New to Vintage Motorbikes: Advice and Knowledge needed

[Scooblitz]

For some reason i have a bug to get a really old vintage motorcycle. ive never had a motorbike before but i just have this want to get one to cruise around the country roads in the summer months. The thing is i really don't know what im looking for. All i have is pictures of bikes that i love the look of from browsing the websites. I'm looking for advice on the type of bikes i like, the manufacturers and what sort of money im looking at to get a bike like the ones im going to picture bellow.

Also, i know how there are types of cars, say a coupe or a saloon etc. i was wondering if the same could be said of bikes. specifically the ones i shall post.

http://files.myopera.com/musickna/albums/253394/BMW%20motorcycle.jpg

http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/20186588.jpg

http://www.indianmotorbikes.com/restos/t-rex/blackbird/blackbird.jpg

[urlhttp://classic-motorbikes.net/images/gallery/indian_sport_scout.jpg[/url]

ok i know that some of these bikes are german and american but its purely the style of bike that im looking for. i really like the 3rd bike but i have a feeling its not a classic bike but a remake of one.

any info or advice on getting into vintage bikes such as these would be greatly appreciated.

[yebbut]

 

For some reason i have a bug to get a really old vintage motorcycle. ive never had a motorbike before but i just have this want to get one to cruise around the country roads in the summer months

In a nut shell, don't

Vintage bikes are not some kind of fashion accessory for the posers of this world.

I you've never had a bike before then you will need to train/ pass a test on a  modern bike, and a vintage bike will be 100% different.

Country roads are a killer,  especially where I live, vintage bikes have virtually no brakes, no lights and require an entirely different method of riding skill.
What you are doing is fantasising. I think you would actually be a menace to yourself on a vintage machine.
Old motorcycles are a way of life, and require an entirely different mindset to that which you have.
I certainly would nor sell you one of mine.
Harsh words but sorry its true,

Buy a Bsa Bantam or something to start on

Happy new year

[Rex]

Like the man said, by the time you've got your licence you may feel a modern does everything to need, and it will certainly do it quicker cheaper and more reliably than a "vintage motorcycle".

Rather like old boat ownership, it's 10% sunny afternoons and 90% greasy metal workshop time, and if it's a "sunny lane" fantasy you're picturing, you've got a long long learning curve ahead......

{BTW the bottom one is a piece of cobbled-up shite...sorry}

[wetdog]

Go for it you might like it , dont get to bogged down with origional ( its very expensive ) get it together and use it , most owners dont use them enough i think as they are seen as to much of an investment      ( which they are and has pushed prices up ) still a good useable afordable british try none standard B31 , 350 Ariel , C11G every day british , dont be talked in to Velo ( unless LE ) or gold stars , these can be a labour of love . I like the bike in pic 3 and bobbers like this dont come cheap but worth every pound , take a look at  http://www.britishironworks.com/ for what some are doing to none standard machines

[Falcone]

Having been up to my neck in Norton, Velocette, Matchless and the like, I know what kind of commitment it takes to be steward to an old bike. However, if you want to have the English Single Cylinder experience, you can't go wrong with an India made Royal Enfield. Modern alloys, common fasteners and vastly superior electrics and brakes compared to the original should serve well. Then, later on, you may decide to take the plunge into Norton International or Velocette KSS.

[wetdog]

"take the plunge into Norton International or Velocette KSS". thats a leap and just the sort of bike id stay clear of , these models where a very good investment ,  i have both  but very rarly use either , OHC british bikes are more a work of art than a useable classic , I could not agree more about the indian enfields and for some resone secound hand seam very cheap , Stafford this year a trials 500 indian enfield running very nice £800 I can see no way you would ever lose money on a bike like that even after hours of fun .

[Rex]

Perhaps I misunderstood when he said "very old vintage bike" then.
I was picturing a Model P, BSA Roundtank or similar rather  than a British single from the 1950s era.

"Move up to an Inter or KSS"?  That's another fantasy, unless he's very well heeled. Not many enthuisasts ever manage that level of classic excellence no matter how many classics they "bought for £3/10 back in 1967" and stored away.

Only worthwhile thing about  that so-called Bobber is the Indian engine, but then you could buy one of those without the Sporty forks and other shite hung off it, if that's what you wanted.
Quickest way to lose money on a bike? Chop/Bob it.....

