Author Topic: The end of the line  (Read 1311 times)

JOOLZ

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The end of the line
« on: March 08, 2017, 10:20:39 AM »
I dont know if anyone is following my post about obtaining a camshaft, but its got me thinking. Unlike old British bikes where manufacturers are making reproductions of parts, and the huge old stock inventorys of various speciality motorcycle shops can keep most old bikes on the road. (our local shop Britbits has enough parts to build a few Triumps Nortons and BSA from parts)
What will become of our old Japanese motorcycles, there will be some old stock for a while, and gasket kits will no doubt be available, but some things will get scarce very quickly, will there be a day when we will finally have to put our bikes to bed for the last time

CrazyFrog

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2017, 10:29:11 AM »
I'm not so sure JOOLZ. If there's a market, people will make parts to satisfy it. I'm in my mid fifties, and have no experience of old British bikes. I'm in no way anti Brit bike, but if I was looking for an older bike to actually use then I would be looking at a Japanese bike :- the T140 / XS650 comparison is still the same today as it always was. Ie, unless you have a huge amount of time and money, a good nick XS is always going to be more reliable than a T140, IMHO.

What I'm trying to say, is that once the rapidly aging owners of classic British bikes begin to pass away, then the majority of classics on the road will probably be Japanese, and the parts industry will kick into gear to support them. You can already see it happening with some bikes like kettles and Kawa triples.....
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mthee

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2017, 12:16:25 PM »
will there be a day when we will finally have to put our bikes to bed for the last time

I was nervous about possibly taking my camshaft out, then I was cheering when Michael came up with one and now this - nobody warned me this site was going to be an emotional rollercoaster!   :'(
« Last Edit: March 08, 2017, 12:27:14 PM by mthee »
Fear of the unknown does not mean the unknown needs to be feared

timbo

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2017, 01:08:23 PM »
With both classic cars and bikes it tends to be owners clubs who keep things going. The stronger and more healthy the owners club, the more chance of having batches of parts remanufactured. Then you've the one make specialists like Hitchcock's for REs and AMC spares for Matchless and AJS.
So, we need to keep our wee forum going for that very reason, even as a knowledge base, especially for the XBR and SRX. Ideally we would have every owner of these two bikes on this forum, or at least lurking on it. Of course owners or anyone with an interest in any thumpers are welcome on here, but many already have their own forums such as XTs etc. But the club originally started mainly for XBRs and SRXs.
And then of course, there's the great engineers who can make one offs of practically anything  :)
Namaste

iansoady

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2017, 03:30:43 PM »

What I'm trying to say, is that once the rapidly aging owners of classic British bikes begin to pass away....


Oi!

I'm not ageing (note correct spelling) any faster than anyone else. I may however have the advantage of having started earlier......

Interestingly, my brother who is a mere stripling in his early 50s has just bought a Matchless G80s (despite my sage advice) and is loving it. He does however keep asking me questions......
Ian.
1964 Norton Electra
1969 BSA-Suzuki-Steib S501 (the B'Zuki)
1948 BSA C11

iansoady

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2017, 03:33:53 PM »
WRT your original question, surely camshafts etc can be built up by metal spraying etc just as can bits of old Brits?

I bet it's harder getting parts for my Sunbeam than for an XBR.
Ian.
1964 Norton Electra
1969 BSA-Suzuki-Steib S501 (the B'Zuki)
1948 BSA C11

CrazyFrog

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2017, 04:12:43 PM »

What I'm trying to say, is that once the rapidly aging owners of classic British bikes begin to pass away....


Oi!

I'm not ageing (note correct spelling) any faster than anyone else. I may however have the advantage of having started earlier......

Interestingly, my brother who is a mere stripling in his early 50s has just bought a Matchless G80s (despite my sage advice) and is loving it. He does however keep asking me questions......

Sorry Ian, no offense intended  :-[.

