The British motor/motorcycle industry - discuss

[bump]

Problem with all British industry is the same, investment is a dirty word. If management actually invested then they could have been profitable and produced a good product, but why do that when you can have short term profits at the expense of long term sustainable growth.

It's the reason why productivity lags so far behind in this country.

 

[keithski122]

Problem with all British industry is the same, investment is a dirty word. If management actually invested then they could have been profitable and produced a good product, but why do that when you can have short term profits at the expense of long term sustainable growth.

It's the reason why productivity lags so far behind in this country.

Sounds like my workplace.

 

[oldbikedavey]

Point is, there's no point in investing in the abilities of a cowed and subservient workforce.
Optimistic, hopeful, and brave workforces are another matter entirely...

 

[redlig]

Reminds me of the late John Goodall, his face was like that all the time, unless he was talking about bikes...

Great loss. To go like that on somebody else's mishap after all his Manx experience !!!!!!

 

[redlig]

I had a Vitesse V6 briefly - Recaro seats, lovely Honda engine, top spec executive car - a long way from the Marina/Ital...

YEP Japan is a long way from the midlands Luckily !

 

[redlig]

Point is, there's no point in investing in the abilities of a cowed and subservient workforce.
Optimistic, hopeful, and brave workforces are another matter entirely...

I didn't think Red Robbo was particularly subservient but perhaps the workforce were to him.

 

[roofman]

The old vauxhall viva gearbox whine, right out the factory gates. And even louder in reverse

 

[minimutly]

The old vauxhall viva gearbox whine, right out the factory gates. And even louder in reverse

You mean you could hear it above the valve clatter?

 

[oldbikedavey]

I didn't think Red Robbo was particularly subservient but perhaps the workforce were to him.

That's the one.... standard Leninism.... of which there was a very great deal, during that time.

 

[Rannsachair]

That's the one.... standard Leninism.... of which there was a very great deal, during that time.

Not that the business owners were much better: when Dennis Poore announced the closure of Triumph at Meriden at the loss of 1700 jobs in 1973, the resulting workers sit in and takeover of the plant resulted in it keeping the factory in production to 1983. The folk I new who worked there loved their jobs at Triumph, I met that working at Triumph in Hinkley.

 

[redlig]

Not that the business owners were much better: when Dennis Poore announced the closure of Triumph at Meriden at the loss of 1700 jobs in 1973, the resulting workers sit in and takeover of the plant resulted in it keeping the factory in production to 1983. The folk I new who worked there loved their jobs at Triumph, I met that working at Triumph in Hinkley.

When the whole thing at NVT folded I had the distinction of being reported as being elevated from sales rep to senior executive and made redundant in the same line on the front page of the M.C.N. magazine. Not by name but by inference.

 

[nickk]

The old vauxhall viva gearbox whine, right out the factory gates. And even louder in reverse

Didn’t they have a crude rocker arm,pivoted on a h/t stud?
@Rannsachair ,that triumph bonneville book was an excellent read,and inspirational,I mean a co-op lasting 10 years amongst hostility.
@redlig did NVT operate independently from triumph?

 

[julianthegypsy]

Didn’t they have a crude rocker arm,pivoted on a h/t stud?
@Rannsachair ,that triumph bonneville book was an excellent read,and inspirational,I mean a co-op lasting 10 years amongst hostility.
@redlig did NVT operate independently from triumph?

As I remember, they charged them far too much money for the rights to the triumph name, which crippled them right from the start.

 

[Rannsachair]

Didn’t they have a crude rocker arm,pivoted on a h/t stud?
@Rannsachair ,that triumph bonneville book was an excellent read,and inspirational,I mean a co-op lasting 10 years amongst hostility.
@redlig did NVT operate independently from triumph?

Aye an interesting read:

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I think much of the demise was due to British industry telling customers what they wanted instead of the Japanese way of finding out what they actually wanted and making that instead. Outdated designs and a reliance on the customer being comfortable with the crap you’ve produced for 50 years and not knowing different

 

[redlig]

Didn’t they have a crude rocker arm,pivoted on a h/t stud?
@Rannsachair ,that triumph bonneville book was an excellent read,and inspirational,I mean a co-op lasting 10 years amongst hostility.
@redlig did NVT operate independently from triumph?

I really cannot remember the details of who owned who. I have a feeling it was a separate entity with Mike Jackson as head . I'm afraid I was more interested in trying to sell E/S commandoes and tridents in the face of pretty heavy press criticism and Japanese competition. And Failing!

 

[julianthegypsy]

I think much of the demise was due to British industry telling customers what they wanted instead of the Japanese way of finding out what they actually wanted and making that instead. Outdated designs and a reliance on the customer being comfortable with the crap you’ve produced for 50 years and not knowing different

Also, there were two British motorcycle newspapers, both of whom relied heavily on advertising revenue, from BSA, Norton, etc so they wouldn't ever dare say that a new model was a reworked pile of steaming dingo kidneys now would they?

 

[redlig]

Also, there were two British motorcycle newspapers, both of whom relied heavily on advertising revenue, from BSA, Norton, etc so they wouldn't ever dare say that a new model was a reworked pile of steaming dingo kidneys now would they?

That still rings true today with most "reviews" of any consumer product.

 

[redlig]

I can remember the article about the history of the ill-fated 350 Bandit /fury. The chief designer of world wide fame ( so famous I can't remember his name) was supposedly given a blank sheet to design a jap challenging m/c. The article then stated that he went to his desk and pulled out a pair of camshafts that he knew would be good. At the time I just said to myself " all down hill from that point". The japs when I worked for them would have taken a team out of the power products dept or cars etc and set them to work knowing they would produce some lemons but at least it would be new and could be sorted.. As it was the world beating 350 didn't quite make it passed an assembly line as the money tossers switched the line off. Could have been a good attempt . A friend installed a 500 Daytona motor in the rolling chassis and produced a cracking Middle weight bike. If only they had pursued the DOHC motor.

 

[roofman]

I can remember the article about the history of the ill-fated 350 Bandit /fury. The chief designer of world wide fame ( so famous I can't remember his name) was supposedly given a blank sheet to design a jap challenging m/c. The article then stated that he went to his desk and pulled out a pair of camshafts that he knew would be good. At the time I just said to myself " all down hill from that point". The japs when I worked for them would have taken a team out of the power products dept or cars etc and set them to work knowing they would produce some lemons but at least it would be new and could be sorted.. As it was the world beating 350 didn't quite make it passed an assembly line as the money tossers switched the line off. Could have been a good attempt . A friend installed a 500 Daytona motor in the rolling chassis and produced a cracking Middle weight bike. If only they had pursued the DOHC motor.

Yes the DOHC was a game changer for the demise of British bikes and even more so the 4 valve heads.