The classic vehicles thread....

[ucl82]

Hi all,
I know many people into this hobby are also into classic/vintage vehicles so why not get some pics and some information up on this thread?

I'll start with the first vehicle I got, a 1962 BSA Bantam D7. This had been off the road for ten years and presumably had been stored in less than ideal conditions. My parents got it for me as a birthday and Christmas present and me and my dad stripped it down and rebuilt it from the frame up. Anything worn was replaced or repaired along the way and it got plenty of new parts including a lovely new pair of handlebars and a rather expensive new seat. It was then resprayed in our garage in a blue metallic Nissan colour which was a very close match for the original paint. It passed it's first MOT after the rebuild with flying colours and then remained in storage waiting for me to pass my bike test. Sadly I haven't had the funds to do this yet and I desperately needed the cash to insure the Marina so the Bantam was sold last December for just over £700. Hopefully once I do eventually do my bike test I will get another, maybe a D1 Bantam although these are getting ever more expensive. If not I fancy something like a Velocette LE or an Ariel Golden Arrow. I'm not a huge fan of larger bikes, I much prefer smaller ones usually up to 350cc (Triumph 3TA would be nice too...)

[OldTickTock]

Wow! Josh that is some restoration, you & your dad must have been very proud of the result. Did you both shed a tear as she went away, I know I would have.

Chris

[ucl82]

Next up is a moped. When I was 16 like most young boys who love motorcycles I wanted to get out on the roads as soon as I could. I got my CBT (on the second day, after crashing into a hedge on the first :D) and was able to ride my second bike which I had bought a few months before.
It was a 1960 Norman Super Lido which cost all of £160. It came with no documents or number plate but after getting it through the MOT (with new tyres, rewiring the electrics etc) I was able to get an age related plate put on it. It then became my daily vehicle in all weathers, not the way most people use a rare vehicle (there are around 5 in total known to survive). It did very well, of course it had the occasional breakdown but nothing that couldn't be fixed. I was very fortunate to be a member of the East Anglian Cyclemotor Club for anyone who loves underpowered two stroke bikes and there are some fantastic guys willing to help with all kinds of spares. This came in handy one summers day when I was reaching 40mph downhill when all of a sudden the engine seized on the big end. I was able to scavenge a complete crankshaft and piston from another Sachs engine. Average cruising speed was about 33mph and it could manage most hills in second gear. It was a lovely little bike to ride and I miss it dearly, again I had to sell it to insure the Marina. It went to a dealer chap who then sold it on (at a loss!) to a chap with a large collection of classic motorcycles and has since been spotted on other EACC runs. When I next get some money I hope to get another classic moped and rejoin the club runs once more. Maybe a James Autocycle or a 1950s Mobylette.
I spent a fortune on this bike and it was the most unreliable vehicle I have ever known but I loved it dearly and wish I could have it back It was also the cheapest to run... Fully comp insurance cost me all of £258, tax was free and it did 170mpg.

[ucl82]

Yes I did Chris and same for the Norman My dad didn't mind so much as he's a fan of bigger bikes and regards most two strokes as 'crap' but I know deep down he loved it really.
Bikes are a lot easier to restore than a car, so much less space and much cheaper too! Especially a small bike like a Bantam.

I do have another bike project hidden away, I've got a lot of old Triumph 3TA parts which I hope to turn into a Triton one day (Triumph engine mounted in a Norton featherbed frame). It is hoped to make a twin cylinder by merging 3TA engines together. They were a fantastic present from my woodworking teacher who is also a classic bike nut (he has a Vincent Black Shadow, Triumph 3TA and a Norvin- Vincent engine in a Norton featherbed frame).

Here is a picture of dad's current bike, a 1976 Norton Commando MK3 electric start, one of the very last produced. He owned another Commando a couple of years back, a lovely 1975 red one which he sold to buy a modern bike but soon got bored of riding that (it was a Triumph Sprint ST, he owned another before the red Commando). It's not as nice as his red one was but has a lot more history (the red one was imported from Canada a few years before he bought it) and is a great bike for blasting down the country roads.

