Special or restore?
With us halfway through our search for Bridgestone and CMM’S ‘Bike of the Year 2020’, we ask that difficult question: standard or special?
Once a upon a time the term ‘classic bike’ was the label saved for bikes that summed up a bygone age of motorcycling; nowadays that phrase covers a far broader spectrum of motorcycles.
Restoring, rebuilding and renovating an old motorcycle is a personal journey and often the model that we select will have a nostalgic pang attached to its selection. Maybe it was a bike you always hankered after; perhaps the cool bloke down the road owned one and you aspired to that machine on your walks to school. Quite often it’s a bike we owned in the past before relationships, offspring and home furnishings got first dibs on your weekly pay packet. Not all refurbished motorcycles are restored to an original spec, which can lead to opinions from those who prefer their classics to be of stock appearance.
We thought this was apt as we are midway through our Bridgestone-backed search for Bike of the Year 2020.
There’s been a huge explosion of interest in café racer bikes and other niche custom builds like Bratz and Bobbers. This probably explains why so many manufacturers now add ‘off-the-shelf’ versions within their current ranges. The thing with a custom bike is that it can’t really be mass produced. The best examples are often built by talented blokes in sheds. If you rode bikes in the 80s and 90s you’ll be fully aware that not too many motorcycles remained standard for too long. From my own experiences, the mods started from the moment I got a ‘new’ bike home.
Painting the wheels is the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get your bike to stand out. Chopping down the rear mudguard, a small number plate and, of course, stickers and tyre art pen all were quick fixes to make the bike more personal. Looking back, I cringe at my younger self. Things didn’t stop there... race exhausts, performance mods and tacky bolt-on parts couldn’t be added quick enough.
If you were lucky enough to stumble upon an unloved motorcycle, what route would you go to make it great again?
Budgets can often dictate the direction of any rebuild. Factor in finding decent parts and your financial obligations towards your project can quickly escalate. Restoring your average 80s or 90s race replica back to bog standard condition can be a tiresome and expensive experience. Don’t despair, there is another way! You could forgo that pricey original fairing and respray by sourcing used panels, or maybe update the cosmetics with items from newer machines. The special build is still a very popular path to tread. It allows you to do it on a budget, or go balls deep with tasty goodies from the likes of Dymag, Ohlins and go faster engine goodies from Wiseco, etc.
Is a non- standard restoration/ rebuild a genuine classic bike?
We put this question out on our popular Facebook page and didn’t have to wait too long for your valued opinions to come flooding in. First up was Richard Maynard, who got the ball rolling by saying: “I like them kept as original as possible with a bit of patina. I think it's ok for a 40-year-old bike to look 40. My chrome is original and unrestored.”
Glenn Tayler was pretty laid back in his views. “Both ways are right. Patina, original rust is better than new. Just keep them old bikes on the road and doing what they were meant for.”
Regular contributor to our Facebook page, Steve Beer, sees it like this: “Recognisable as the original however modified to my own taste and requirements, original paintwork (regardless of the odd mark or scratch), shiny, noisy, old skool.” All of which are summed up in his delicious-looking Suzuki GSX-R750 Slabby.
Martyn Kinder wasn’t sitting on the CMM fence. He was clear where he stands. “Smart, but must be rideable. Originality means little to me. We used to mod the socks off them and improve them when we were 40 years younger, so what is original? Why not learn from experience instead of making a mistake and put all the crap parts back on again.” We have to agree… after all, remember when we put TZR250 wheels on our TDRS? Period mods are cool! Another fan of tinkering was Bill Noble, who piped up with: “Original look with modern up to the job running gear!”
Sometimes the mission of rebuilding the bike is less complicated. Colin Jay brought us back to basics. “I was given a late 1960’s Suzuki K15 earlier this year. It is a runner and I will most likely just do what is necessary to get it on the road while keeping it pretty much as it is.” Tim Beresford was also singing from the same hymn sheet: “It depends what you start with. An original spec machine in reasonable condition should have a tasteful refurb so you don't lose the history, a basket case (which is what I am working on), do what you want. I always think it's sad when a clean, original machine is either restored to better than new or made into a bobber or ‘café racer’.
There are plenty of people who see things just like Devo Verdugo does. “Depends on the bike, is it still original? Leave it. Is it a box of parts? Do as you will. I specifically bought a basket case recently to build a special. Best candidate for the purpose.” Chucking a cat amongst our pecking pigeons was Gary Clarke. “I like them chopped about and restyled. I’m tired of looking at dull, over-polished nerdy representations of the e way they once were.”
At the other end of the spectrum was Mervyn Morris, who knows what he likes: “As original as possible please. If you want a reliable, good handling bike just buy a new one!” Of course any rebuild is a personal thing and ‘Gunny’ ticked several boxes with his Yamaha RD350 YPVS build. “I did my N1 nearly standard, but I built it for me. It has non-standard indicators, gold chain and sprockets, an R6 rear shock and the outer engine cases are satin instead of gloss. It’s my bike and I like it.” And fair play to ya, Gunny.
Not all old bikes actually require a full strip and rebuild. Wayne Noble likes to keep things simple. He says: “I am fed up with seeing a ‘like-new’ restoration. As long as everything works well it’s nice to see a bike wearing its history; an oily rag every time for me.” His thoughts were echoed by Russ Nattrass. “Personally I like originality, but I don't mind it looking its age. I mean, I'm certainly looking mine! Oh yes, and a set of decent tyres.”
Rounding things off nicely was Frank Graceffa, whose words of wisdom summed it all up nicely: “Build it the way you want it. Don’t worry about impressing anyone except yourself.” Hear, hear!
Over the years we’ve showcased the bikes that you’ve restored in your shed.
Having spoken to, and visited many of those that have made our Reader’s Special slot, one thing stands out for me... the bike is always only half of the story. The other thing that I’ve noticed is a rebuild is never truly finished. There’s always a devil in the detail that builders will revisit, or that elusive part that suddenly enters their life. There are also mechanical woes that only come to light once a few hundred miles have been cranked up. Far from this being a negative, it’s often welcomed as a positive, and another excuse to vanish in the shed for a tinker!
Are you building the bike of your dreams? Drop us a line and it could feature in the mag – and be our ‘Bike of the Year’. C’mon…