Riding a classic British bike in mountains makes a lot of sense as no matter where it breaks down you can coast to somewhere…. I owned 2 BSAs, a Triumph and Norton with only the latter being something you could ALMOST trust. But you know, I loved them all…. For me they NOW serve the same purpose as my high maintenance girl friends, something exciting and painful to take me back to my youth…
I spent SO much time at the side of the road, with a 73 750 Tiger, and a 74 850 Norton. The main difference was I always fixed the Triumph and got home, the Norton, well, yeah. Terminal. It exploded the ignition rotor in Westport on Hiway 1 CA, destroyed the stator and the whole primary drive. Shrapnel for days. I had to ride home on the back of a 900 Ducati which was terrifying. But the Norton had already broken down 3 other times at least on the same trip. Insane to think it would make it from Chico CA to coast and back. Ludicrous really. The Triumph we had the wiring harness mostly out and on the ground, cutting it open to find dead wires and try to separate melted wires...So much fun! Then one of the points pads fell off. Came home on one cylinder . If the Triumph didnt start 2nd kick, you had problems for sure. I was at the Gilroy Garlic festival, triumph was running rough, we flipped the seat up and everything was sparking, cracks in coils, cracks in condenser mounts, plug wires were sparking............looked like a lit up flea circus of sorts. A friend drafted me on his CBX and his whole bike became splattered with oil flying off the Triumph. These old brit bikes are SO cool, nothing like em.
Tioga Pass on the way back to Atlanta in 2014 on my 71 Thunderbolt. Beezer did fine at 9500 feet. Your bike sounds great! 15:15 It Idles! +1 the AHRMA sticker on the helmet!
I think this is your best video yet. Your enthusiasm is contagious! The A65 is a very reliable motor, but everybody thinks the Spitfire model is going to grenade itself any second. Must have been one heckuva winter with all that snow still on the ground . Thank you for sharing with us your corner of the world. Good Lord willing I’ll get out there one of these days on an old bike.
Ive ridden Ebbetts ,Monitor, Carson, Luther, maybe one other pass up there, twice, all on road bicycle. Markleyville Death Ride. Last time was 135 miles, 17,400' of climbing. Downhills are really fun!
Great video, Bill! When I think California, I don’t think ice on the lakes and snow on the ground in May! And I live in Maine, which one would perceive to be a much colder climate!
You are living the life Bill! Great road for the Spitfire. Yeah, don't pass a gas station w/ the 2 gallon tank. Last, the A65's are pretty reliable if you take care of them. I wonder if any of the motorcyclists you passed noticed you were riding a '67 Spitfire?
Yes! You get it! As it turns out- those riders are part of the local Thursday-morning motorcycle coffee meetup and they messaged me after seeing the video 😆 So fun!
Bill, I had a ‘68 Mk IV Spitfire that looked just like your bike. Not sure what the difference is between a Mk III and Mk. IV but they sure looked alike. Thanks for taking me back to my youth. :-) Guess I should order a Spitfire shirt.
‘68 had concentric carbs. ‘67 had GP carbs, I believe. Former’68 owner. Take care. I’ll have to edit this because this guys bike has the concentric carbs. Also the ‘68 bikes had double leading shoe front brakes, and this bike seems to have single leading shoe front brakes. A good carb swap for these bikes are a pair of 450 Honda carbs. Thanks for the videos.
Our Double Zero MC had a tour of the BSA factory around that time 1966/67. Our club house was only a couple of miles away and we would get the testers popping in for a Coffee. Fabulous scenery, great ride. Petrol here is = $8.14 a gallon.
Having been a BSA rider beginning in March '70, and lasting til late in the decade, I could not be more envious. I've been away from the Brit bikes for several decades now but even when carrying on on my Blackbird, I still think of myself as a BSA guy. I could not be more envious.
Loved it, what a great ride. Bike sounded good at 8000 ft so perhaps is a bit lean at lower altitude, try one notch up on the needle as a start. Would have been good to pull the plugs at the top but one hour to sunset and 1960's electrics, best head home fast😀
Saturday morning…cup of coffee, and your excellent video. Mountain roads are by far my favorite to ride. Beautiful scenery. 67 BSA…..all good. The $6.00 a gallon gas kinda threw me. Mercy…. Thanks for the great video.
Hi Bill, I just finished watching the Ebbetts Pass on the ‘67 Spitfire episode. EPIC! What beautiful roads, breathtaking scenery, and all on a bike that quite frankly amazed me. As always THANK YOU for taking us along. The production quality of your videos never ceases to amaze me. I’ll be ordering one of your great looking Summer T-shirts soon.
