What we don't need IMHO is 500 BSA Goldflashes in the condition the owner might have put them in if he'd won the pools in 1969. There are enough bikes out there for maybe one of each model year to be saved as a reference and the rest used to keep them where they belong, on the road.
Amen to that!
My thoughts exactly. I'd add that I understand the attraction of a faithful and precise restoration, but I feel that budding restorers should set themselves a higher standard when choosing a bike to restore. As has been said already, only restore if the vehicle is beyond use as it stands.
Just to counter an argument before it's made, I don't think new wheels or saddle covers, etc. look bad when mixed with original paint work and tarnished chrome.
The IRA blew up Bishopsgate and in the process nearly destroyed a beautiful little medieval church. When they rebuilt it they decided that the new stonework should be made 'as new' and not aged to match the remaining stone. The juxtapostion of the two types, one sharp-edged and clean, the other weathered and blackened, tells more of a story. In fact, if you know what you're looking at, it's quite moving.
GC
GC
