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Classics, british one off

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Post by qcnr Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:13 pm

Not that I have any spare cash at the mo, but just trawling the ads for motorbikes.
There is a certain part of me that cannot resist a classic british bike. But which?
Norton or Triumph? Triumphs are certainly more plentifull here (still single figures mind)
But Norton Commando, does have a certain ring to it. Laughing Laughing
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Post by lwt big cheese Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:16 am

Until Bill gets out of bed to reply sensibly, I would say...

The trouble is, with investments giving fuck all return, people have bought classics instead. The prices have rocketed.

This means two things. a) they're fucking expensive (!) b) Would you want to ride a bike that cost a lot and wear it out/ crash it etc?

Whilst it is always good to study a particular model, get to know all it's quirks and what to look out for, I would suggest get whatever you find that is a bargain!

For example. If you want an old British bike and, say, a Sunbeam S8 turned up at a bargain price. Why wait for a very expensive Commando to turn up?
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Post by qcnr Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:17 am

Good point well presented Very Happy
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Post by lwt big cheese Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:30 am

Commando 750 lush but to much.

Bonneville T120 are lush but still to much.

I quite fancy a Rudge!
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Post by Bill (the boss) Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:39 pm

Hello.
Dont pin yourself down to one model, but look more for a type, i.e. single cylinder tourer or sporty, twin,triple or four. Avoid exotica, like Rudges, S7/8's,cammy Velo's and Norton's.
Nice to own, but when they break down (and they do, often) parts etc are hard to find, then they need fettling to fit as each engine/gearbox was assembled by hand, so all were different.

My advice? TR7 Triumph (750 Bonny engine etc, single carb, just as fast, handle just as well, carbs wont go out of balance as there is only one and cheaper as it is a Tiger not a Bonny) Parts esy to get and reasonable prices.
850 Commando with the single SU Conversion. Mains are week so look for the SRM conversion.
BSA A10/A7 Twins. Nice steady plodders. Handle well, can be made to go fast but become fragile, can be made to look very nice.
If you want opinions on others just holler.
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Post by JSG Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:27 pm

Any more thoughts?

I would love a real classic Triumph - it is what I intended to get until I talked myself into the Hinkley T100 which is great, I just the space and cash for an older Triumph as well.
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Post by qcnr Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:54 pm

Plenty of thoughts lack of cash Neutral 
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Post by Bill (the boss) Fri Sep 13, 2013 6:17 pm

Your 'Hinckley' Triumph was made in Vietnam, never mind.

Late 70's early 80's Japs are quite good and are reliable, easy to work on and you can still get the parts.

If you insist on European and pennies have to be taken into consideration, then look at the Moto Morini 350 and 500 V twins, the smaller Moto Guzzi's (the 450 really is slow though) and the 600cc and above air cooled Beemers.
Brits? TR7 (as i mentioned above) T140 and unit BSA Twins in the lesser guises.

Avoid anything 'odd' as they may be cheap, but spares will be very hard to find, but if keeping it near original isnt a priority and you are good at modifying and twirling spanners yourself then the world is your onion Rodders.
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Post by lwt big cheese Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:59 pm

XT500. Modded and sorted.



And I know of one for sale...
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Post by Bill (the boss) Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:04 pm

I have just finished doing a XT for a customer. Cam and followers had worn through. Not available new and the only good ones we could find were in Germany and not cheap.
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Post by JSG Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:06 pm

Bill (the boss) wrote:Your 'Hinckley' Triumph was made in Vietnam, never mind.
No it wasn't.

They build them in Thailand Very Happy 
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Post by Bill (the boss) Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:25 am

Semantics now John. Doesn't matter where they are born, they still aint too bad.
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Post by JSG Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:51 am

Indeed, to clarify I referred to it as a 'Hinkley' only in terms of it being a modern Bloor Triumph, the first Hinkley Bonnies were made there before they moved production to Thailand - have to admit the build quality seems good. Smile
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Post by lwt big cheese Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:49 pm

Have they started to lacquer the wheels now, then? They used to not bother and then recommend that you wash, rinse and dry before putting to bed. Else they corroded.
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Post by JSG Sat Sep 14, 2013 10:30 pm

Just chromed as far as I can tell, you do need to keep them cleanish.
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