Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

All looking great. Let us know when you're fully up and running.

Getting some thread issues (trimming, mostly) but up to four colours at the moment. A 5-colour had too many small details. Getting there.

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That’s my cup of cupcakes

Not sure why I do it to myself but thinking of buying an old BSA B44 or similar BSA trials style bike. I'd love a Triumph but the prices are just too much. The alternative is a modern dual sport. Has anyone here owned a BSA and can tell me it's a stupid idea?

I don't commute so bikes are just for fun, which is what I keep telling myself when thinking of reliability.

Do you want to spend your time to ride it, fix it, or be afraid to ride it in case you have to fix it.

I also have the urge for older style bikes. I love the look of the twinshock trials steeds for example.

Sod having one though. Parts availability is a more important question with anything older now.

The zero-value Scorpa Easy 90’s Rotax engine bike turned out to be so difficult for parts that it’s still in pieces in a box - eventually it will be listed for someone else to use to rebuild their own.

I nearly bought a Bultaco Sherpa. They hold value for collectors. However it turned out a lot of parts are actually just someone else’s that has been broken for sale.

BSA hold that place as a classic, but nah.

Buy a modern Jap dual sport with parts readily available. You’ll not lose money on resale at the moment either.

If you like a project why not mod a bike?

I remember seeing an air cooled bonniville scrambler that had been heavily modified to give it a backdated look. Not saying you go that way, but a lot of that B44 look and vibe can be created.

I have a 1968 bsa bantam 175cc in road format. If you value originality, ie electrics from the 18th century then they are not really a bike that you can consistently wheel out of the shed after a few months of no use and ride away in - they require interaction and fettling.

If you’re happy to dump all that and fit modern electrics things are a bit easier. You are then just dealing with an old two stroke and bearings, pistons etc are available and modern 2t oils are a lot better. If you like tinkering and have dry space to do it, why not - you probably won’t lose money .
My bantam now has electric ignition and is set up with no battery lights, indicators or horn. It still is rattly, poorly braked and has a whiff of danger about it (and not the good danger).

There’s an awful lot of kit available to make bantams and triumph tiger cubs into very capable trials bikes, which also makes them desirable and pushes prices up.

http://www.progressiveclassicproducts.co.uk/

On bigger old bikes, desert sleds are a real trend at the moment also pushing prices.

Gratuitous bantam picture

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Beautiful. Would ride. Wouldn’t own.

Ha I hear you. Fortunately it is very much a holiday home toy (aiming for the golf club thread), I have a Honda c90 there if I actually want to reliably get somewhere

What about the R80 G/S as a compromise? A sort of modern dual sport but 40 years old.

According to my chum here (old Brit expert, builds them for a living.) The B44s / B50s are competent bikes and go well, the downside is they are famously fragile. Engine rebuilds are ruinously expensive. I’d have something like a Yammy DT1 instead…

If someone has an affordable 125 to sell, especially a Honda CBF125 (not CB125F), let me know!

Also, I still have that voucher for £50 off a £500 (full RRP value) order at Infinity Motorcycles - free to a good home, I won't be spending that amount of money on gear any time soon...

I was looking at BSAs and Triumphs before I bought the Matchless.

The way I saw it, Triumphs were up there with Nortons and almost Velocettes in terms of the money they commanded, from my reading they'd reward you with more reliability and obvs, more instagram points.

BSA seemed a lot more budget friendly but still far from cheap and (again from what I read, so not 1st hand experience by any means) it defintely sounded like they were a step down on the quality front. There also seemed to be a lot of totally shagged ones around, much more so than with Triumph etc.

I ended up going with the Matchless because it seemed like they, along with the likes of Ariel, AJS, Greaves, Francis Barnett etc were a bit of a less obvious choice. This meant you got more for your money. Something a bit rarer but still plenty of spares support. It probably helps that for many Matchless models there's a corresponding, virtually identical AJS so while it might seem like my G3 is pretty rare, when you put the G3s together with the model 16s there's actually a fair number of them.

It's also worth remembering that a lot of stuff back then wasn't proprietary or specific to a model or even make but was fitted to just about everything, Amal carbs, Lucas electrics, Doherty levers and so on. So far I've bought a carb, a stop/tail light, a battery, a brake lever, some grips, a fuel tap and a cork washer for the fuel cap and none of them have been specific to my bike.

As other's have said, you're unlikely to lose money. I reckon that spending £60 on a carb for my bike which got it starting and running way better than it was has probably added £500 or so to the value. It still needs the electrics and oil tightness looking at but these are jobs I can tinker away at and shouldn't cost me too much to get sorted.

I got rid of my Enfield years ago because it needed tinkering too often but at that point I needed a reliable bike to take me to work and to college and across the city to my gf's house. I no longer need a motorbike so if it spends a couple weeks out of action waiting on some part to arrive or for me to get around to doping a job on it then so what?

a couple weeks out of action waiting on some part to arrive or for me to get around to doping a job on it then so what?

Sometimes I've had a job on the radar to be done on the R80 for a few years.

This is the sort of level headed chat I need. Much to consider, I do keep checking for a CRF250 Rally on AutoTrader but there is not many about, I'm also concerned by the Enduro looks being a magnet for the local chavs.

Anyone a member of their local TRF? I'm not a fan of social club evenings... but could do with local knowledge for green lanes so wondering if it's worth it.

Currently enjoying this channel which is not helping the urge for an older bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT4EQBYxw4E

250’s held their money because how difficult 300 stock was to obtain. Beware shit suspension, and fast-corroding parts where it’s made to a price. Lots of mods out there that will improve the bike.

The Rally model is nice, but, anything with dirt tyres with be a thief magnet.

As a guest of a member I attended a few TRF meets. It’s a mixed bag.

Anyone a member of their local TRF?

I'm a member of the Cambridgeshire group and have only seen 1 ride advertised this year, and that was in Norfolk. I will not be paying to renew my subscription.

Two stroke fun! Deep pockets may be required though

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284995760097?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=TV4vA3YOTHe&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=SQaVkqSkRlC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Fwaarrrrr

I have to agree 😂😂

What worries me is that you are searching for this kind of thing. 🙂

I once made a point of visiting as many Chanel (and other high end brand) boutiques as possible when in Paris/Milan/etc.

CSB: looking is free*

*until it isn’t

I fall off the wagon too easily if I start looking too hard.

😂😂😂 it worries me too! Financing holds me back - roll on the lottery win!!!

As people have mentioned you need to keep on top of them, they don't like to sit. Our Bantam has just done a piston out of the blue annoyingly. Also due to age they ride nice but the sensation is like riding a wave which can take some getting used to, damping is very basic as you can imagine.
You would get a C15 cheap enough but these require love and time to keep them running well.
I have trailed C15s and they ride well. Power is nice and the noise is excellent. Below is a very nice one I have used in the past. I have ridden stock ones as well though.
It you want a reliable old trials bike consider getting a TY Mono or Twin. Super reliable and loads of parts. Prices are ok as well.
I always say this but if you want an older bike for minimal outlay buy and MZ TS or ETZ. Range of capacities, cheap, loads of cheap spares, Reliable, ride well etc etc etc.

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