[AlanBeckett]

I had a Bantam around 1962, so I guess it must have been older than yours. It was undoubtedly the most pathetic machine in the country. It only had three gears, and with two up the mildest bank resulted in a change down to 2nd. It would then only do about 20mph which looked very odd with two hefty teenagers on board. I took the head to school and with the aid of the Metalwork Teacher skimmed 30 thou. off it. That cheered it up a bit, but not much. Of course it's long gone
Alan

[ucl82]

Hi Alan,
Yes certainly not the most powerful machines in the world! The D7 had 7HP when new and the Norman all of 2.2HP! One of the factors behind selling the Norman was the lack of power, we moved house and to get to school I would have to negotiate a rather busy 50mph limit road which is also one of the most dangerous roads in Suffolk. Not too fun when you're struggling up a hill at 20!
The D7 was launched in 1959 so it could well have been one of them. Mine had an incorrect tank off a later D14/4. They got a 4 speed gearbox with the D10 and the D14/4s could reach up to 60mph!

It can't have been the most pathetic machine in the country... I think the Norman would fall into that category or an 18cc cyclemotor engine

[fido]

I do have another bike project hidden away, I've got a lot of old Triumph 3TA parts which I hope to turn into a Triton one day (Triumph engine mounted in a Norton featherbed frame). It is hoped to make a twin cylinder by merging 3TA engines together.

The 3TA was a twin cylinder anyway.

Like you, I was keen on classic bikes from a young age, getting my first, a 1956 Francis Barnett Falcon 200cc in 1976 when I was 17. Of course in those days you could ride anything up to 250cc with L plates. I sort of restored it but some of the things I did then make me cringe when I think about it now. For example, I threw away the original steel legshields that came with the bike. Period accessories like that are sought after now.
Others I've had over the years include a 1959 BSA A7SS Shooting Star, a 1960 BMW R50 boxer twin, a 1954 BSA B31 and my current pair, a 1948 BSA A7 and the 1968 Velocette LE.


This is a 1976 Rickman Suzuki 750 I restored some years ago:

[ucl82]

Whoops sorry of course they're twin cylinder engines I mean't make a four cylinder out of merging two twin cylinders.

Your bikes look lovely and clean (not to mention both being bikes I long to own!) [/code]and I love the Rickman, don't think I've ever seen any Rickman bikes in the flesh though

[Jamie-Skinner]

All good, I intend to get a car when i'm 16 and do it up ready for 17/18..

[Jamie-Skinner]

Heres our car 'KnightMare' Pontiac FireBird 1992 (It's only a V6 )
It's not a classic as such (it's actually 1992) but it's an 80's design and one of the last of this shape before they moved on to the '3rd Gen Firebirds'
It does do 30 to the gallon so not terrible for a yank'

Anyway this is copied from the thread my dad wrote so blame him!

This is where it all started in April 2010, he had a rather large bonnet scoop, silly airfilter and full of dents and knocks

Then we decided to change the bonnet as the scoop was on the rather big side and buy the reg number K17 TFU, and remove the wrap round spoiler

Then it was on to the body damage, NS rear quater and OS front lower wing

And added a knightrider light cut into the nosecone

Then it was out and about looking a bit sorry for himself

After getting fed up with the " patchy " look, it was time for the primer and fangs

When i had the time ( at last ) we decided to go for the satin black look with red pinstriping

Added a bonnet bulge and then thought it not suitable so removed it

We also looked at buying a KITT nosecone, but as knightmare is a custom interpretation of KITT i made my own version from a 92 nose and added 4 spotlights
to the crashbar

And last but not least i have finally painted him, black with purple glitter, so this should now be it ????????????????MAY 2011..............


Don't worry, my dad has had loads of Cortin's, Chevys, Cadilacs, Morris' and Consul's!