[wetdog]

if you have a engine / frame , build a bobber , they do fetch good money and have a large following           ( getting bigger all the time ) I always enjoy going to a classic bike meet seeing the rows of fully restored british classics ( all the same and full of repro parts from over seas ) only to notice the crowed round some non standard bobbed or chopped classic , these bikes are built from bits not a standard bike , but most run and sound great and in money terms will always turn a profit if done right

[Rex]

In  my expreience "standard" will always beat "chopped/bobbed" financially by miles, and that's always been the case.
There's been a '68ish Bonnie chop and a T110 bobber for sale in the classic rags for some time now (advertised on and off) but the Bonnie still hasn't gone at less than two grand and the T110 for not much more.

You could double that and add some more money and still couldn't buy those bikes if they were standard.

After all, who would want to pay top money for the privilege of rectifying someone else's  garden shed bodges?

Some top bikes will get good money, but generally that's not the case; just ask any dealer how much he'll give for something non-standard.

[wetdog]

garden shed bodges? Take a good look at some of the bikes at the site above , these machines are not bolt on christmas trees , they are very well engineered , i think i know the bikes you mean from the 60s 70s 80s , these days have gone , i would not recomed you chop a standard machine , but by all means build one from parts to your own liking . its far cheaper than trying to build a standard machine ( from mostly repro parts ) and will always have that stand out from the crowed personnal touch which makes the bike shows more interesting , ive seen just about every standard bike ever built several times over , the bobbers turning up now are a breath of fresh air , so i think i might have a go my self with bits of an Ariel ive got as its the only way it will ever see the road again , better than lying in the shed

[Rex]

Don't get me wrong, I sold a nice (to me, anyway!) 650 Triumph Bobber before Xmas and have a half-built unit bobber project in the garage currently, but there's no denying quality of home-built bikes can vary widely, and for every "very well engineered" bike there's another two only worthy of breaking for spares.

Poorly mounted seats, badly engineered brakes, piss-poor electrics, tight cables, exposed chains, etc etc are all common faults, and no-one (unless you hit a real mug!) is going to pay the going rate for anything like that.

Build what you want, and good luck to you, but you're unlikely to get your money back (well, unless you build it chicken-sh*t style for five hunderd quid).

Had to laugh recently where someone (on the Dirty Bobbers forum) was going to take a bog-standard and running Daytona and bob it, and some other toss-pot egged him on by saying a good Bob would be worth seven grand easy....

Not in this world, old pal....

[rogerwilko]

Go Rex! The only fashion i got sucked into was fitting clipons and that didn't last long!

[yebbut]

OP is a holiday dreamer who has been looking at stuff on the net or in the magazines and has picked out fantasy choices.
probably 16, no bike license, no money no idea.
Just look at the bikes he has posted. He has no idea of the amount of  money/skills involved.

A bit like I [and probably many others here] did in our youth trailing round the big bike shops on a Saturday picking out every bike we couldn't afford.

[wetdog]

"chicken-sh*t style for five hunderd quid"   was hopeing to do it for less as i have most of the parts , the most expensive part is the spokes at £40 per wheel ( ss ) , the rest is paint , frontend is girder bsa , im looking at about £400 to get on the road as i dont really have to buy anything ,  all painting , enginnering , wheel building i can do in house , If you have to pay somone to do the work it is expensive , and i would never butcher a standard bike , but to get the bike back to standard would be very expensive so i would recomend anyone with some odd parts lying around to have a go its very satisfying to ride a one off  youve built yourself , its cheaper and i find not that much more difficult than building standard as to many repro parts dont fit , ie Armors exhurst ( which i have bought for a number of standard machines ) i only buy unchromed as i know i will have to alter

[r80gs]

If they've not scared you off I'd suggest looking at a BMW r100 they are bullet proof. The earlier bikes are classics and best left as they are some of these may appeal but there are some great mods about on later bikes. They are everyday bikes that are great fun and cheap to keep on the road. Have a look at this link and open the pdf for the english translation on BMW boxer twins.
http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.dnvjxqtaqfhxwmvv&pageId=728514 Get a basic bike and see if you take to it. The R80 would be a great place to start, some people say they're too heavy and that the gear change is clunky but it's all part of the joy. If you find you do fall for it you can always spend some money modifying it later.
Here's another example of what you can do with deep pockets. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flatracer/2621672902/
I only pasted my test last summer and getting your licence is hard work and expensive. But it's worth the rewards, I made it down to Monaco and into Tuscany this summer. If you want a classic, good on you but as your experience grows you may soon find you want more from the bike than it has to offer.