Ok.
So.
What have I done?
Well, if you remember, right back when I started this story, I explained how it all began when my dad bought me a BSA Bantam when I was a schoolboy?
My lad, who is now 13, has been riding with me for coming up five years now, since he was physically big enough to reach the footrests properly.
He’s a bit bigger than that now mind. ☝️
For a while now he’s been making noises about “inheriting” my Bantam, mainly I think because it’s quite small and he fits on it pretty well.
Now, I don’t have any issues with him inheriting any of my junk in due course, but I do remember very well the look on my dad’s face when I had to show him the results of my first motorcycle accident, and although I have enjoyed history repeating itself as my lad has got older I certainly don’t want him bending either of my bikes while I’m still around. 🤣
So, I’ve been kind of “looking, not looking” for a while for something suitable for him. Not such a basket case that it will cost a fortune in time and money, and never get finished; and not so tidy that it’ll cost too much for something he might lose interest in and that he’ll learn nothing from.
A couple of weeks ago, a fellow club member posted the following on Faceache:
I duly contacted him, was given the seller’s details, and had a bit of a conversation with her. She told me that it had been her late father’s bike, but that he’d not used it himself, he’d inherited it from a family friend, who had been the second owner, from 1962 until his death in 1997. Her asking price though was £2000. Way too steep for me, and well above its actual value unless being sold by the most unscrupulous of dealers or maybe being broken for spares. I politely declined, saying that whilst her price
might be achievable, in my opinion it was what a bike in that cosmetic condition would fetch if it was running and rideable, and wished her luck. She asked what I’d be prepared to pay for it and I said that, based on the description and photos I’d go to £1000. I didn’t get a reply, so I thought that was it.
A week later I got an email from her apologising for the delay in replying, thanking me for my thoughts and saying that if my offer still stood, it would be acceptable to her. 🙂
So, I set to emptying my various misbehaving accounts, sorting and weighing in some scrap, and generally scrabbling some pennies together. I also, luckily (and if I’m honest, somewhat to my surprise) obtained spousal/maternal permission for the purchase. Something my father had failed to do prior to buying mine for me, so at least my mum’s shouting at him about it had some effect. 🤣
Thursday of last week was D-day. The bike was in West Byfleet, Surrey, so not a million miles away, and an easy trip in the Land-Rover. On arrival, checking the bike showed it to be in better condition than I’d anticipated, not seized, pretty much all there except the toolbox and battery carrier (which might still turn up as the garage gets cleared), and with a history file that included buff RF60 logbook, bill of sale from Blays of Twickenham for £40 in 1962 (£950 in today’s money), factory owner’s manual, Haynes manual, factory service sheets, some original tax discs, the family friend’s driving license and insurance certificates going back to the late 50s, together with a box of spares.
All in, I think I paid about the right price for it. I’m certainly happy with the deal, which is all that matters I suppose. 🙂
The boy seems quite taken with it. Time will tell whether it will lure him away from the PlayStation, but I do hope so.
It is, if I’m honest, probably in better condition overall now than my one was when we got that in ‘78. It wants a good clean, but a lot of the expensive and hard to find original bits are present and in good order. The tank and chain guard have both been stripped and are in primer, so they’ll need a coat of gloss. I can use one of my spare tanks to try and get it running though in the short term.
Plan is to remove the unnecessary aftermarket rear footrests, see if it will run, then let the boy tinker. The rear mudguard wants a repair where the rack mounts have torn through it, probably from having someone hefty on a rack mounted pillion pad, and the centre stand needs repair. It will also want two tyres, fork bushes and the wiring will need sorting too before it can go back on the road, but that can get tackled at a later date. We will likely either get a late 125cc barrel for it, or fit my old D1 engine, in order for the boy to be able to ride it at 17, but that’s for a bit further down the line.
Anyway, that’s enough digression for now. I’ll get back to putting my D1 back together for now, but will update this as and when we do something with it.