Absolutely beautiful!! I was born in a bar in Shingletown, Ca and have always wanted to go back and see the area on two wheels. Thanks for the tour!! If you're ever in the Durango Colorado area I'd love to show you one of the most beautiful loop drives in the US. Once again, really appreciate you and your great videos!
Just so you know what a badass this guy is, before he did this video he woke up with the sun, loose herded 150 goats and broke down like a half mile of fencing. Bill is the man.
viaje durante 5 años en una Vespa Piaggio italiana p150x 1978, 2t, viaje por todo mi país y también cruce las fronteras de mi país hasta las ciudades vecinas como Formosa en lado argentina, y foz en lado brasileño, soy de Asunción capital de paraguay, luego de que los mecánicos aquí comenzaron a cobrar cada vez mas sumas exhobitantes y la falta de repuestos , comencé a viajar en motos carburadas de 4 tiempos y allí me di cuenta que era más barato, viajo en una 150cc 4t, año 2020, y para uso diario tengo una honda cg 110cc mod: 2021 también carburada y creeme que entiendo la sensación de viajar en motos antiguas es simplemente una sensación única. sigo tu canal gracias a que vi tu cuenta de Instagram, espero algún día poder rodar por esos lugares de estados unidos y conocer la cultura motociclista de estados unidos, su cultura, su gente y todo lo que rodea el fascinante mundo de las motos en ese país, un abrazo, saludos desde Paraguay ✌️😎🤘
I raced MX from 1968 to 1973, worked at motorcycle shops, etc., (In the Sacramento area), and also grew up hunting and fishing. I used to rebuild BSAs. I happen also to be a high-altitude backpacker. I am glad some areas are wildernesses and restricted to primitive means of travel only. If you've never done it, then you won't get it but don't criticize things you don't really know about. It's an art and a very challenging physical adventure that puts you to the test. Not so much from dope-smoking hippies, that you can find more often on motorcycles. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from Mexico to Canada and on into Alaska. It is the ultimate journey. Such stuff is on another level from shouting wahoo!, while zipping through on a motorcycle or digging trenches on a dirt trail.
Thanks for commenting! Just poking a bit of fun but I know you know that. 100% supporter of sacred wilderness areas with no motors. Backpacking fan too👍
Riding a classic British bike in mountains makes a lot of sense as no matter where it breaks down you can coast to somewhere…. I owned 2 BSAs, a Triumph and Norton with only the latter being something you could ALMOST trust. But you know, I loved them all…. For me they NOW serve the same purpose as my high maintenance girl friends, something exciting and painful to take me back to my youth…
I spent SO much time at the side of the road, with a 73 750 Tiger, and a 74 850 Norton.
The main difference was I always fixed the Triumph and got home, the Norton, well, yeah. Terminal.
It exploded the ignition rotor in Westport on Hiway 1 CA, destroyed the stator and the whole primary drive.
Shrapnel for days. I had to ride home on the back of a 900 Ducati which was terrifying.
But the Norton had already broken down 3 other times at least on the same trip. Insane to think it would make it from Chico CA to coast and back. Ludicrous really. The Triumph we had the wiring harness mostly out and on the ground, cutting it open to find dead wires and try to separate melted wires...So much fun! Then one of the points pads fell off.
Came home on one cylinder . If the Triumph didnt start 2nd kick, you had problems for sure.
I was at the Gilroy Garlic festival, triumph was running rough, we flipped the seat up and everything was sparking, cracks in coils, cracks in condenser mounts, plug wires were sparking............looked like a lit up flea circus of sorts.
A friend drafted me on his CBX and his whole bike became splattered with oil flying off the Triumph.
These old brit bikes are SO cool, nothing like em.
Haha. Great comment here! Thank you
Found a 67 BSA mk3 restored near me. I may buy this one its nice.
There is a local(500 miles away) to me on marketplace too !
Grab it
Great bike. Great scenery. Great ending! Cheers back at ya’!🍻
Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers!
Tioga Pass on the way back to Atlanta in 2014 on my 71 Thunderbolt. Beezer did fine at 9500 feet. Your bike sounds great!
15:15 It Idles!
+1 the AHRMA sticker on the helmet!
I think this is your best video yet. Your enthusiasm is contagious! The A65 is a very reliable motor, but everybody thinks the Spitfire model is going to grenade itself any second.
Must have been one heckuva winter with all that snow still on the ground . Thank you for sharing with us your corner of the world. Good Lord willing I’ll get out there one of these days on an old bike.
