Restoration Project

[xbruby]

A friend of mine is due to retire in 2008 and is looking for a British single or twin as a retirement restoration project.

Have any of you guys any ideas what sort of bikes are available and what sort of price he may be expected to pay? The budget for initial purchase is £2 to £3k. Not a lot I know but the rebuild and restoration costs have also been factored into the overall budget. The only other criteria is that it must be a four stroke.

Any advice gratefully received.

Andy

[Bruce]

If your mate has about £2/3 grand to spend he should have no problems in getting a big single or twin for that amount of money in reasonable order get hold of Old Bike Mart which is a mail order monthly full of bikes for sale www.oldbikemart.co.uk.Or get some magazines from the newsagents they will have listing of bikes for sale which will give him some idea of prices and availability.In April 2008 there is the Classic Bike Show at Stafford lots of stuff for sale. Ebay has listings of course but most I have seen on there are overpriced in my opinion.Spares for most British bikes post say 1950 are easy to get hold of.Good Luck

[andy230]

hi andy

I know they're getting (what I call!) slightly daft money, but maybe he'd be able to find a featherbed Norton ES2??  Or maybe a Model 50 would buy a better bike for the same cash?  Almost 100% parts availability, (admittedly varible quality sometimes!) and pretty versatile both as a project basis and final bike.

Just a thought, but I'm biased towards Nortons!

or (from classic bike guide mag this month,) www.cotswold-classics.co.uk have a 1960 "Velo Venom Special" (tho thats perhaps ...) with 350 MAC engine (ah...!) first kick starter, runs well, bargain - only £2995

So they are there...

a

[xbruby]

Thanks Andy.

Interestingly my friends fist choice was a Velo Venom! I think he will be pleased.

Regards,

Andy

[squirrelciv]

For my money I'd get a BSA B40 or possibly B44. Nice and simple thumper but still a very useable machine. Reckon they'd be quite cheep too.

[trophydave]

For my money I'd get a BSA B40 or possibly B44. Nice and simple thumper but still a very useable machine. Reckon they'd be quite cheep too.

I don't tink that anything is cheap when it comes to Brit iron.I was given a basket case Tiger 100.Eight or nine hundred quid later it was still a basket case,just with a load of new bits-like most of the engine.In the end I swapped it with a mate for a Transalp.