old pommie bikes?

I have an old Ariel Red Hunter 500cc single. Being old and pommy why
is it in cc and not in cubic inches? I think some of the early
Harleys were quoted in cubic inches but everything else in cc's. eg
Norton 750 BSA bantam 125 Even the bore and stroke are given in metric
81.8 x 95 but the threads and all other measurements are all imperial
any logic to this apart from pommy logic?

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 05 Aug 2003 14:47:01 GMT

At a guess, european racing regulations.

Zebee

 

Australia (and Japan) have been metric for decades. How come my bike's got
18" wheels?
Clem

 

All English motor vehicles have from time immemorial (i.e. since before I
was sentient) been measured in metric. Never at any stage have they been
measured in cubic inches. It's the Yanks who love cubic inches. I think it's
because (shock, horror) the English didn't invent the motor car and they
used the European conventions.

The only exception was where they calculated RAC HP where they have a
formula that uses the bore in inches. But that has nothing to do with
capacity, or horsepower.

Theo

 

"Knobdoodle" wrote

The bit I like is where the tyre says something like 120/90 18. Meaning it
is 120 mm wide, 90% of 120mm high, on an 18 inch rim. A great mix of
measurements.

Theo

 

Same kind of [pommy] logic probably responsible for metric size wheels on
Jags.

Nev..
'02 CBR1100XX #2

 

You should worry, the seppos sell peg mounting clamps for the Vulcan (a
Kwaka metric cruiser) as 1.35" - now that's wierd. Everything else in
the catalogue is imperial!
http://www.kuryakyn.com/products.asp?bn=metric&ci=399

Cheers
Goaty

 

They're called "millifreedoms" now ...

-----sharks

 

Also, I particularly love "Metric Cruiser" as a description.

From now on, I shall dismiss the V-rod as "... a bit too metric
for me ..."

-----metric sharks

 

Trust the seppos to come up with it ...

well, a Porsche engine ...

Cheers
Goaty

 

Bzzzt wrong.

The only Jags ever to get metric wheels were the 88 and 89 XJ40, on which they
were fitted because they were the "new standard" (read as they were the latest
and greatest bells and whistles) - Merc and Bum Dubya got sucked in by it
briefly too. When everyone figured out it was the auto equivalent of OS/2
(technically better but insufficient support by the unwashed massess) they
ditched it

JL

 

ok there were no Jags fitted with metric wheels.

ok there were Jags fitted with metric wheels. make up your mind

And some Australian built Fords too... Fairlanes and LTDs in the late 80s.

Nev..
'02 CBR1100XX #2

 

Were they those "reinvent the radial tyre" spoke-pattern mags that Michelin were pushing? (The line was that
existing rims were designed for crossply tyres).
Fairlanes from about 1982 (XE equivalent) had them and then they disappeared.

 

were pushing? (The line was that

No these were a new tyre type that were supposed to be among other things, "run
flat", they had a metric diameter of X00 mm (500 odd I guess?) instead of 16"
or whatever. I've never owned one so I don't know that much about them, they
failed to be successful.

JL

 

I thought diameters were in cubic inches, and it was diametres which were
metric?

 

They had them in the UK in the early 70's. Denovo or something...Fitted to
Minis they were...

Arrr...

Doug Cox.
Work to ride, Ride to work...