TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Are there any motorcycle aficionado's around? I went to the motorcycle subsection and its pretty much a ghost town and all 4 sales. I have a 1939 BSA that has been invited to a couple of concours events. I am looking for some place to gleen some info so that I can get it sorted properly. I did not get a lot out of searching the net for something as old as mine. In fact I saw a couple pics of my bike! An older restoration, it needs cleaned, a little motor help and a good going over to make sure cables, wires, fasteners etc. are correct. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Antique motorcycle club of America comes to mind. Have you been to the Oley PA meets? At one time Hermy’s in Port Clinton PA was a dealer for the old original Triumph motorcycles. Might give them a ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 I was very active in the AMCA a few years ago. I did not agree with the politics so I took a step back. Have been to Oley many a time. We travelled the eastern half of the country showing. From Rhinebeck to Fla. Also familiar with Port Clinton. Travelled through there on a regular basis on my way Frackville. I know where Hermys is but never stopped. I had a very knowledgeable fellow that did my restorations for quite a few years but has since retired. Being away from the world of antique m/c's for awhile I have lost my contacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 What model ? 1939 BSA's are pretty simple devices . Even the Gold Star's are firmly based on the reasonably plentiful Empire Stars. Of course anything Gold Star specific is hens teeth. By correct are you meaning properly functional ? Or correct from a exact match to what was used in 1939 point of view ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 Just now, TAKerry said: I was very active in the AMCA a few years ago. I did not agree with the politics so I took a step back. Have been to Oley many a time. We travelled the eastern half of the country showing. From Rhinebeck to Fla. Also familiar with Port Clinton. Travelled through there on a regular basis on my way Frackville. I know where Hermys is but never stopped. I had a very knowledgeable fellow that did my restorations for quite a few years but has since retired. Being away from the world of antique m/c's for awhile I have lost my contacts. I will add that I did very much like the AMCA activities, just not some of their policy's. Overall though they are great for HD and Indian, Brit bikes not so much. In fact the very bike I need to prepare was shorted on points because the judges did not know what they were looking at! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave39MD Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Have you tried this site? https://www.britbike.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 Its a 1939 Gold Star competition model with original motor. It was restored at one point but has sat in my garage for a number of years un attended. I would like to get it cleaned and running. It did run good. I will add that even with the compression release it was by far the hardest of my old bikes to get started! I would like to make sure wires and such, spark plug etc are period correct. The last time I put the bike in a show it was simply a wipe down and polish. Frankly, after seeing some of the cars from amelia and pebble beach I would like to make this thing as perfect as I can. It is really not that far off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, Dave39MD said: Have you tried this site? https://www.britbike.com/ I did. I was planning on subscribing to their forum. Have not as of yet though. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 I always look at bikes as things to be ridden. The show side of motorcycles is fine. I take lots of reference photo's of machines similar to ones I own. But I have no real interest in showing my bikes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 2 minutes ago, 1912Staver said: I always look at bikes as things to be ridden. The show side of motorcycles is fine. I take lots of reference photo's of machines similar to ones I own. But I have no real interest in showing my bikes. Ironically I have that same philosophy. I started collecting with my brother and we had a barnfull. Most were pre war stuff that just arent safe to ride on the street so we started to restore them for show but still rode them in a limited capacity. My brother has Rudge motorcycles, one he does drive on a regular basis the other he races in the VRMA (or something like that). It has been quite a few years since I have done the show thing. I have received an invite to a couple of shows so I figured what the heck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 I expect a pre war Gold Star is a bike worth getting really correct. But being a competition bike they would have had pretty rough use for their first 10 years in almost every case. I expect there are good reference photo's out there , but it is not a bike I have personally dug into. My Gold Star is a 1954 Swing arm machine. Also a 49 ZB motor in a 49 B34 chassis. BSA's parts books are where I always start. They detail out every part , except bought in things, Mags, lights, horn etc, are normally only described as a basic, assembled unit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 A good friend is a Rudge nut. One running Ulster and a second one coming together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 I