Wilf Green Ltd, Halfway

[euclid 10]

After the demise of British bikes the only decent bike I had was an MZ, I did try one Japanese bike but thought it was rubbish, built out of monkey metal and no fun to ride.

 

That's what most of us thought in the 60's.."Jap scrap"...The trouble with the British motorcycle industry was it thought/knew it had a good product and "rested on their laurels ", complacency set in and no-one tried to improve what everyone thought was a good bike.I myself at the time would only buy/owned..BSA,Norton,Triumph,Triton,Matchless,AJS,one of my mates had a Honda Benly which always seemed to be broke down.On the other hand the Asian bike industry did improve,and when they had a good product they still kept on improving it. Now, Japanese bikes are known for reliability/good build quality..especially Honda.Anyone who owned a British bike in the 60's will probably remember screws/nuts/bolts/etc vibrating loose and the puddles of oil underneath.I now own two Jap bikes...both are/were built in America tho'..a 1500cc Honda Goldwing with a superbly smooth six cylinder engine... which are well documented for achieving 250,000 miles +...it's 26 years old and still in excellent condition and runs like a dream,never had a problem in the 5 years I have owned it,just regular servicing once a year by myself,the other is a very quick ( 0-60 @ 3.5 secs) Honda VTX 1800cc V-Twin again completely reliable,of very good build quality and a lot of fun to ride.The new Triumphs are also excellent in quality,but they still look the same as they did nearly 50 years ago.It must be a long time since you rode a bike "Boginspro".

 

 

 

Bought my Rocket Gold Star from Wilf Green about 1968.

I had one of those too,fitted it with a Taylor Dow tuned rocket engine with twin TT Carbs on a splayed head and central spark plugs bought from Pollards/Dinnington for £35..with I still had that too

[Boginspro 10]

That's what most of us thought in the 60's.."Jap scrap"...The trouble with the British motorcycle industry was it thought/knew it had a good product and "rested on their laurels ", complacency set in and no-one tried to improve what everyone thought was a good bike.I myself at the time would only buy/owned..BSA,Norton,Triumph,Triton,Matchless,AJS,one of my mates had a Honda Benly which always seemed to be broke down.On the other hand the Asian bike industry did improve,and when they had a good product they still kept on improving it. Now, Japanese bikes are known for reliability/good build quality..especially Honda.Anyone who owned a British bike in the 60's will probably remember screws/nuts/bolts/etc vibrating loose and the puddles of oil underneath.I now own two Jap bikes...both are/were built in America tho'..a 1500cc Honda Goldwing with a superbly smooth six cylinder engine... which are well documented for achieving 250,000 miles +...it's 26 years old and still in excellent condition and runs like a dream,never had a problem in the 5 years I have owned it,just regular servicing once a year by myself,the other is a very quick ( 0-60 @ 3.5 secs) Honda VTX 1800cc V-Twin again completely reliable,of very good build quality and a lot of fun to ride.The new Triumphs are also excellent in quality,but they still look the same as they did nearly 50 years ago.It must be a long time since you rode a bike "Boginspro".

 

 

Yes it's a while since I had my own bike though I have had brief rides in recent years but not on Japanese bikes. I was brought up on OEC, Ariel, Francis Barnett and BSA. I just love the simplicity of the old engines and I suppose I am just to old to change my ways now.

I forgot to mention I did ride a Montesa trials bike for some years and had great fun with that.

I still use British Seagull outboard motors now but do have a Honda 9.9 which I have now got use to and rather like.

[Downsunder 10]

Sounds like our lives took similar paths Euclid, I had all the popular makes of British bikes and when they became scarce out here I found myself buying Japanese, notably a shaft drive Yamaha XJ 650 and a Honda VFR 750F. What you say is totally right but now I'm retired and have no need for speed and don't have to do 120 km round trip every day for work, the only bike I crave now is an Enfield Bullet. After a lifetime of riding bikes the only one that still sends a shiver down my spine is the big British single and for someone in my situation, the Enfield is my only option. Yes, I'm stuck in a timewarp and ruled by nostalgia and it's a wonderful feeling.

[ivan edake 13]

Wilf was a great bloke, he knew more about motorbikes than anyone I have ever known. I used his shop on Abbeydale Road all the time in the 60's. I remember him diagnosing engine problems by listening from the upstairs parts department window and he was always right. They delivered bikes on a sidecar outfit, flat platform, I think it was the same one used for his grass track bikes.

When he imported MZ's he had a place on Queens Road.

Here is a link to a picture of that one.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;u06968&prevUrl=

Absolutely right,I used Wilfs in the 60s because he was the fairest bloke of all the dealers.I regularly dealt with his son Arthur and it was tragic when he was killed grass tracking.