Thank you so much for your kind words and continued support on this channel 🙏🙏
Wow beautiful! Love that road . Great ride . Makes me want to ride again.!
Thanks for watching Marcos!
Ive ridden Ebbetts ,Monitor, Carson, Luther, maybe one other pass up there, twice, all on road bicycle.
Markleyville Death Ride. Last time was 135 miles, 17,400' of climbing.
Downhills are really fun!
Hats off to you my friend!
Love hwy4. Back in the 90's I rode a Goldwing up there. Beautiful area. Would have much rather been on that BSA though!
Right on!
I almost spit out my coffee laughing at the comment about the hippies on the Pacific Crest Trail! 😅 Great video!
🤣🤣🤣 Glad it made you laugh!
i'm putting this on annual repeat to play in the dark winter months; glorious roads, thank you.
Haha That’s awesome!
Absolutely love seeing (and hearing) the old BSA getting some exercise!
Great video, Bill! When I think California, I don’t think ice on the lakes and snow on the ground in May! And I live in Maine, which one would perceive to be a much colder climate!
Makes sense! These mountain passes definitely have their own microclimates. Thanks for tuning in!
Great video. My 64 Lightning Rocket runs best at 3500 rpm, and averages about 35 mpg.
You are living the life Bill! Great road for the Spitfire. Yeah, don't pass a gas station w/ the 2 gallon tank. Last, the A65's are pretty reliable if you take care of them.
I wonder if any of the motorcyclists you passed noticed you were riding a '67 Spitfire?
Yes! You get it! As it turns out- those riders are part of the local Thursday-morning motorcycle coffee meetup and they messaged me after seeing the video 😆 So fun!
You have the correct way to ride old British motorcycles down. Gentle and EZ!! Just make sure to check the oil often.
Indeed! Thank you!
Beautiful ride.
The sound of a push rod engine is so much nicer than the whirring came chain overhead cam engines to me.
No mirrors?
Bill, I had a ‘68 Mk IV Spitfire that looked just like your bike. Not sure what the difference is between a Mk III and Mk. IV but they sure looked alike. Thanks for taking me back to my youth. :-) Guess I should order a Spitfire shirt.
‘68 had concentric carbs. ‘67 had GP carbs, I believe. Former’68 owner. Take care. I’ll have to edit this because this guys bike has the concentric carbs. Also the ‘68 bikes had double leading shoe front brakes, and this bike seems to have single leading shoe front brakes. A good carb swap for these bikes are a pair of 450 Honda carbs. Thanks for the videos.
Great sounds, great country. Love your enthusiasm👍
Thanks for the kind words!
Our Double Zero MC had a tour of the BSA factory around that time 1966/67. Our club house was only a couple of miles away and we would get the testers popping in for a Coffee. Fabulous scenery, great ride. Petrol here is = $8.14 a gallon.
That’s amazing! Wish I could’ve seen that!
Thank you for sharing such a awesome ride!Great content!
My pleasure! Appreciate you watching!
Having been a BSA rider beginning in March '70, and lasting til late in the decade, I could not be more envious.
I've been away from the Brit bikes for several decades now but even when carrying on on my Blackbird, I still think of myself as a BSA guy.
I could not be more envious.
Really quite valve train!
Loved it, what a great ride. Bike sounded good at 8000 ft so perhaps is a bit lean at lower altitude, try one notch up on the needle as a start. Would have been good to pull the plugs at the top but one hour to sunset and 1960's electrics, best head home fast😀
Brilliant video, great ride and great scenery. Envious. John
Many thanks!
Saturday morning…cup of coffee, and your excellent video.
Mountain roads are by far my favorite to ride.
Beautiful scenery.
67 BSA…..all good.
The $6.00 a gallon gas kinda threw me.
Mercy….
Thanks for the great video.
Thanks for tuning in!!
You are great with this machine geestigs from Holland
Thank you so much!
Loved this video! I didn’t want it to end. But it ended well!
Really appreciate you watching and so glad you enjoyed it.
Great video Billy! And Autumn steals the final shot!
Haha! Thanks Allen!
Marvellous! Love that bike - and what a sound, even just ticking over....
Hi Bill,
I just finished watching the Ebbetts Pass on the ‘67 Spitfire episode. EPIC! What beautiful roads, breathtaking scenery, and all on a bike that quite frankly amazed me. As always THANK YOU for taking us along. The production quality of your videos never ceases to amaze me. I’ll be ordering one of your great looking Summer T-shirts soon.
Always appreciate your support Al! Making these videos is my pleasure!
