SteveXFR Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 I kind of want to try a Ric but they're way out of my price range so I can't incase I like them. It's a shame (for me) they never did a cheaper range of basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 I used to hanker after a Ric' in my prog days. Whenever I've tried one, I've always felt the string spacing tight. They definitely feel to me to be a pick player's instrument. They do some things very well and you can't argue with the looks. It's a classic design that just works visually. Being a confirmed fan of the big F, they're not for me, but to each his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 Close string spacing makes me want one even more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 I keep thinking I should get a Ric... Just one or two more should do... (Actually, picture is old and the 5-er on the end went, but then an unexpected '88 jetglo snuck in somewhere in the middle.) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH89 Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 No Ric hate from me . Still love the look , sound and general idea of them . But on the 2 occasions I have played them with a view to purchase , I just can't get on with them . Still not given up yet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 On 20/01/2023 at 23:42, mowf said: I bought a brand new 4003w. I had to take it apart to shave a bit off the foam mute; a couple of the screws are showing signs of corrosion; the printing is wearing off the jack sockets. I have never gigged this bass… so you’re probably right, but the point I’m trying to make is that the Ricky is basically rubbish and overpriced but still loved. I bought a brand new 4003W a few years back (online, from GAK IIRC); it was also very poor in terms of QC. I'd had a 4001 decades before as my first 'proper' bass, and I loved it then. This was, in the cold hard light of day, QC-poor for a £400 bass, let along the £1600 I'd just paid. For that sort of money I wasn't willing to complete the jobs which the factory should have done. It went back the next day, and for the same money I got a luthier-built bass that was perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTB Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 13 hours ago, SteveXFR said: Every single mass produced vehicle has loads of Chinese made parts and these days Chinese manufacturing is perfectly decent. Nothing wrong with Indian built bikes, the latest Royal Enfields are competing with the very best. I've got a Triumph at the moment but if I was buying new now I'd have the Royal Enfield Interceptor over a new Triumph Bonneville Well the Indian factory came out number one for oil and engine cleanliness in a recent test. The Chinese made engines had all sorts of crap inside including swarf and bits of cloth. BMW had to issue a service note due to spokes coming loose on their GS wheels and gave out a lot of replacement wheels under warranty. It was down to the spoke lock nuts not being correctly torqued up at the Chinese factory. Both my Triumphs had numerous recalls and I had to fix the wiring looms on both. I would now buy BSA or RE as you say over triumph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 7 minutes ago, DTB said: Well the Indian factory came out number one for oil and engine cleanliness in a recent test. The Chinese made engines had all sorts of crap inside including swarf and bits of cloth. BMW had to issue a service note due to spokes coming loose on their GS wheels and gave out a lot of replacement wheels under warranty. It was down to the spoke lock nuts not being correctly torqued up at the Chinese factory. Both my Triumphs had numerous recalls and I had to fix the wiring looms on both. I would now buy BSA or RE as you say over triumph. When I worked in automotive engineering we used a lot of Chinese made parts and as long as you keep on top of the QC they're fine. Give them an occasional non conformance note so they know its being checked and the quality is spot on but let it start to slip a bit and you get problems. I guess BMW and Harley didn't keep on top of their QC checks. Let's be honest, faulty wiring is part of the Triumph character. It brings back memories of British made Lucas wiring. There was a bloke on TV a while back with a Lancia and when asked whether everything worked he said If everything worked then it would be an Audi and I don't want an Audi. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 KTM, all day long. I gave up biking five years ago, still miss it, and I'd buy another LC640 tomorrow if I could think of the slightest justification for doing so. I used to love my Buell but it had more recalls than ALL the other vehicles I've ever owned, put together. It was the last S1 Lightning sold in the UK, so the last of the all-Buell bikes before Harley bought back 100% control of the company. I always associated British bikes with the unreliable oil-spreaders of the 60s, I much preferred Hondas for many years. And then I discovered KTM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 In some ways Harley have been more like Fender, massive debts and propped up by government money, buy up other brands that are doing well and could seriously diversify their product range and possibly finally turn a profit only to close the brand down for no good reason. Genz-Benz vs Buell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 5 hours ago, Happy Jack said: I always associated British bikes with the unreliable oil-spreaders of the 60s..... .....as the T shirt slogan goes; they’re not leaking oil, just marking their territory.....😉 Growing up in the glory days of the British rockers on their Truimphs, Norton’s, and BSA’s, that was always true biking for me - I’ve owned all of those (also Hondas, BMW’s and MZ’s) and for the last 30 years it’s been the same bike, a ‘72 Norton Commando 750 Roadster. Coincidentally my Ric 4001 is also a 1972! I guess both are beautiful, functional, but ultimately design dead ends (the Norton 850 was about the limit that the parallel twin engine format could be pushed to). My dream bike would indeed be a big V twin, but it would have “Vincent” on the tank, not “Harley Davidson”. 🏍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 2 minutes ago, Shaggy said: My dream bike would indeed be a big V twin, but it would have “Vincent” on the tank, not “Harley Davidson”. 🏍 And that's EXACTLY why I bought a Buell S1 Lightning. It was simply the closest thing in existence in 1996 to a Black Shadow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 Do we have time for an anecdote..? We do..? OK, then, a story from my apprentice days... A young colleague at the time was Mick Greenfield. He was a BEA Mechanics apprentice (I was Avionics...), and, during our training at Heathrow, he had access to some sophisticated machine shop equipment. He made good use of it, re-building a Vincent that he had rescued from goodness knows where. The bike was stripped, and all its mechanics overhauled, restored and made as good (or better...) than new, this over a period of over a year. At last came the Great Day; time to see if the now-complete bike would run. Mick was not really small, but rather slightly built, so, when he primed the carbs, switched on and went to kick it over, he jumped onto the kick, which budged not one bit. Everyone watching had a go, but even heavyweight George couldn't shift it. What to do..? Someone (I forget who...) had the idea of trying a running start, attaching the frame with a chain to the rear bumper of a Land Rover. Mick sat on the saddle as the Landie pulled away, and once a little speed had been built up along the airport car park, he let out the clutch. The Vincent stopped dead, and the rear bumper of the Landie was pulled clean off with a loud 'Clang'. He had to dismantle the barrels and re-bore with slightly more tolerance than the factory spec, and put it back together with lots of oil, to enable the pistons to move. It ran eventually, but it was always a sight to see Mick leap high into the air to kick it into life. All of this, of course, well before the invention of electric start; that would be cheating..! Happy daze..! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: Buell S1 Lightning. One of the best bikes I ever rode, and the M2 Cyclone, especially on twisties... Though I tested it against a Guzzi V10 Centauro with the Dr John motor which was a little less flick-ey but far more stable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 30 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said: One of the best bikes I ever rode, and the M2 Cyclone, especially on twisties... Though I tested it against a Guzzi V10 Centauro with the Dr John motor which was a little less flick-ey but far more stable! I remember the Centauro. The ugliest motorcycle ever to come out of Italy and the reviews were pretty terrible at the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted January 25, 2023 Share Posted January 25, 2023 .... welcome to motorcycle chat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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