classic motorcycle forum

A lot of so-called trials ("competition") models are merely hacked about road bikes. I know - I did it to my Enfield Bullet! The one in the link is probably the same. A real comp model will be a G3LC.

If you can get a copy of Don Morley's Classic British Trials Motorcycles it will help you sort the wheat from the chaff. But it's hard to come by for a reasonable price these days.

Who needs an excuse?

I'm definitely considering it, but the auction isn't till February. As said, "cool" or not doesn't bother me.

I'd guess that the Dowty forks slowly lose pressure over time if the seals aren't quite up to it hence the bump stop issue?

If I go for it I'll obviously need to go & look first.

How about this one?

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1160974

Yes indeed. I would go to £10,000 as an absolute max which gives him a good £1,000. But I'll probably let it lie for the moment.

Following Rex's point, it may be that a later model would suit me better but very early days and I may yet be put off by the challenge!

In the same Bonhams sale there was a later 600cc bike for £6,900 which seems even more realistic. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25384/lot/327/

A (hopefully imminent) house move will see me with greatly enhanced garage space so I am considering extending my "fleet". I've always had a yen for Scotts and nearly bought one about 15 years ago but went for a Venom instead.

I came across this in ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1929-SCOTT-FLYING-SQUIRREL-498cc-TOURER-MATCHING-NUMBERS-VINTAGE-CLASSIC/163920723459 which looks very pretty and is the era I'd be looking at. It seems vastly overpriced to me especially as it's the economy touring model rather than a TT rep. What do people think?

I know the usual advice is to  join the owners' club (which I will probably do) but always respect opinions from the collective wisdom(?) here.

You also need to ask yourself why you actually want a hand gear change? They can be a bit intimidating especially when you need to change down for a roundabout etc and find you need 3 hands working in synchronisation. Of course if it's merely because you like the look of them I'll shut up.

I liked the Sunbeam I referred to above but to be fair, although its performance was quite sparkling the brakes were poor and the hand change made every trip more challenging than it needed to be. Living in suburban Brum meant I had several miles of busy roads, junctions, traffic lights etc before I could give it its head which was somewhat tiresome. A later bike with foot change and working brakes like my Norton ES2 is a much more useable proposition.

Oh and I just wouldn't bother looking at 2 strokes. You could get a perfectly serviceable just post-war AMC 350/500 for £4,000 or so. That would give you decent performance with relative ease of riding.