Vintage British motorcycle restoration

[B737doc]

    Love restoring them (BSA, Norton, Triumph).  Do it for myself and others.  Let me know if ya have one!!!

 

[Roy M]

Are you a masochist? ;D After severely flooding a Triumph Bonneville, I was operating the choke incorrectly, I almost took out a parked car when I attempted to brake and shifted up. Everything is bassackwards on Brit bikes and we won't go into Lucas and his infernal electrics.

 

[Tom]

Rode BSA and Triumph in my youth. My last Britbike was a Velocette Viper (500cc single cylinder with fishtail silencer/muffler). The standard 'road bike' was made to take directly to the track. This was the last family-owned motorcycle manufacturer in the UK. Electrics were Miller, not Lucas.

 

[Oldgator73]

I like British bikes but cannot get used to the right hand drive.

 

[kdbgoat]

Lucas- Prince of Darkness.  ;D

 

[B737doc]

  My 2005 Triumph "America" is left side shift, and the 1972 was a right side shift.  You learn pretty fast which one your on! 

 

[TonyDtorch]

I owned and operated a Vintage British motorcycle shop named Classic Cycles Inc. here in so. Cal. 

Worked on Triumphs, Nortons, BSA, Vincent, Matchless/AJS, Velo. Greeves and just about every other British bike.

Sold it all off and retired after almost 50 years of motorcycles.

Whitworth wrenches are getting pretty rare.  Here's some pics of the shop ..

 

[john owens]

In my teens we loved bikes. Best friends older brother was in the Navy. We had access to a BSA 441 single barrel monster! Took a man of steel to kick that thing over..I couldn't do it. We had many a fun ride on that chugger. Fastest speed was 82 mph with both of us on it...ahh the good ol days!!

 

[Tom]

Whitworth wrenches are getting pretty rare.

Sold my Whitworth wrenches in 1980.

 

[TonyDtorch]

and Lucas electrical can be made to work well, the Lucas components were fine, it's usually the wiring connectors that cause all the probs.

Then it gets all fuggered up by guys that never saw a positive ground before.   

 

[Ernie n Tara]

The connections may be weak, but Britain owned Malasia back then and the Gov pushed the use of Natural Rubber. That is possibly the wost possible choice for at motor vehicle as it deteriorates rapidly when exposed to solvents or ozone or ??

I used to dread seeing a British car come into the garage.

Ernie

 

[QZ]

BSA 441 Victor special. It was a beauty at planting corn and killing hills!   Oh, the kick starter was  also good for splitting the bottom of my tennis shoe. Well yeah.... fools gear....tennis shoes, blue jeans and a TEE shirt at 16 years old. 

Edit: I dont remember the year. It had the yellow and silver tank and I  was 16 in 1970 so I'm guessing the bike was 1964 1965?

 

[QZ]

In my teens we loved bikes. Best friends older brother was in the Navy. We had access to a BSA 441 single barrel monster! Took a man of steel to kick that thing over..I couldn't do it. We had many a fun ride on that chugger. Fastest speed was 82 mph with both of us on it...ahh the good ol days!!

I like the way you said that...."Had access to" LMAO. Like me did you also dream about the Rickman 500 CC hop up kit?

 

[john owens]

We had access to because the brother and his friend were over in Vietnam..and for some reason left the keys in the BSA...and best of all..the 1970...I think...chevelle 396 with cowl induction...gun metal grey with black racing stripes. Like you we were only 16...That car has been in my dreams ever since...wow American Muscle at its finest!!!! Sorry bout getting off thread!! ;D

 

[alanbl]

I'm envious!  Do you have any pics of the bikes you have restored?  I think that the Norton Commando is one the the most beautiful machines ever built.  Never owned one or any Brit bike but the closedst I came was an early '60s Kawasaki W2 which ii swear was a bolt for bolt knockoff of a BSA 650 Lightning.  My first car was a 1960 TR3 and I drove a '64 MGB for a long time.  Yes, British cars were quirky and often infuriating but they had personality. 

Oh, and a WWII pal of my father taught me how to drive a stick shift when I was 15 in his Morgan Plus 4.  Way cool!!!

 

[Utclmjmpr]

30 years ago I acquired two Aerial square fours,1959 first year for the mark2 four pipe,, all numbers are correct. At the time I owned a Harley Davidson dealership in SOCAL(21 years) and repaired British bikes often.. I disassembled these two bikes with the intent to restore them, I still have all the parts stored in my garage waiting for this old man to get the lead out.>>>Dan

 

[Tom]

The Square Four was a well respected bike, typically ridden by race marshalls, leading the pack around the track before the first race lap.

 

[8Muddypaws]

A BSA tried to break me many times but the final straw was when the top of the Amal carburetor vibrated off.  It went to full throttle and stayed there.

Nothing but Suzukis, Hondas, Yamahas, KTMs and Huskys after that.

 

[TonyDtorch]

and those Japanese bikes are not worth even scrap value today.

Should have kept the BSA.

A Japanese bike,  is the culinary equivalent of Wonder Bread.

 

[Tom]

The first year that the Japanese showed up at the Isle Of Man TT races, Suzuki with their 18-speed bikes, they lost every race and everyone laughed at them. The next year, they won every race, and that was the end of the British motorcycle industry.