classic motorcycle forum
Motorcycle Discussions => British Bikes => Topic started by: Spitfire Joe on May 08, 2009, 01:15:18 AM
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I have recently acquired a 1966 bsa spitfire mkII with borrani race wheels. as ive been told this is to be a factory race bike only available to top dealers or factory sponsored riders? the past owner spent alot of time and money chroming virtually all of the components (those that can be chromed that is)including the frame and all brackets unfortunately some of the chrome has pitted in areas seeing how it was chromed more than 25 years ago. runs and functions well in all aspects
any ideas on value or a place online to find out current values would be greatly appreciated!
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:)It may be so unique it would be difficult to price.Would the insurance company be able to help. :)
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thats a good idea! i certainly hope it is that rare!!!
thanks for your help! :D
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Certainly worth no more than a hundred quid, so PM me and I'll take it off your hands.... 8-)
Good bikes and well sought-after, but with respect, chrome frames etc aren't err,, highly regarded. Think I'd be tempted to strip off the chrome. Less is definitely more, where chrome's concerned.
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i agree with you on the chrome its certainly not something i would have done. however whats done is done and honestly it looks pretty damn good chromed. as far as the offer... not for sale yet but when it is it will probably go to auction. 8-)
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Most serious buyers would want to see some sort of documented evidence to back up any claims that a bike was an ex-factory racer and if it is the previous owner didn't do much for its value by chrome plating everything.
As it stands, with 25 year old pitted plating it sounds more like a bike in need of serious restoration work.
Sorry to be gloomy but if I was a potential buyer thats how I would look at it.
Cheers,
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I have recently acquired a 1966 bsa spitfire mkII with borrani race wheels. as ive been told this is to be a factory race bike only available to top dealers or factory sponsored riders?
Do you mean this model of bike or the particular bike in your posession? If it can be proven that the one you have was specially tuned and/or raced by the BSA works then it will naturally be worth more to collectors.
However the unit-model Spitfires themselves weren't produced specifically for racing, more as a super-sports model to surpass the Triumph Bonneville/Norton 650SS range of the market.
A lot of things affect this particular model's value, but bear in mind it is an intrinsically sought-after bike. The immediate downside to yours is the excess chroming - people nowadays are tending to favour originality more. What can drastically change the value without even seeing the bike in question are two items: a) the wheels; and b) the carbs.
The mkII spitfire came out with the BSA racing front hub - the '190mm' as it is referred to - laced into flanged alloy rims. I'm not sure off the top of my head whether the rims were Borranis or Dunlops, but that's not so critical as the hub. If you don't have the 190mm brake the bike's worth less to buyers (worth less not worthless haha).
More importantly though is the carbs. When released the mkII spitfire had a pair of Amal GP carbs with a central float that looked something like a small hip-flask. These are now all but impossible to replace and in many cases they have been removed and replaced with more sensible Concentrics. No GPs diminishes the value.
But apart from these two especially racey items the overall factors governing value are the usual - what condition it's in, how much of it is there and so on, but as I said previously genuine MkII BSA Spitfires are a sought after and valuable prospect, so expect a few dollars even with a chromed frame.
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The mkII spitfire came out with the BSA racing front hub - the '190mm' as it is referred to - laced into flanged alloy rims. I'm not sure off the top of my head whether the rims were Borranis or Dunlops, but that's not so critical as the hub.
I think the factory used both types? As there appears to be plenty of references to Spitfires fitted with Borrani "Record" rims on the Internet.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_en-GBGB313GB313&q=spitfire+borrani
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More importantly though is the carbs. When released the mkII spitfire had a pair of Amal GP carbs with a central float that looked something like a small hip-flask. These are now all but impossible to replace and in many cases they have been removed and replaced with more sensible Concentrics. No GPs diminishes the value.
Amal GP carbs and float chamber are now availabe again from the Amal Carburettor Co. (Burlen Fuel Systems)http://www.amalcarb.co.uk/default.aspx or from other Amal suppliers such as Surrey Cycles: http://www.amalcarburettors.co.uk/carb_05.htm
Although the correct MkII 1-5/32" GP size may not be available at the moment?
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thank you all for the info especially L.A.B. for the in depth info and as i confirmed with a local bsa dealer thats been operating since 1964 it is in fact a mk II, hip flask between the carbs, folding foot pegs, 190mm front hub, boranni alloy rims, and amal gp carbs with velocity stacks,also the engine # is A65 TA. so lets pretend its not chromed, fully restored, and complete to the hilt...
whats it worth??? :-?
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without documented racing heritage that is, i have papers on the bike but only till the last owner. thanks again for all your help blue!
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So where abouts in the world are you Joe?
As a bike's value may vary according to which country it is in, regardless of the actual currency involved. I'd estimate it would be worth somewhere between £5,000-£8,000GBP in fully restored condition in the UK at the moment?
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thanks! im in the U.S. st louis, mo actually
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Ahh. probably 500 bucks then..... ;)
Only joking, but prices vary so much across the world that it's hard to make relevant comparisons.
That bike would be sought-after and in the £5/6000 bracket in the UK, but I doubt you'll see in that price in $$$ where you are. Still hear about astounding bargains in the US though; Triumph T100SR for $500 on another list. :'( :'(
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should,nt the engine number on a spitfire be A65S i thought A65T was the thunderbolt
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should,nt the engine number on a spitfire be A65S i thought A65T was the thunderbolt
Yes I think you're right, "A65TA" cases would be from a 1967 Thunderbolt.
A65S would be correct for a '66 Spitfire engine, and A65SA for '67.
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I have heard that the MK11 Spitfire was a pig to start with the twin GP carbs,
If it did not start first or second kick then the plugs got soaking wet and had to be removed and dried off before another attempt to start.
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it seems as though the engine or at least the crankcases have been replaced at some point which in my view reduces the value,to get top dollar either here in uk or the us the numbers should match the model(im not talking engine and frame numbers here because i beleive most bsa,s engine and frame numbers did,nt match)gp carbs and 190 front brake are good selling points but in reality they were not the best,, bsa had problems with gp carbs fitted to the spitfire,and the 190 front brake is not as good as the single sided 8 ins one , in my opinion the A65LC (lightning clubman)is the more desireable bike,i,ll go for 3.500 to 4.000 us dollars on this spitfire
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this bike sat from 75 till 08 in a basement and i filed and set the points and it starts on the first kick every time.
:)