BUYING AND SELLING
Make work for yourself – in a good way – by taking on a project bike
It’s gonna be a long winter – better get yourself a resto project
Buying a project bike is a bit like taking on a rescue dog. Both (usually) involve a huge amount of work, a lot of heartache and a whole heap of frustration. But the end result can be equally rewarding, with a huge sense of achievement and (hopefully) a lifelong bond.
It’s important to remember, though, that a project bike is rarely a cheap way to arrive at your dream machine. Unless you can undertake virtually every task involved in a resto yourself, you’d almost certainly spend less buying a sorted example of your desired bike. In face, once you add up all the all the time, effort and skinned knuckles, you might start to wonder why anyone would do it.
Because we enjoy it, that’s why. The satisfaction of putting a tired old stager back on the road is part of it, but there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had working on an old bike. Head for the shed, stick the radio on and get stuck in. You’ll wonder where the time went. And you can spread the cost of owning the bike you want over however long your restoration takes.
For Japanese classics, several UK firms scour the USA for restorable (and ready to ride) machines to import. Classic Bike Imports in Worcestershire is one of the
leading players in the import game. They have a number of project bikes in stock at the moment, and owner Will Dawkins reports record sales of resto-ready bikes this year.
If you’re a fan of early Japanese classics, either a 1966 Honda CB77 or a little 1968 CL175 like those you see here might be just the thing to get you into the shed this winter. The CB77 was last on the road in Nebraska, in 1974. The engine doesn’t turn over, so a full rebuild will be needed, but the 305cc twin is largely complete, missing only side panels and a correct seat and silencers and is up for sale at £2999. The CL175’S engine turns over and it looks pretty complete, with a sound exhaust – though the tank is a little battered. It’s up for £999.
If you’re after a British bike to restore, there are a number of traders who regularly stock project machines. Try Burton Bike Bits (burtonbikebits.net), Andy Tiernan (andybuysbikes.com), or Cosmo Classic Motorcycles (cosmoclassic. co.uk) who have a totally dismantled 1951 Vincent Comet in stock at the moment, priced at £14,995. It’s a matching numbers bike with its original registration and has been stored in an attic for many years. There’s a new exhaust and rechromed original rims with it, too. Restored Comets have been making over £20,000 of late. It’s possible you could you get this back on the road for £5000.
Away from the dealers, the usual suspects – ebay, autojumbles and, of course, the Classic Bike classifieds – can be productive hunting grounds. And auctions can throw up some interesting finds, too. There’s a resto project for you out there somewhere.