The younger brother of the Chopper, the Grifter was the cool bike of the 80's. Like the Chopper, the Grifter was a chunky, heavy, cumbersome bike that felt more like a motorbike than a bicycle.
The most innovative thing about the Grifter was the gear shift which was incorporated in to the handle grips and was controlled with a twisting motion.
Do You Remember Raleigh Grifter?
Do You Remember Raleigh Grifter?
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rickstar
on
I always semed to behind everyone else..Inever did own a grifter through it was one of those you wanted.at the time I had a chopper and my mate had the silver grifter which was always faster no never could beat him racing like we did.in those days..last week was driving down the road and seem this guy but a silver grifter into a skip.which brought it all back.so stopped and asked could I have it sure the guy said....still in good running order only thing is Iam fourty one now and theres know one one choppers to race anymore........seems Ive lost again
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70smad
on
I had a Raleigh Grifter bike in blue, found a forum about them www.thegrifterstop.com pictures of bikes on there just like I had!
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steve edwards
on
Check out the grifter forum for all your grifting memories
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steven large
on
yes i remember tht bike tht i get for xmas! but it was heavy to ride it and aslo the seat make me uncomfortable cos of foam!!! it very popular in these hey day of grifter!!!
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Naved Siddiqi
on
Still remember the day I came home and there she was... the ORIGINAL steel blue with union flag. I was the proud owner of the iconic Raleigh Grifter. My first girlfriend (loved her), not bad for 8, and being allowed to skive from the boring evening mosque class that day was a bonus. Spent several summers on my Grifter, and took real care of it. Tried all the stunts, jumps and simulated motor sounds but could never master the wheelie (it was a heavy bike). 'Slip gear' and bruised knees came as standard.
Naved
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larry4911
on
I had one in 78 or 79. I had a motorbike battery straped under the cross bar, and my Cobra 148 GTL DX across the handle bar brackets with a mag mount on top. Ah! those where the days. My jealous brother stoll it, Sold my rig and my bike to his friend.
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Coops
on
I've got millions of stories about my grifter, but, the first one I'll bore you with is managing to get 7 kids on to one bike and riding it. We got two small twins on to the padded crossbar, one standing on the nuts of the front whell leaning backwards on to the twins. One was sitting on the crossbar as a 'croggy'...the kid with the biggest legs was sat on the seat and peddling (that was Mark Johnson from the papershop, big brother of the twins on the front, Matthew and Peter), I was balancing on one side of the frame behind him along with another kid on the other side. I think that's 7.
Christ knows why I remember all that, but I do...!!
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melvin
on
i have a grifter mk 1 1979 i am 42 and 2 this day i still go on brook with it and take dog for a run i love it
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jem
on
Beautiful bike, i had the blue one which i named 'the tractor' due to its ability to plough straight through the local woodland, destroying anything in its path. Also if you bent the rubber ends of the mudguards in, it sounded like a motorbike.
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jon
on
still got a grifter, red mk1, i love it!!! hard to find parts these days but worth the time and money, remember as a kid always banging me bits on the crossbar when the yellow gear slipped! ouch!
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