Low mileage can mean high cost
Beware superficially shiny US imports with low numbers on the odo – their engines may need a rebuild
Interesting conversation with Darrell at Triumph specialist Rockerbox recently. He showed me a tidy 1970 Bonneville with no engine.
“Our customer bought this from a dealer; we advised against it – but it was the ’70 model he wanted and although it was top money, it was completely restored and looked great. Arthur’s rebuilding the engine now; in fact he’s currently booked up for six months, mostly sorting out ‘completely restored’ bikes from dealers!”
Darrell explained that many of these bikes are low-mileage imports from the States.
“Triumphs are easy to restore cosmetically, but the engines have often had little more than a service. Typically the bike springs a leak, then other bits go wrong that the dealer sorts out, but before long the customer is told: ‘It’s an old bike, what do you expect?’ and sent away. Feeling a bit foolish, he brings the bike here and gets a big bill for a rebuild he thought he’d already bought!”
Darrell says oil seals gone hard and corrosion of engine and gearbox internals are common problems. “These bikes may be low mileage, but they’ve often been standing for 30 or 40 years and they need a proper rebuild.”
You can see how this happens; if the bike runs OK, adding a full mechanical rebuild to the cost of a cosmetic restoration leaves little margin for a dealer’s profit. So what does Darrell suggest doing? “Ask for history and if possible speak to the last owner,” he says. I guess it might also be worth asking for a written inventory of what work’s been done; dealers are unlikely to lie – but if they do, you may find it useful in court...
‘THEY MAY BE LOW MILEAGE, BUT THEY’VE OFTEN BEEN STANDING FOR 30-40 YEARS’