[euclid 10]

now I'm retired and have no need for speed and don't have to do 120 km round trip every day for work, Yes, I'm stuck in a timewarp and ruled by nostalgia

I took up m/cycling again when I retired (at 60) just over 7 years ago after a 35 year break.Like most, marriage and family took over and became the priority and I had no,or very little time to do anything else but work to earn a living.The first bike I bought to get back into biking was a Honda VT600,then a Honda VT750,a GL1200 Goldwing, and the two which I still have GL1500/VTX 1800.Although quite large in size both are very easy and well balanced bikes to ride,plus a low seat height so you can put both feet flat on the floor for stability when stood.Stay safe,keep on riding.. :D

 

 

. I was brought up on OEC, Ariel, Francis Barnett and BSA. I just love the simplicity of the old engines and I suppose I am just to old to change my ways now.

I forgot to mention I did ride a Montesa trials bike for some years and had great fun with that.

I still use British Seagull outboard motors now but do have a Honda 9.9 which I have now got use to and rather like.

Sounds like you liked your two stroke engines quite a lot...PS,there's not a lot of call for outboard motors where I live on the outskirts of Sheffield...unless I nip down to the Rother Valley....stay safe...:D

[bigal123456 10]

had a royal enfield crusader sport 250cc from wilf greens RCX 900,then started courting and traded it for a 650cc gold flash with a hillsbo sidecar........early 1960 when on abbeydale rd

Edited January 2, 2016 by bigal123456

[Boginspro 10]

Thanks for the link Downsunder, that's a good one.

 

I too got a Gold Flash outfit when I got married bigal123456 but before that sidecars went on and of my Ariel VB side valves, I loved sidecar outfits and did less damage to myself than when on solos.

[bullerboY 10]

Ivan Edake,I have a picture of Wilf and his son Arthur when Arthur was a young boy with a little bike Wilf had built him.This photo hung in Wilfs shop until he closed down,me and my wife were good friends of Wilf,his other son Martin and daughter Mary are still around.

 

---------- Post added 02-01-2016 at 21:14 ----------

 

I have been riding bikes since 1958 without a break,I am now 74 and current bikes are a Harley 1450 softail,a BMW R1100s and a BMW R80 just summer riding for me and my wife now though.Ive lost count of the bikes ive had now.

[euclid 10]

I have been riding bikes since 1958 without a break,I am now 74 and current bikes are a Harley 1450 softail,a BMW R1100s and a BMW R80 just summer riding for me and my wife now though.Ive lost count of the bikes ive had now.

 

I think that's brilliant "bullerboY",far too many people imagine/think as you get older you just sit in front of the telly vegetating. I often call at "Willingham Woods" when I nip over to the east coast for a run out and the amount of retired people riding bikes is amazing,one fellow I spoke to from Sleaford had been riding since the early 50's...he looked younger than me ..stay safe,keep the shiny side up bullerboY

:cool:

[Shogun 10]

Martin Wilfs late son was good a friend of mine I went to school with him,we were biker mates, Wilf was a cantankerous old sod but was a font of information when it came to british motorcycles,wilf went on to MZ motorcycles mainly because he really disliked Japanese motorcycles,sadly missed by the motorcycle world Wilf and Martin...

 

Just to add a bit to this about Martin the last time I saw Martin must be 30 years or more ago just after he had had a real bad accident he was in a bad way at the time,and I had been told from a biker friends that he had passed away some time ago,I did not know a lot about Arthur his brother but I knew he had been killed grass tracking,I tried to find out about Martin a few times in the past to no avail then some say he is still around.it would be nice to find out...

Edited January 3, 2016 by Shogun

[suzyoo 11]

Martin Wilfs late son was good a friend of mine I went to school with him,we were biker mates, Wilf was a cantankerous old sod but was a font of information when it came to british motorcycles,wilf went on to MZ motorcycles mainly because he really disliked Japanese motorcycles,sadly missed by the motorcycle world Wilf and Martin...

 

Just to add a bit to this about Martin the last time I saw Martin must be 30 years or more ago just after he had had a real bad accident he was in a bad way at the time,and I had been told from a biker friends that he had passed away some time ago,I did not know a lot about Arthur his brother but I knew he had been killed grass tracking,I tried to find out about Martin a few times in the past to avail then some say he is still around.it would be nice to find out...

 

I too went to school with martin, I also heard he had passed away.

[bullerboY 10]

the last i had heard about Martin is that he had moved back to Sheffield after living away for some time that was about 4yrs ago.

 

---------- Post added 03-01-2016 at 15:26 ----------

 

Thanks Euclid,we often go to Willingham Woods and go to Squires as well my mate at SMC thought i had been hit over the head with a shovel when he saw that we had bought two top of the range helmets and i told him that we were

going to wear them out. ahaha.