Looking for classic bike to restore

john2524

Hi all,

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place. I am wondering if anyone has any advice where I could buy a classic motorbike to restore and then use as a first bike. I have been driving a good few years and would like to learn how to ride a bike I don't want to just go out and buy a bike though I would like to restore one. I was thinking of one of the old classic Hondas or something along those lines.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

kodak

john2524 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place. I am wondering if anyone has any advice where I could buy a classic motorbike to restore and then use as a first bike. I have been driving a good few years and would like to learn how to ride a bike I don't want to just go out and buy a bike though I would like to restore one. I was thinking of one of the old classic Hondas or something along those lines.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Check insurance and do your sums first

Getting into biking is expensive enough and depending on the level of restoration required/desired, the cost may be prohibitive

There are some lovely future classics out there that may not require huge work and could be a good option

I like some of the old vfr's

CJhaughey

To learn on a classic is probably not ideal. It could also delay you getting to the actual stage of learning to ride a bike because the resto is taking so long.
I think a better solution is to learn to ride on a modern bike and then once you are proficient then buy a classic to restore, you may have a better idea as to what kind of classic you want to get then as well.
Street, trail, etc.
Plenty about but you want to be very careful as to what condition they are in, costs mount very quickly when it comes to resto's depending on how original you want to go.
The flip side is you can end up with a bike that's to precious to ride in anything other than perfect weather and that will be very restrictive in Ireland.

Wossack

Can be expensive, often extremely so.. and starting out is expensive enough!

Note a lot of the older bikes won't make enough power for direct access (or even the 'A' licence?), and youll most likely not be able to avail of cheaper 'classic insurance' with a learner permit

Dexter Bip

I thought I would do exactly the same thing about twelve years ago. I've a full bike licence since the '70s so the access issues mentioned weren't a problem. I felt the mid life crisis coming on and knew that I needed to get back on a bike...... Expense wasn't an issue.
Long story short, in 2004 I took the van over to England and came home with four classic hondas ( CB550f, and CG and CB125s - the ones I had as a teenager and the one I couldn't afford when I was nineteen, all from the early to mid seventies) all off eBay, with the idea that I would restore and drive them. I paid about £300 each for them at the time as they were still 'future classics'. I spent a fortune on the CB5550f in the meantime and it is my pride and joy. CG125 has 7k miles on it and is like new as nobody bothered to drive them in the UK once they passed the test. Mine still had the L plate attached when I collected it in Bournemouth. CB125s too unreliable to take anywhere and I spent years sourcing parts on eBay and working on them. So as a practical means of transport all are a no go. Too nice to take out on a rainy day and too old to use as a practical means of transport and way too long to restore. In the end I bought a modern bike ( bandit ) which allows me to get out on the road, have a bit of fun and still engage in a bit of 'polishing chrome' ( Mrs Dexter Bip's description of any kind of bike maintenance) on the old bikes.
You didn't say what age bike you were thinking of. Maybe your classic is somebody else's older bike. I'd say that bikes from the nineties would be fairly useable without any of the problems of the earlier decades. A 1997 bike is now 18 years old and will still look good. There are plenty of fresh examples in the UK of bikes of this era. as well as the North of Ireland.
Bottom line is I would go for fun over romance.

john2524

Thanks everybody for the replies. To be honest I was looking for something mainly for the restoration factor, I'm already driving a car at the moment so I don't really need a bike for everyday use. I was looking for a bike that I could rebuild and I wouldn't be in a major rush getting it up and running. I'm in college at the moment and I was hoping to have a project bike I could work on on the weekends and during the breaks. I enjoy doing bits and pieces mechanically and if I had a bike I could learn to ride at the end of it all then that would be great. I understand this may be a bit of an unorthodox request of advice. The bikes that I was looking around on done deal were the 70/80s Hondas but I don't know a whole lot about them I just like the look of the bikes and know Honda have always had a good reputation.

john2524

kodak wrote: »

Check insurance and do your sums first

Getting into biking is expensive enough and depending on the level of restoration required/desired, the cost may be prohibitive

There are some lovely future classics out there that may not require huge work and could be a good option

I like some of the old vfr's

Thanks, when you refer to future classics. What age would you be talking about? Do you think it would be better to go for a more modern bike in terms of cost?

kodak

john2524 wrote: »

Thanks, when you refer to future classics. What age would you be talking about? Do you think it would be better to go for a more modern bike in terms of cost?

