R50 (1956) Mini mini ride report

simondippenhall

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Weather forecast for today was good so decided last night to ride down to Hayling Island (just East of Portsmouth) for fish and chips by the seaside.

Invited my mate Jim ( he of the ‘125cc through Congo and points South’ fame) and he was also attracted by the prospect of a solid lunch, if less so the idea of riding his modern BM behind my elderly one!

Fitted a Quadlock so I could use Google maps to navigate the Hampshire back lanes:
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None of your pre-testing it for me, I would just see how it worked on the day.

And the day dawned sunny. What am I saying? I slept in and the sun had been up a long time when I jumped out of bed, into my biker jeans and boots.

The sun shines on the indolent, as I wheel the old dear out of the garage, where it has been lonely since the departure of my Ktm 690 enduro to Welshboxer...
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The route was hardly challenging but the first long outing since the bike had a new head gasket
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After a successful rendezvous with Jim at Bahnstormer, we headed south. Jim agreed I would lead as 1956 design drums are a little less effective than 2015 hydraulic disk brakes.

As we bowled down the roads south, the bike ran beautifully and by revving it well in 3rd gear it would continue to accelerate in 4th. When we stopped briefly, Jim brought one interesting fact to my attention: my kilometre Speedo was underrecording by about 10%! So when I was doing a reported 110 km/h it was actually in the low 70 mph range - not a good place to be on a single carriage A road.



Soon we took to smaller, curvier and more gravelly roads though the South Downs...the older bike needs a lot more anticipation (old brakes) and corners beautifully when set up right. Earle’s forks are great but not up to telelever standards by any means.

Eventually we cross the bridge to Hayling Island, the temperature dropping 2C immédiately as the sea’s cooling effect is felt.

We get parked up close to the chipper:
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After a delicious and filling cod and chips (with mushy peas for the ever health-conscious me) we feel the need for some beach action
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The sea whilst blue and sparkling is no way warm enough to tempt us (plus we haven’t waited an hour since we ate lunch like we were told to as kids).

Complete with escort bike (more of a handful on the pebbles than the very low CoG boxer)
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Then it’s off home. No trip up the A32 is complete without stopping at Loomies (although to be fair you have to pay for tea there whereas you can get one free at Bahnstormer and hear customers’ mishaps at the same time!).
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They no doubt share this sentiment with our Att of this parish:

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I marvel at how tyre sizes have changed since 1956
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And then off home...a lovely day in the sun and a reminder to me of how much fun you can have on an old bike...it went storming along, I probably covered about 100 miles and might just have persuaded myself to hang onto the old dear. It has shown me that it would be easy enough to do a longer trip, with some panniers on the back, and the iPhone on the Quadlock gave me good navigation guidance (when the sunshine didn’t interfere). May have to put a sena on my crashlid and get the Bluetooth voice briefing which has worked well for me on the RT.

And even better, no gasket leak any more!

THE END (for today anyway)


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It was a delightful run to the coast and I was surprised at the speed and handling of the R50. It also reminded me of the beauty of the Hampshire countryside. The fish and chips were good but we needed a stroll along the coast to walk them off before heading home.

I think this RR needs a photo of the proud R50 owner.

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Cheers Drumacoon Lad and thanks for your ever cheerful company.

And wust588, thanks - I agree, it IS a lovely bike and now it starts easily every time, it is a pleasure to ride.

So maybe I need to seek out some age-appropriate panniers for a short tour....

In conclusion, couldn't resist posting this technology contrast: 1956 pushrod ic engine Vs my friend Simon's Tesla
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Such a beautiful bike - I really enjoy the thought of these bikes still out there on the road, putting smiles on faces. Fantastic.
 
Or you could try the Japanese one

Seen at CMC a week ago
 

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Interesting...not sure Tommac about that tank.

May have found an in-house solution to the pannier question. Perhaps the camel hide Gladstone bag that I bought in the souk in the early stages of my London to Capetown ride? It has been used to carry jerrycans of petrol through Mauritania so is no stranger to motorcycle duties!

Prefer this to the space-age Enduro panniers I have found on line...but I appreciate that tastes differ
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I actually thought this was an R50 copy when I saw it but it isn’t. It is a Marusho Lilac but the similarity to an R50 is amazing. See this link
http://www.marusholilac.com/ml5.htm

Here are some more pics
 

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Fascinating!

From your link:

“The ST ('Sport Touring') was a stylish, well-proportioned and sporty bike very much like the LS-38/MF-39. The engine appeared to be an exact copy of the BMW but, in fact, only some internal parts were interchangeable. Lilac was careful not to infringe on BMW patents, used entirely different ignition and electrical systems and used their own style of transmission and clutch, developed over 14 years of building shaft drives. While they may have been ridiculed for copying a western style, other companies, notably BIM and DSK, had copied the entire BMW motorcycle. It was traditional in Japan to emulate the masters, and the masters were the Europeans.”




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And on the pannier front, if I don’t use my ‘Gladstone bag’ solution there are some increasingly costly purchased options to consider:
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Or the classic British Craven models:
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Or the seemingly popular Enduro panniers (the streamlining is OTT for me I think):
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All comments and suggestions welcome


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Go with the horsehair Gladstone bag......
 
That's a lovely bike Simon and great to see you enjoying it :thumb
 
Short but sweet ride & write-up :thumb

Isn't there something in the bible about "thou shalt not covet thy fellow Tossers' motorcycle"?
I'm afraid I've sinned & continue to sin, ever since I first saw it
Keep 'er lit Simon :beerjug:
 


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