Proper "Thumpers"....what's your view?

[Bill Rutter]

At Dent (and also Shepton Mallet in 2004) during a lull in both proceedings, I've been asked where all the "Proper" Thumpers were. Both gentlemen were Enfield  (of the Indian variety) riders. Panthers, Beezers and suchlike were what they were both looking for and were a bit miffed when told that the vast majority of our members were owners of Japanese machines with a few BMW's or MuZ's as well. The chap at Dent said he'd pop back later on the Friday evening but didn't (surprise)....blimey, hardly anybody was there at that time anyway! My telling him that this was a "riders" club seemed to cut no ice. The fellow at Shepton was of the opinion that modern bikes revved far to much to be considered real "Thumpers". What's your view?

[Richard 003]

The fellow at Shepton was of the opinion that modern bikes revved far to much to be considered real "Thumpers". What's your view?

I think XBRs and SRXs and so on are spiffing riders' motorcycles. In a sense, however, I have to agree with the chap. My 350 AJS made more of a proper thump than any of my Japanese "thumpers", which have all been revvy, buzzy things by comparison. I'd be wary of calling anything a thumper unless you can count the thumps at tickover ;-)

[guest18]

I'd be wary of calling anything a thumper unless you can count the thumps at tickover ;-)

In that case I've driven a few cars that could qualify as "thumpers"... sigh

[SteveL]

if it's 250cc or more, one pot and preferably 4 stroke, then as far as i'm concerned it's a thumper, don't care where or when it was made

[steveD]

.....actually Bill I recon you frightened them away when they saw your rubber band drive and told them that we were a riders club, when they saw the cammy engines, disc brakes, shiny bits and obvious reliability (they had come from all over England!) they just bottled it and didn't want to try one of our rideouts!
I agree with one thing that the last bikes that I had that were a thumper was my ES2 500cc and B31 350cc and I blew both of them up trying to keep up with my mates on smaller cc bikes, that was 20 yrs ago.
Nostalgia would make me get another one but for practicality I will stick to my Jap 'thumpers' and lets face it under hard acccceeeeleration from about 3 grand they are quite distinctive and thumperish!! (If you have a 'freebreathing exhaust)
SteveD

[squirrelciv]

I think you may have met with some thumper snobs Bill. For me it's got to be 400cc and over, single cylinder 4 stroke, but I really don't mind if anyone else has a different view. Thats part of the pub fun of riding bikes, the banter and debate over bikes.
Shame they didn't have faith in their convictions, come on the rideout and try to show us Jap over square boys a thing or two. Could of had hours of fun in the pub that night argueing the toss between the two types :-)

[Andy M]

I think you may have met with some thumper snobs Bill.

Thumper snobs would be a new one on me, but Brit bike snobs, that's another matter. At Stafford a few years back I had half a conversation with some old **** who claimed the VJMCC should change it's name to the Old Japanese Motorcycle Club because only European bikes could be vintage or classics. I think he was lucky, I wasn't staying over and so hadn't touched the ale. I think I stuck to something like "So where did you ride yours from? I heard the Japanese boys rode up". Old ****** had of course come by car.

A while back we were looking for a club motto. I think we should add "RIDING singles regardless" or something below the club logo (or maybe people will think were are one of those dodgy meet in country lane type "dating" clubs, so perhaps not).

Anyway, if it's over 250cc and only one bit goes up and down and you intend to ride it your in. Posers and polishers need not apply!

Andy

[Steve H]

You could probabaly draw a comparison between Meridan and Hinkley Triumphs. I would imagine many in the classic fraternity dont consider Hinkley Triumphs to be 'real' Triumphs.
In the end does it really matter ?. People who draw this distinction probabaly wouldnt fit in with the club ethos anyway.

[Andy M]

You could probabaly draw a comparison between Meridan and Hinkley Triumphs. I would imagine many in the classic fraternity dont consider Hinkley Triumphs to be 'real' Triumphs.
In the end does it really matter ?. People who draw this distinction probabaly wouldnt fit in with the club ethos anyway.

OMG, it's great sport though. You get some good ones if you the park the Bonneville at any "classic" do. The anoraks usually start by looking at the number plate! They then wander about looking into the nooks and crannies before it's starters orders and you strike up a conversation, which goes:

"Hi."
"You know they didn't get the alternator cover the right shape"
"Really, I hadn't noticed"
"Oh yes, the '66 120 model they are trying copy had a much flatter profile, that looks more like a '72 140"
"Should I be worried, it seems to stop any major bits falling out OK?"

You can go on all day. It amazes me that some can make "modern" sound like ****. I usually claim not to have heard of the Bonnevilles before the 2000 model!

Andy

[GB500nz]

The old farts obviously have never heard a Manx Norton. One thing I like about the GB is it sounds like that--which no Enfield does. We've got a lot of Manxen here so we get to hear 'em from time to time.

[Steffan]

 you strike up a conversation, which goes:

"Hi."
"You know they didn't get the alternator cover the right shape"
"Really, I hadn't noticed"
"Oh yes, the '66 120 model they are trying copy had a much flatter profile, that looks more like a '72 140"
"Should I be worried, it seems to stop any major bits falling out OK?"

I had that on a Skorpion at the MZriders club once. Guy comes over looks the bike up and down and comments the rear tyre was a 150/70-17 instead of the OE 160/60-17 or some such BS, oh and they can go on about fasteners too. Do I want left over DDR fastners made out of swarf because they didn't have any hard currency - I think not. The way I see it, the world is full of wankers and race, creed or bike preference is no impediment.

BTW Pat 250 and over old boy or you'll exclude the baby bullet - still a thumper. After all in classic brit terms a 500 was a "big" single.

[guest27]

Real thumper.  Mmmm Amir Khan, Mohammed Ali, my old Kempo master - now those guys can thump!

Oh bikes.  Well a thumper to me is a single, I struggle a little with the idea that a stroker would be a thumper, but it is good for winding people up - like turning up to a V-twin rally on an RGV suzuki, mind they have decided that V-twins have to be 4-strokes.  So is a SS50 or a CG125 a thumper?  Why not, maybe a bit more of a popper thyan a thumper, but there again a B31 makes more of a thwish thwish thwish sound than a thump thump thump.  Molynar Manx - not a thumper cos it revs too high?  I think not.

Mmm used to get told that bits on my Triton were "not right"!! he he he - it is by definition a mongrel of a bike.  Apparently I was not supposed to put a disk front end on it etc etc.

However - I guess the TZRotax is NOT a thumper - cos it does not run so it does not thump.  I am happy with that.

R

[002]

I'm afraid I'm of the opinion Single Cylinder Four Stroke is a Thumper....C50,CG125 Even AN250/400 et al...

But there again I'm told I'm an Inverted Snob...'cause I like and owned MZ,Jawa/CZ,Lada,Reliant and Enfield(before they were popular)

Surely it doesnt matter.

Jethro 

[Bill Rutter]

Great to read your replies folks. In my view it doesn't really matter at all. To me a CG125 is just as much a Thumper as an Enfield etc. But there was this air of snobbishness about those two chaps I mentioned. Inverted? I thought that was SteveD's parking position  ;-)

[Martin Churchill]

The old farts obviously have never heard a Manx Norton. One thing I like about the GB is it sounds like that--which no Enfield does. We've got a lot of Manxen here so we get to hear 'em from time to time.

You've obviously not heard my 612cc Bullet cafe-racer running up to 7,000rpm on the open megga, at Cadwell or Santa Pod then....