I am not bored with my little Honda CM125CC by any stretch of the imagination but I am hungry for further challenge. I feel the need to bite off a bit more and see how much I can chew.
So I have started the hunt for another project. My plan is to go for something older. Perhaps push the clock back about a further 20 years or so from my Honda. My Honda is a 1984 so I am looking for something late fifties to sixties vintage. Maybe just into the seventies.
I have had a scan around on bike websites and stuff and have narrowed the list a bit. I want to go British this time and not European or Japanese. There are some bikes in the Matchless, Norton and Triumph stables which I like the look of and at the moment my leaning is towards Matchless.
I am following the same process as I did before I bought my little Honda. First, do I like the bike? If I don’t actually like the bike I am rebuilding then I am quickly going to lose interest. Second, whats the parts availability like? I don’t have infinite budget so I can’t go around having bits re-manufactured from scratch to any great extent. For some bits its ok but I can’t do lots that way. I actually want to ride the bike once restored so there does need to be an element of practicality about the bike. I am not rebuilding to sell, I am rebuilding to enjoy.
At the moment my favoured brand is Matchless. Parts are a little bit of struggle in some areas but there is still lots about. I do like the look of some of the big bikes and in particular the G15 CS which has the 750 Norton engine.
My research will continue to progress along this path with a view to having another heap of bits in the back of the garage for the winter.
Watch this space.