If I can afford a hydraulic bench when I have retired, I may be tempted by something old and British (no, I'm not talking about me, and stop sniggering at the back!). That being the case, I would proceed on the basis that the spannering is all part of the enjoyment. However, I'm afraid it's probably more likely that I'd end up with a Japanese (or German) classic, because I enjoy riding more than spannering....
2023 Honda CMC500

Ian

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2017, 08:57:29 PM »
I have restored about 16 bikes (all Japanese) including 6 SRXs. I have never really found parts hard to come by for any of the bikes that I have (re)built but I went onto Fowler`s website over the weekend to see the availability of a couple of small parts (for the latest SRX) and noticed that they have deleted ALL of the SRX parts lists. This isn't the end of the line for me as I have the relevant parts lists at home but it did make things just a tad quicker to use their online parts lists. However it does make you think and its quite coincidental that this topic was brought up at very nearly the same time. Time will tell.

Ian :)

PS I will get in touch with Fowlers this week and find out their angle on it!
1 New SRX 1 C400X 1 GB350S

johnr

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2017, 09:43:07 PM »
nothing is beyond restoration, ive got a couple of dr650s in the shed, both have had cam failures in the past, a common dr ailment caused by insufficient hardening of the cam followers, the hardening wears through and then the cam eats its way through the follower also destroying the cam. this would normally be time for a new one, but you cant get them without spending a lot of cash, so specialists will reapir the cams for a reasonable price. phil joy did both the cams on the bikes i have, he builds up the cam and its follower with stellite, then he machines it back to original specification and hardens it. he also rebuilds cams with altered timing adding lift or duration. so, if you really cant find an xbr cam, but you have one thats not xbr spec but fits the engine, then perhaps you could get it ground and rewelded to original xbr spec.  i suppose that the scarcity of spares is dependent on the number of bikes sold originally. so, you should be ok trying to get xbr bits in future, but might struggle with more niche stuff.

themoudie

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Re: The end of the line (USE IT OR LOOSE IT!) RIDE THEM! SRX
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2017, 10:15:48 AM »
Aye Ian,

I too have contacted Fowlers about their withdrawal of some of their SRX parts lists. The SRX600 (1XL) lists are still in place this morning, but the SRX400 and mono remain unavailable.  :(

However, at 10:06 this morning Mark, from Fowlers called me and re-assured me that the SRX600 parts lists were back up on the Fowlers website and that the SRX400 parts lists will be re-instated from their "Test" server within the next 2 - 3 days. It appears that a quiet, but polite message/conversation from quite a few people has been sufficient for Fowlers to take note that we are interested and likely be buying spare parts for these machines.  ;D ;D ;D

The old adage of "Use it or loose it!" seems very applicable in the current constrained climate.

A few messages of 'Thanks!' from SRX owners to Fowlers might not go amiss!  ;)

My regards, Bill
« Last Edit: March 09, 2017, 10:21:05 AM by themoudie »

Steve Lake

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2017, 10:17:27 AM »
The only 'unobtanium' srx parts I have come across (so far) .. is the kickstart lever, and petrol tank ..  probably a few more by now

themoudie

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2017, 10:29:33 AM »
Aye SteveL,

Fuel tanks for SRX600 1XL 1986-87 appear, at present, to be available on "Back Order" from Fowlers for £628.93 ex VAT or £511.52 ex VAT.

My regards, Bill

CrazyFrog

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2017, 11:11:09 AM »
Aye SteveL,

Fuel tanks for SRX600 1XL 1986-87 appear, at present, to be available on "Back Order" from Fowlers for £628.93 ex VAT or £511.52 ex VAT.

My regards, Bill

Whew, It probably wouldn't cost much more that that to get one hand made in alloy would it?
2023 Honda CMC500

xbally

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2017, 01:12:39 PM »
XBR tanks seem to be pretty rare as well now-well good ones.I found a NOS one for my last XBR but then foolishly sold the bike.The one on my acquired this week bike looks ok ish but the metal is so thin on them.........
HONDA CB250RSA ROYAL ENFIELD GUERRILLA 452

CrazyFrog

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Re: The end of the line
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2017, 02:06:01 PM »
If you think you guys have it tough, try getting hold of a tank for an MZ SilverStar. You won't, anywhere. (Unless you manage to persuade me to sell my spare one  ;))
2023 Honda CMC500