But seriously, why not? In one of my idle moments I thought why not produce a frame kit that takes a modern single engine but also has all the mounting points of (for instance) a BSA twin?
The thinking being that it will have a modern engine, switchgear and electrics but with a whole world of body options that will fit. The closest that a modern thumper comes to this is the SR500 with tons of bits available to customise the bike to your own taste. No other Japanese single has such a large spares back-up. However, the standard BSA frame of the late 50s/60s has a whole industry devoted to clothing it, as well as a world of autojumble finds that will fit.
The problems?
Not everyone wants to recreate a britbike look.
The cost of the finished machine could be huge (how much does a refurbished chrome-sided Beezer tank cost now?).
The frame alone would cost over £1,000 and what would a finished XBR/DR/SRX engined bitsa be worth?
On the other hand, what if someone produced all the engine mounting plates and spacers required to fit an XBR engine into an Enfield Bullet chassis? I have done some rudimentary offering up of crankcases to a chassis (thanks Steffan) and it looks to be a good fit, but until I get my hands on an Enfield rolling chassis I can't do any more with this idea.
The problems?
Exhaust downpipe routing looks awkward
100mph with
that front brake?
GC