Absolutely love it! 😎👍🏻
Absolutely beautiful!! I was born in a bar in Shingletown, Ca and have always wanted to go back and see the area on two wheels. Thanks for the tour!! If you're ever in the Durango Colorado area I'd love to show you one of the most beautiful loop drives in the US. Once again, really appreciate you and your great videos!
Bill take him up on his offer. Durango to Ouray is breathtaking.
I live in Chico Nor Cal and have been riding nor cal backroads for a very long time, always finding new ones.
I would love that! Thank you!
EPIC!! Thanks for the ride along!👀👍
Any time! Thanks for watching!
@@wheelhousegarage What really cool Bill is that I got a history lesson plus a geography lesson with a twist of bitchin Moto motivation! AWESOME! 👍
Great to ride with you Bill. Commentary was excellent. You were in the moment. Nick the brit.
Cool Bike...Cool Scene
Thanks!
Great stuff as usual Bill! Thanks for sharing and God Bless you and the family.
Fantastic, what a place to ride a classic bike.
Beautiful ride man. One day I’ll try it. 👊
Just so you know what a badass this guy is, before he did this video he woke up with the sun, loose herded 150 goats and broke down like a half mile of fencing. Bill is the man.
Now to be honest he probably just had a grande latte...
Love the bike love the ride and I love the summer shirt. I just ordered one. Thanks.!
You’re amazing! Thank you!!
That 2 lane section is very similar to what I ride my 67 Lightning on everyday, minus the snow now.
Sweet!
Let us know when you’re gonna pull this stuff again. Maybe some fans can come with
Hermosa moto que paisje saludos Rafa de mardel plata Argentina
Gracias Rafa!
viaje durante 5 años en una Vespa Piaggio italiana p150x 1978, 2t, viaje por todo mi país y también cruce las fronteras de mi país hasta las ciudades vecinas como Formosa en lado argentina, y foz en lado brasileño, soy de Asunción capital de paraguay, luego de que los mecánicos aquí comenzaron a cobrar cada vez mas sumas exhobitantes y la falta de repuestos , comencé a viajar en motos carburadas de 4 tiempos y allí me di cuenta que era más barato, viajo en una 150cc 4t, año 2020, y para uso diario tengo una honda cg 110cc mod: 2021 también carburada y creeme que entiendo la sensación de viajar en motos antiguas es simplemente una sensación única. sigo tu canal gracias a que vi tu cuenta de Instagram, espero algún día poder rodar por esos lugares de estados unidos y conocer la cultura motociclista de estados unidos, su cultura, su gente y todo lo que rodea el fascinante mundo de las motos en ese país, un abrazo, saludos desde Paraguay ✌️😎🤘
great video!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
Cool man .
All my British bikes sensitive to altitude expressly the twin carb models
I was under the impression that modern gas ate up fiberglass tanks. Is that a fiberglass tank?
It is but I sealed it with Caswell epoxy tank sealer. It’s in a previous video if you want to to go back and watch the process 👍
Wow
Great bike!
For some reason I’m only getting audio from the left?
I raced MX from 1968 to 1973, worked at motorcycle shops, etc., (In the Sacramento area), and also grew up hunting and fishing. I used to rebuild BSAs. I happen also to be a high-altitude backpacker. I am glad some areas are wildernesses and restricted to primitive means of travel only. If you've never done it, then you won't get it but don't criticize things you don't really know about. It's an art and a very challenging physical adventure that puts you to the test. Not so much from dope-smoking hippies, that you can find more often on motorcycles. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from Mexico to Canada and on into Alaska. It is the ultimate journey. Such stuff is on another level from shouting wahoo!, while zipping through on a motorcycle or digging trenches on a dirt trail.
Thanks for commenting! Just poking a bit of fun but I know you know that. 100% supporter of sacred wilderness areas with no motors. Backpacking fan too👍
GGGrrrreat!😅
Hey, Arnold boy here.
Nice!
Where do you get your tyres from. I can't find off-road vintage tyres for my BSA. 20" front
So: carburetor, altitude. What's the routine?
Great ride Bill. Your face must have been freezing when you got home.
Did the altitude affect the engine?
Haha! So cold. I could feel power loss for sure but the elevation didn’t cause any irregular running👍
What gloves are those?
Iron and Resin Buffalo skin - I'm not sure that they make them anymore
Between the lovely ride and the ladies' underwear ads, pretty good vid! 🤣
Haha. Wonder which is better 🤣
BSA going deep here: ruclips.net/video/FoamQteS0hE/видео.html
This isnt for a former Alcoholic