MCN XLV750 for sale?

[Treadtrader]

Just read Peter Bakers article in this weeks MCN on his ongoing restoration.

Seems now it's all road legal and ready he's not so fond as he maybe should be.

I spent a few years working with a well known classic dealer. Some of that time i restored or part restored a good few classic bikes, mainly british from the fifties and sixties.
Quite a few of the customers had a first ride on there finished bikes and really did'nt get on with them, rose tinted specs? maybe.
It's not unusual to see restored classics up for sale with next to no mileage on them.

Maybe the anticipation overwealms the reality and they realise a modern bike rides so much better than the bike they "remember"from their youth.

Anyone on here found the same?

[BobA]

Some people just enjoy the challenge of resurrecting or restoring something, compared to riding it. Especially hard if you're used to riding different bikes and your newly restored Black Shadow just doesn't seem to perform as well as your GSXR1000!!!

I love the look of old bikes, but have never had any luck with single cylinder machines, struggled at every gearchange and stop with pedals being the other way round, and miss the magic "start" button every time!

Classics are lovely, but give me a rattly old AT, or a scalpel sharp sportsbike any day

[raymo]

Ha MY XLV is a great ride compared to my 250 bsa... it stops ( just ) is quick and loud...

Restoration isn’t what it used to be.. they was a lot of money one time in picking up a barn find.. And painting & chroming all the tinnie bits.... then selling it as a Rocket Goldenstar Bonny Norton to some neep with an MGA in the garage so they could keep each other company… ( investments )


Thankfully things have changed for the better:-

The A10 forum I frequent are a great bunch who RIDE the bikes... classics are 50mph all day bikes when sorted ( they will go faster but you try stopping one !!! ) and don’t give me that ‘ a well sorted drum is as good as a disc’ sh1te…..

trust me they don’t stay sorted long and two off.. one inch and an eight slivers of brake lining activated by a sub-clutch cable width piece of wire.. can have your @rse chewing lumps out of the 50 year old vinyl covered horse-hair clad tin plate that purports to be a seat, as the 1.1L Fiesta in front stops on a half-crown…….

The XLV is a classic.. But it is a 1980s classic and a HONDA.. well built strong... and well up to modern riding.... when you pull parts of the motor to say fit a new clutch or stator… the rest is pristine… well engineered with modern materials.. unlike an old British classic, where pulling the head off often ends with the crank-out to batter out a sludge trap and you wondering if the bronze colour oil is valuable

not followed the MCN article but I gather he paid a mint for re-machining gearbox bits...


OK my point,,,
a ‘modern classic’ is well worth playing with as you will end up with a great usable bike.. Classic classics are well worth doing too but you will have to live with changing the oil every 1000miles and a full rebuild every 30,000 if you are lucky. So you do it for the looove… only reason to punt one you have done is to fund another

[Mutley]

Good post..

I remember riding / attempting to ride my Dads BSA Goldstar which he swore was as ''smooth as a babys bum''. NO WAY!! I couldn't focus on the road as my eye balls were rattling...

That's gone now and we're in the middle (read - owned for years & haven't touched for ages...) of doing an A10 up. It's hoped it'll be a useable bike for summer days

Just joined the A10 forum - thanks for the nod Raymo

I'll have a look at the MCN later, see how he's getting on. I presume it's the old XLV he was playing around with ages ago?

TA!

[Treadtrader]

I used to have a 250 Beezer also Raymo, a ceefer, handy off road though



Built a few of these, but this was just for me.

Rode the pre-65 Scottish a few times.

[raymo]

in the middle (read - owned for years & haven't touched for ages...) of doing an A10 up. It's hoped it'll be a useable bike for summer days
!

ha same here DA10R big valve super rocket.. woohoo ...am toying with grafting my spare xlv750 forks on to it to give me decent brakes (ish ) and an odd hybrid to do the stella alpine 100 ( combined age of rider and bike 100years old.. god I have some dumb ideas but may be some day )

the A10 is reasonably smoth if you get the primary balance about 60% the honda V s have perfect primary balance ( the 45 degree xlv has 90 degree crank pins and the 52 degree AT TAs et al 78 degree pins ).. so no wonder the things shake to bits.. fun though...



raymo

[raymo]

I used to have a 250 Beezer also Raymo, a ceefer, handy off road though



Built a few of these, but this was just for me.

Rode the pre-65 Scottish a few times.

nice c15 treadtrader mine is a B25S Starfire bit more highly strung than the C15 and got to be the loudest thing with two wheels road though

like I said in last post looking at doing somthing daft with the A10.. 650 spitfire with a 21 inch front wheel ( XLV 750 Fork & wheel ) will see

raymo too many project and ADHD