have a 1964 Vespa VNB125 and 1970 Yamaha Enduro 90 with 600 miles on it. Son asked me to keep them for him as I am unable to do anything with them. Both went to local fire company type shows. The Yamaha was ridden by me off-road for the fun you can get out of a 90cc bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) It's British, so have you searched there? The Vintage Motorcycle Club should be a good resource. Even the UK version of evil-bay should be good for finding literature and parts. Terry Edited March 9, 2022 by Terry Bond (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom999w Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 About ten years ago I bought a basket case in boxes 1965 BSA Thunderbolt REAL old school (not new to look old school) chopper, and sent it to famous chopper builder Jano to get put back together in "as chopped in 1968" condition. It had a hard tail, non-sprung seat, sissy bar, ape hangers, suicide shift, no front fender, skinny front tire, Joe Hunt magneto, slipper pistons, black/green/orange chameleon paint on the tank (new), kick start only, no turn signals, horn, etc... Wow, what a fun bike to drive. It was more of a conversation piece than anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 4 minutes ago, Tom999w said: About ten years ago I bought a basket case in boxes 1965 BSA Thunderbolt REAL old school (not new to look old school) chopper, and sent it to famous chopper builder Jano to get put back together in "as chopped in 1968" condition. It had a hard tail, non-sprung seat, sissy bar, ape hangers, suicide shift, no front fender, skinny front tire, Joe Hunt magneto, slipper pistons, black/green/orange chameleon paint on the tank (new), kick start only, no turn signals, horn, etc... Wow, what a fun bike to drive. It was more of a conversation piece than anything... Not the type of bike for long distance rides I bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Me, second from right on my 1985 Honda XR350R enduro bike at an event in NJ. I did off road endurance and scrambles for nearly 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom999w Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 21 minutes ago, TerryB said: Me, second from right on my 1985 Honda XR350R enduro bike at an event in NJ. I did off road endurance and scrambles for nearly 30 years. Wow. What year was that, 1985? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 6 minutes ago, Tom999w said: Wow. What year was that, 1985? Year was 1986, all four bikes on that starting row were members of the off road club I belonged to, Reading PA Off Road Riders. The white motorcycle is a club member on a Husqvarna motorcycle. I had been riding a Husqvarna too and then bought the Honda in 1985. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Is it just me? Or am I actually seeing LESS motorcycles on the road during summer than in the past few years? There is definitely far more vehicular traffic on the roads now; especially big rigs getting product to market. But other factors, including improved brakes on newer cars which seem to make drivers feel they are exempt from the 'one car length per ten mph' guideline, and much more distracted driving does make a motorcyclist much more vulnerable to getting injured or killed today. Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 They are down in sales and popularity overall. Price is a big factor. Manufacturers are bringing back more smaller displacement cycles to attract new riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 15 minutes ago, TerryB said: They are down in sales and popularity overall. Price is a big factor. Manufacturers are bringing back more smaller displacement cycles to attract new riders. And here, it can remain parked in the garage for up to six months of the year, with our weather. Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 1 hour ago, TAKerry said: Its a 1939 Gold Star competition model with original motor. It was restored at one point but has sat in my garage for a number of years un attended. I would like to get it cleaned and running. It did run good. I will add that even with the compression release it was by far the hardest of my old bikes to get started! I would like to make sure wires and such, spark plug etc are period correct. The last time I put the bike in a show it was simply a wipe down and polish. Frankly, after seeing some of the cars from amelia and pebble beach I would like to make this thing as perfect as I can. It is really not that far off. For a few years my middle son had a bit of collection of Bantams, nothing that was complete but one was almost there, just need a bit of motor work. They were all in the 49-53 range. There a couple of shops close to me in southern Ontario that might be worth a call or email to - https://www.walridge.com/ and https://wolfeworx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bloom Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 I bet half the guys on here have some level of old bike itch. Got to give a shout out to Morries place, about 5 miles from my office. https://morriesplacecycle.