pete75 wrote:
It's just a bog standard Royal Enfield Constellation 1958. 700cc, only 50bhp but that was a lot back then. The guy I bought from had done a "nut and bolt" restoration. The only thing he hadn't done was the wheel rims but I've bought a pair and will be rebuilding the wheels soon.
The horse power of classic British bikes can appear low but at least the tuning gave the engine decent torque outputs which IMHO is far more useful in real life riding experience ride feel than horses.
Japanese bikes typically have more HP, but at the expense of lower torque, higher revs and more wear and tear.
All my motorbike experience is on Japanese bikes, with the exception of a 'Hinckley' Triumph.. which understandably to many, doesn't really count as a true British bike.
But generally i by far prefer motorbikes that have an engineered low revving power characteristic such a singles or V twins,
and preferably a gear lever for the left foot
Congrats on your bike purchase, Pete