airhead history could be for sale

[DrFarkoff]

Good to see that the Mods have cleaned up several posts

Well said Sid

Yes indeed I reckon a certain member managed to push another members buttons enough to make them swear openly like that

Good to have it cleaned up but sad that Yet again the person who stirred things comes out almost Lily white again ???

Perhaps we could have a "Schit that was stirred by" thread were his protagonistic, Poking, whinging, posts could be gathered to let newcomers see how much this member can annoy others??

 

[DrAlf]

The one thing that intrigues me about this story is how and who figured out that a rough '85 dakar replica bike was actually the '84 dakar winning bike in disguise. Please do share the full story, I'd love to know.

 

[AliBaba]

Check out the fairing - the '82 and '83 bikes look very different to the '84 bikes. The bike in the HPN loft must be an '82 or '83 whereas the bike in this thread is an '84 - first year of factory ride for GR.

The -84 was also used with a small fairing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mifototeca/8913607723/in/set-72157633856064501/

The -82 bike was completely different, if you compare the -83 with the loft-bike you have:
-83 decals from 83, loft-bike decals from -84
-83 black frame, loft-bike white frame (-84 had white frame)
-83 gold-front-rim, loft-bike ordinary rim (-84 had ordinary rim)
-83 front brake left side, loft-bike right side (-84 right side)
-83 speedo at gearbox, loft-bike speedo at front hub, right (-84 speedo at front hub right )
-83 smallish headlight, loft-bike biggish headlight (-84 biggish headlight)
-83 has a ventilated mudguard, loft-bike doesn't have a ventilated mudguard (-84 doesn't have a ventilated mudguard
-++

So basically I would say this is a -84 bike, unless HPN (or someone else) did major work to make a -83 Arcueil Motor bike to look like a HPN-84.

Another view:

I would say that these are the same bike.

They are, more pics in the add: http://www.unit56.co.uk/#!stock-motorcycles/c36t

 

[JPR]

I would say that these are the same bike.

Ferkin hell Trippy!
Time to change your name to Poirot.

 

[(RIP) Proff]

I've just got home from 2 days away and found this thread, thankfully it might seem after it has been modded.

My Statement on the Questions raised above

Syco's bike IS THE authentic 101.

If he wants to tell how and more importantly by WHOM, she was authenticated, he will....


I've always known the bike was "right" Gut feeling from the first day it was on ebay.
I was the underbidder...I actually, after a phonecall, dropped out the bidding....to let Syco win her..
I had been prepared to pay a lot more for 101 than Syco got her for, Syco knows that as well..
I could never have got her into her present condition and the luck of finding her original tank was amazing....
My hat has been well and truly "Doffed" to Syco....
He rode her for a few months before starting the resto, Flipfly rode her too the first Airhead "Do"

It's a wonderful piece of Airhead History, shame she is far to valuable now, to ever be used like Syco and Flipfly did

But the old lady had a damn good last Fling y

 

[(RIP) Proff]

The one thing that intrigues me about this story is how and who figured out that a rough '85 dakar replica bike was actually the '84 dakar winning bike in disguise. Please do share the full story, I'd love to know.

There is a WHOLE thread on 101.... from around 2009...

 

[MikeP]

Syco's bike IS THE authentic 101.

If he wants to tell how and more importantly by WHOM, she was authenticated, he will....

What I don't understand and TBH makes me (others too no doubt) a little dubious is this "if".

Why is it that it's not made public? If the bike is indeed what it's claimed to be, the owner (whoever that is these days) doesn't lose anything by revealing how the provenance was established. In fact, just the contrary as it will remove all doubt once and for all.

 

[Rob Farmer]

It would be nice if it was a ride-able replica. It's a nice looking beast with 101 punched into the frame and a neat fuel tank'

That fuel tank came from an advert on another forum. I put si onto it after spotting the ad.

I'm surprised that nobody has noticed the bikes an early heavy flywheel r90/6. With the smooth gearbox still in place.

The making of the bodywork, instrument panel and exhausts were well documented on a thread on this site.

 

[Steptoe]

The photo of the original owner reminded me of 2 Dakar replicas that were around in the 80's in the East London / Essex area . One had the Penthouse tank - could this have been the same bike?

I haven't looked through this thread for a long while and only just seen this post..

My friend from east london has a dakar replica same as sycos. It's been raced in both the pharoes and tunisia rally back in the late eightes early ninties.

He still has the bike

 

[Kenny]

Come on guys this is a good thread about the history of 101; so let's keep to that subject.
It is no ones business or right to ask/demand etc what Syco does or does not with his own property.
Please pm him privately if you wish to discuss where the bike currently is or how much he has sold it for.
Please do personal insults etc by pm.
If Syco wants to come on here, then fine, if not, then fine....live with it !

 

[DrFarkoff]

Aye Fair Do's Kenny We Know you have the Covert 101

And You spent ages making it look nothing like the famous desert racer it really is :beerjug (especially your washing lines)



To be honest a Nice bit of modding on the thread too!


Edit:- Ehm, Does that mean I can't say Trippys a nosey wee schite anymore??

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

i don,t think its the real deal for similar reasons posted above about race teams.

The only part that would be called original is the frame ..or the chassis , and the crankcase in the bike that crossed the line

everything else can be swopped out in seconds by a mechanic and probably have been.

its a good replica or copy though and if all the parts on it were sourced and supplied by the factory at the time then it would be a ,sister bike ..but they weren,t as far as i can read.

if a mechanic can recognise the frame by some small detail that was only on the winning bike and can prove it, then its the original.

 

[ahutcheon]

recognise the frame by some small detail that was only on the winning bike

that's no way to refer to gaston, his skill was more than a mere detail in the wins.

 

[fayeslane]

I know it's not fashionable to be nice to Kenny but............................................................well said

 

[ChasF]

Well, it seems I've been modded for expressing a sentiment that I know many on here would agree with.

There still appears to be a lot of sitting on the fence as to whether this 101 is the real one or not. If the provenance is clear then why is it such a big secret?

The original bikes (101 and 100) were BMW's sledgehammer to crack a nut solution to winning the coveted rally, with two incredible riders and a lot of good fortune on the reliability front they annihilated the opposition, so why were these two bikes not whisked away by BMW or HPN and kept in a museum?

For me the best outcome to this would be that this bike turns out to be a nice replica, sells for around £20k and the new owner enters it into historic rally's such as the rallye des pionniers

 

[Picon biere]

Interesting all this chat about Gaston Rahier as in Decembers copy of TBM there is a picture of him doing a wheelie through an African village in 1984 on an airhead carrying the number 101. His seat does not appear to show the tool pouches shown in other images.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Interesting all this chat about Gaston Rahier as in Decembers copy of TBM there is a picture of him doing a wheelie through an African village in 1984 on an airhead carrying the number 101. His seat does not appear to show the tool pouches shown in other images.

Didn't Andrew Sexton do a lot of work initially on this bike, perhaps he knows something?

Or was that another 101?

 

[Wreford Miles]

Dakar this Dakar that, big friggin deal... This baby has taken me crimbo shopping to New Bond Street on the last Saturday before Christmas - That's what you call hard core provenance

 

[Deleted account 231002001]

I completely agree Wreford and if the two bikes were sat side by side with the keys and I could have either to keep, I wouldn't hesitate in taking yours.

 

[Wreford Miles]

I completely agree Wreford and if the two bikes were sat side by side with the keys and I could have either to keep, I wouldn't hesitate in taking yours.

I appreciate the provenance of the other one may be questioned, but I would say if you had the choice and took the keys to mine it would be stupid decision

Unless of course the choice was which one to take for a blast rather than keep