SCOOPERMAN!

The sunny side of the classic world, with the VJMC’S Steve Cooper

What’s the right sort of money to be spending on a project? I ask simply because there are so many opinions on what now seems to be a highly emotive subject within the classic world.

Although I warn others not to buy project bikes in boxes, I’ve done enough now and they are always, and without exception, a royal pain. Regardless of what the vendor will tell you, parts will be missing

– best let someone with far more enthusiasm, time and money have those apparent bargains.

Facebook recently divvied up an original and complete Suzuki B100P, aka The Bloop. It looked tired and careworn, came with that patina of corrosion that only ever comes via a damp shed, but it was unquestionably all there. Even better, it had a current V5C, even if the bike hadn’t actually been used for years. The back story was that it was the owner’s only form of transport all of his working life and he’d parked it up some years back and never touched it again. The asking price was £500 which, for many, wasn’t out of the way of things, yet for others such money was a red rag to a bull. Comments sallied back on forth about its true worth, its value, the cost of restoration versus recommissioning as a survivor and, as things tend to on Facebook, it all got a little heated.

Yes, its scrap value was less than £50, undoubtedly it’d cost more to restore than it was worth and, unquestionably, it was going to take ages simply to undo some 60 years’ worth of rusted nuts and bolts, but there’s more to old bikes than simply money. If your dear departed old dad had a Bloop then surely that’s sufficient justification to grab this one and restore it in his memory? If you cut your teeth riding one or used one to pass your bike test that’s unequivocally reason enough. Or perhaps you simply want a charismatic 118cc stroker single in your riding stable – why the hell not?

What the nay-sayers failed to grasp or chose to ignore was the bike came with a valid registration document. If you’ve recently tried to get an old UK restoration number back on any vehicle you’ll know what a farce that can be. DVLA has tightened its rules on this thorny subject and it’s leading to serious issues. If you look at the time taken chasing both the DVLA’S tail and your own I’d cost that out at several hundred pounds’ of pain and anguish. Having a bike complete before you start a project is, frankly, invaluable. No need to scour parts books, the internet, old books and magazines because it’s all there: camera out, a brew to hand, notebook at the ready, etc, what a cracking way to spend some time with a classic project. Alternatively, if a bike is missing key parts and you take a chance on stuff you could easily squander another £500 on the wrong length cables, exhaust system, seat, headlamp, etc, etc...

It’s very easy to see the cost of an old bike without grasping its actual value to you. Before knocking someone back on a bike you don’t even aspire to own, perhaps it’s worth having an honest look at just what £500 could get you or even save you from further spending?