Future classics , well the larger cc's spring to mind Honda SP1, VFR's & Ducati's, R6/r1, nice fireblades

If I were you I'd get a fazer or similar

Something like

https://www.donedeal.ie/motorbikes-for-sale/yamaha-fazer-600-mint-condition/9396166

And then go to the classic motorbike shows to see what you like

cantdecide

Trust me on this one- whatever bike you start out liking are not necessarily the ones you'll go on to fantasise about. By the time you immerse yourself in the bike world you'll be looking at bike you were once considering buying and wondering what you were thinking about

As above, I'd go for something with a retro feel to cut your teeth and at least you know you'll be able to flog it later. Or maybe rolling-resto something like a CB400 or a even take on a Bandit 600 needing some TLC.

john2524

kodak wrote: »

Future classics , well the larger cc's spring to mind Honda SP1, VFR's & Ducati's, R6/r1, nice fireblades

If I were you I'd get a fazer or similar

Something like

And then go to the classic motorbike shows to see what you like

Thanks again. What cc is the best to start out on taking into consideration insurance and lessons with ibt and that.

CJhaughey

How about a BROS?
Nice V-twin, Honda build quality from that era late 80's probably the best its ever been.
Alloy frame.
They come in two versions 400 and 650 but 650 is a lot rarer.
Twins are a nice machine to ride less revvy than an I4 and decent torque.

john2524

CJhaughey wrote: »

How about a BROS?
Nice V-twin, Honda build quality from that era late 80's probably the best its ever been.
Alloy frame.
They come in two versions 400 and 650 but 650 is a lot rarer.
Twins are a nice machine to ride less revvy than an I4 and decent torque.

Yeah that looks like something I would be interested in. Are they an easy bike to work on?

john2524

....and start out with?

CJhaughey

They are very good bikes, great build quality and leaner friendly.
Easy to restrict the 650 not sure about the 400.
Parts easy enough to get as well.

jk536

Im currently in the final stages of restoring a Bros 400,will be taking the first ride this week. The bike is very simple to work on and there are plenty of online resources to aid the process. What I found was that I was having a problem, dozens of others have had the same and have posted answers on forums such as this.

Parts are pretty cheap for the most although the odd one is very expensive for some reason, such as a front disc was 230 quid :eek: I assumed it was the fact it is now a 25 year old grey import.

One piece of advice I will give if you are going with a bros is to keep the budget in mind. top dollar for a bros is probably just over a grand where as one that has seen better days would be 500ish. It can be very easy to put more into the bike than you would ever see back if you decide to sell.

john2524

jk536 wrote:

One piece of advice I will give if you are going with a bros is to keep the budget in mind. top dollar for a bros is probably just over a grand where as one that has seen better days would be 500ish. It can be very easy to put more into the bike than you would ever see back if you decide to sell.

jk536 wrote:

Parts are pretty cheap for the most although the odd one is very expensive for some reason, such as a front disc was 230 quid I assumed it was the fact it is now a 25 year old grey import.

jk536 wrote:

Im currently in the final stages of restoring a Bros 400,will be taking the first ride this week. The bike is very simple to work on and there are plenty of online resources to aid the process. What I found was that I was having a problem, dozens of others have had the same and have posted answers on forums such as this.

jk536 wrote:

One piece of advice I will give if you are going with a bros is to keep the budget in mind. top dollar for a bros is probably just over a grand where as one that has seen better days would be 500ish. It can be very easy to put more into the bike than you would ever see back if you decide to sell.

jk536 wrote:

Parts are pretty cheap for the most although the odd one is very expensive for some reason, such as a front disc was 230 quid I assumed it was the fact it is now a 25 year old grey import.

jk536 wrote:

Im currently in the final stages of restoring a Bros 400,will be taking the first ride this week. The bike is very simple to work on and there are plenty of online resources to aid the process. What I found was that I was having a problem, dozens of others have had the same and have posted answers on forums such as this.

Thanks for your advice. I wouldn't be really looking to make money on it or even trying to make the money I put into it back. I just wanted something that I could restore and then later ride. A bike that isn't difficult to work on and something that is good looking and nice to ride is what I was looking for. By the looks of things the bros ticks pretty much all the boxes. Do you have any idea where I could pick one up for a reasonable price. It looks like the ones in need of work are few and far between and the majority are over a 1000?

Thanks again.

