Not seen as attractive enough to youngsters as the comfy, warm office IT job!!!

Here's a pic of the remains of a few bikes and is representative of a huge amount of their display items after the fire was put out with vast volumes of cold water pumped and sprayed onto the site (and hence onto the hot steel/alloys of the bikes etc.)   :'(

 Sorry for picture quality, but these remains reside behind glass panels.these days


(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2330/2195553889_629b39117d.jpg)
Title: Re: Old Bikes UK
Post by: BanditRE on January 16, 2008, 01:37:08 am
Yeah, thats the display I was talking about. How on earth you restore a bike that looks like that when it arrives at your workshop door, I don't know.