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 While these photos won’t help with Kerry’s question, I thought you might enjoy the early 1950s magazine photos while we are on this topic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom999w Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 Nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom999w Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 2 hours ago, TerryB said: Manufacturers are bringing back more smaller displacement cycles to attract new riders. I've owned and ridden big bikes and small bikes, but my favorite is the 2000 Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250cc... Small, light, very basic, holds a passenger, super reliable, digital dashboard, and with on/off road capability... Light enough to pop-start if the battery is dead, fast enough to keep up with traffic, small enough to lift over logs and railroad tracks when making new trails... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Even though this is the AACA website I would like to see a couple of pictures of your bike TAKerry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 11 hours ago, nickelroadster said: Even though this is the AACA website I would like to see a couple of pictures of your bike TAKerry. As far as I know antique motorcycles are accepted into the frame of the AACA. Although there is a separate organization AMCA specifically for motor cycles. Having antique cars (and I have already made my view of the AMCA) I would prefer to showcase them here, not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 2018-06-20_04-27-12 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr Not a great pic, but this is the bike I have under discussion. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 2018-06-20_04-27-03 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr For the sake of argument, another one in the 'shed' 1952 Ariel VH500 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 2018-06-20_04-26-42 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr 1938 CZ 250 sport 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 2018-04-26_08-53-03 by Kerry Grubb, on Flickr 1949 Triumph 3T 350cc 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 You have a bunch of nice looking bikes. Thanks for posting pictures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Nice group! One of my back burner projects is piecing together a 1949 TR5. Bit by bit things have turned up, but I am probably going to pass it along to someone else. So much pre unit Triumph stuff has left this area over the last 25 years that It has become very difficult indeed to piece one together from local parts . Buying parts in the U.S. with Canadian $ and then paying shipping is a lost cause. At one time the Vancouver B.C. area was loaded with Triumph stuff. Tons and tons of it . But many large exports to Australia , New Zealand , back home to the U.K. and to a lesser extent to the U.S. has left my local cupboard quite bare. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom999w Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Or you could buy a new 2022 bike that looks like an old bike... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Here in British Columbia where I live we have a " Collector Plate " program that gives the owner a very deeply discounted , yearly insurance cost. But only real vintage machines , 25 years and older. After several years the vintage bike really pays off compared to insuring a newer machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 16 minutes ago, Tom999w said: Or you could buy a new 2022 bike that looks like an old bike... I think these are made in India. It will be interesting to see if the high gas prices generate a renewed interest in scooters and motorcycles. Back in the early 1970s the Honda CB350/360 twins were a hot commodity. Several people I worked with bought them and then realized living in Pennsylvania meat riding in rain, cold weather and hot days with no A/C. Within a year or two these gas savers all disappeared from the parking lot at work. I had a 1972 Honda XL250 that was used for back woods exploring, not for saving gas. Kerry’s original bikes are fantastic! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 Thank you. The little triumph is probably my favorite. There are only a few in this country. It was a bike that was doomed from the start. Pre war design built as a catch up after the war but by that time the 500cc had come into favor. More of those around than the 350's. Wasnt really sure what it was when we bought it. The entire bike except the tires was painted an ugly grey. The fellow that did the restoration was one of the best for brit bikes. He had a person in his office that did a great job with researching each machine before he undertook the job. We bought the Ariel thinking it was a 350cc as that was the motor on it. Only after doing a bit of research was it discovered that this was a 500cc model. After an exhaustive search a correct engine was found in vegas. At one time I had 3 of the Ariels. All red hunters, 2 '53's and a '55. Ive had a couple of Matchless, a few BSA's, and a couple of Nortons. Kind of an eclectic collection of European bikes. The CZ is the oddball now. That is another unique machine as I have never seen another. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 CZ along with Maico had impressive off road motocross bikes in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before the Japanese bikes became dominant. I had a nice dent in my knee from being behind a CZ motocross bike that kicked up a big rock on a trail ride. As a young kid I remember a guy in my small town who owned and rode a 1960s chrome tank BSA which I thought was the coolest bike of all time. He was one of my inspirations to get a motorcycle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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