CJhaughey

They come up from time to time, right now is peak season for bike sales, if you look in Autumn or Winter prices will usually have come back a bit.
There was a lovely looking 650 on DD about 2 months ago that looked exceptional.
I would say just keep looking and buy the best one you can afford.
Rolling restos are much better value than ground up ones IME.

jk536

Decent project bikes are thin on the ground alright but you just have to keep an eye on donedeal and the likes for something to crop up. I remember looking for mine I was thinking to myself "I just know some fella has one in his shed he wants rid of but hasnt got round to putting it for sale yet!".
CJHaughey is right when he says rolling restos are much better value than ground up ones. A couple extra quid on the bike you buy could save you more in the long run but it you are doing it for the enjoyment of restoring a bike completely then one with a bit of extra work might suit better.

I added a couple photos of how I got mine and how it stands at the minute for some inspiration!

john2524

Thanks cjhaughey and jk536. I kind of what to restore one fully but if I can get one where there are parts that just need refurbishment and the bike is in reasonable condition I would be happy. So there are no places selling bikes in need of restoring besides the likes of the ones that crop up on done deal from time to time. I saw one in reasonabley good Nick and a second one being sold together for 400 Euro but it was dated last month so that was an opportunity missed!

That looks sweet jk536. I'd be interested in seeing any more photos or advice you would have after your build!

Mesrine65

This guy on eBay is fantastic for barn find restoration projects...

http://stores.ebay.ie/dkmotorcyclespares/DK-Classic-Motorcycles-/_i.html?rt=nc&_dmd=2&_fsub=4230611&_sid=163501735&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_vc=1

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/1979-Honda-CB650-Unregistered-US-Import-Barn-Find-Classic-Restoration-Spares-/311358449525?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item487e68e775

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/1978-Honda-CX500-Unregistered-US-Import-Rare-Classic-Running-Restoration-Project-/311358543940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item487e6a5844

jk536

john2524 wrote: »

That looks sweet jk536. I'd be interested in seeing any more photos or advice you would have after your build!

No bother,if you have any questions or problems Id be happy to help.

CJhaughey

Fair play JK, that looks like a decent job of tidying that Bros, looks a million time better without all those stupid stickers all over it.
They have great lines those bikes.
Its a real pity they were never imported as either the Hawk GT or the Bros 400/650, Too expensive at the time maybe.

K.Flyer

Mesrine65 wrote: »

This guy on eBay is fantastic for barn find restoration projects...

http://stores.ebay.ie/dkmotorcyclespares/DK-Classic-Motorcycles-/_i.html?rt=nc&_dmd=2&_fsub=4230611&_sid=163501735&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14&_vc=1

Wow!

Some cracking memories came flooding back after going through that lot.
The Kwak Mac iii understandably getting good interest. The GT 380 I would love for sentimental reasons, but it's a bit pricey.
Certainly a good starting place for anyone interested in doing a moderate restoration.

The Red Ace

If you don't find a suitable bike for restoration in Irl. you should consider a trip to the Stafford bike show in October, you will be gobsmacked at the amount of bikes and spares on display. As someone who has done quite a few restos in the past my advice would be to buy it in reasonable condition you will still find plenty to do to it and buy a popular model from whatever era you are interested in, that way when you go to move it on it wont have depreciated, 10/12 years ago I bought Honda cb 400/4s from the 70s for approx. 800 quid, in pristine condition they are now fetching up to 4 grand, put Staff on the diary you would enjoy the weekend even if you didn't buy

rock22

I would suggest you research the specific models you are interested in before buying anything as costs and availability can vary considerably.

Have you considered British? Parts are often more available and cheaper than Japanese and , generally, they are simpler to work on. i would suggest getting a fe editions of the classic bike magazines and reading up on what interests you first.

Many classics advertised here http://www.donedeal.ie/find/vintagebikes/for-sale/Ireland/

This site might also give you an idea of value before you buy

john2524

Hi Rock22,
Well I dont know a whole lot about classic motorbikes thats why I started this thread. What bike would you recommend to cut your teeth on? The Honda Bros 400 seems quite available because it shares so many parts with other bikes? Is that not correct?
Thanks for your comment.

CJhaughey

john2524 wrote: »

Hi Rock22,
Well I dont know a whole lot about classic motorbikes thats why I started this thread. What bike would you recommend to cut your teeth on? The Honda Bros 400 seems quite available because it shares so many parts with other bikes? Is that not correct?
Thanks for your comment.

Nice Bros 400 here looks very clean and original.

http://www.donedeal.ie/motorbikes-for-sale/honds-bross-400-93-d/9618482?offset=7