I am the owner of several British motorcycles; two of them are quite original and solid riders. A couple of them are in boxes. The first rider is a 1974 Norton Commando which I have worked on quite a bit, mostly routine maintenance stuff. The second, and my favorite rider, is a 1970 BSA Lightning. I am currently sorting out pre-ignitions problems and will report what I find on my Lightning page when I get it sorted out. This section of my blog is to report the restoration I am doing to my 1967 BSA Hornet. It is being broken down to its smallest components with everything being refinished or replaced. I did this once before to a 1969 Firebird scrambler that was in a similar state. Being much younger, less patient, and holding no knowledge of BSA’s I did not do real well with it. It ended up as a solid runner with mediocre looks. I am attempting to do this one right. Most of my methods have been learned through books on bike restoration, through other BSA enthusiasts, or is based on what I did wrong last time. There is also a wealth of information on the internet which I have attempted to sort out. Most of this information is very helpful, but some of it is wrong. I will try to keep my information in the helpful category. Feel free to comment on my methods or the information I am posting. I look forward to learning from anyone who has something to contribute. I have messed up enough things over the years to know there is much for me to learn and that I should draw on all resources. A couple of pictures of the Firebird I rebuilt and a Victor I brought back to life follow.
1969 Firebird Scrambler
1969 441 Victor Special
Just discovered your blog.. Looking forward to reading through it.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have been living in SW France since 2007 - and before that we lived in England. I had a '67 Matchless G80CS that I sold prior to moving as I wasn't sure that we could find (or afford!) a house with a garage where we wanted to live. Also my skills are limited and I doubted that I would be able to maintain the bike down here.. so I reluctantly sold it. (major error!) I wrote about it here: https://piperade-thecompleatanglo.blogspot.com/2009/11/blog-post.html
Keep up the good work.. there's something about Brit Iron that I can't shake off.. Not a day goes by that I don't regret selling that Matchless - it would have been perfect for exploring the lanes that criss-cross the Pyrenees..
You did a superb job with restoring the RE Interceptor..
Cheers!
Pip