Kempton Park

Nice little classic show today, but there are some bleedin optimists
trying to sell 'classic' Hondas. Like the bloke with a US grey import
early CB550 (the one styled like the 500 Four), resprayed in purple and
with a Motad 4-1 on it. He thought it was worth £1550. Nobody else did.

And Andrew and I just missed the T500 Suzuki project bike. All there,
except for the rear tyre and front brake plate (huh?). Quite a bit of
rust etc, but a complete Suzuki T500. It had been snapped up for, get
this, £50, which was all the seller wanted.

Bought one of those useful magnetic bowls for screws and suchlike, and a
packet of cable ties, and that was it. Met Donald and Simon Wilson
there. Nice morning out.

 

It's no good: I have to. Why three? I assume they were dirt cheap.
I made a beeline for a rather tidy and original looking Suzuki TS185 I
saw. The £550 price tag seemed reasonable. And then I started looking
closer...

Shame, that.

 

It was a good little show wasn't it.

I particularly liked the FSIE stand and of course the Vincents

Bought my raffle ticket for the '58 Matchless G11 Super Clubman, if I
win it I'll be needing a beard and jumper pronto.

--
Dan L

Too much time to think, too little to do.


http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/

2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i (It's big, and it's black)
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr (Gone, but not forgotten)

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6/7/8)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

You an' me both. I took several pix of each.

 

Local Poundland are selling sets of 12 velcro-style equivalents of
cable-ties, cable-tidying for the use of. Strikes me they'd be useful in
many other contexts (unlike many cable-ties, they are completely reusable
-- and come in 6 different colours, too!). They also have packs of more
cable-ties than you are likely to use in a lifetime...

*Don't* ask how much!

--
Ivan Reid, School of Engineering & Design, _____________ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

Me too. I wish I had never sold my fizzy-DX, but there's no way I'd pay
the silly money they make at the moment.

 

Did you see the Rocket Goldstar, priced at a mere 17 grand?

 

Jeez. No. I don't know much about these things, but I guess that was
maybe £7k overpriced?

 

Not sure either. A quick look here
http://www.goldstarbsa.com/bikesforsale.htm and there's a couple in a
similar price range.

It was immaculate thobbut.

I *still* want a 500 single Goldstar. Oh, and a T160[1] too.

[1]There was a tatty one there for £3,750, also OTT pricewise IMHO

 

There was a 1200 Aspencade being run up by a seller for a prospective
buyer.

I used to have an 1100 'Cade, and Andrew and I were commenting on it.

I said something like: "The 1200's supposed to be a much better bike
than the 1100. I think they were prone to alternator probs, though..."
and Andrew said loudly: "Is that why the previous owner fitted that
aftermarket ammeter? It doesn't look like it's charging."

The seller's face, with murder written on it, swivelled towards us and
we melted into the crowd....

 

First you have to find a Goldie that actually left the factory as such.
Most were contrapted in sheds.

 

Nice surprise today, another SOB collecter in the village came around for
some help on identifying a box of bantam. It turns out to be a D14S the
same as mine, the rims and mudguards seem to be missing but otherwise
all there and looks good. Rims should be easy but does anyone know for
some chromed mudguards ?, AFAIK they were only fitted to the D14S and the
Bushman.

The nice bit, however, was the rest of his SOB collection which includes
a genuine Goldie which he has owned from new. Less than 1000 miles, it
gets trailered to the occasional show to collect more trophies and ridden
around the block a few times a year. Absolutely bloody immaculate.

Not for sale, he is leaving it to his son who is also a SO Bitbike fan.

 

Oh dear. A pothunter.

So it should be.

I dunno, I do love seeing immaculate old bikes and I'm glad people show
'em, but the pothunters get on my tits somehow.

 

The Older Gentleman wrote:

Wotcha.

I've rebuilt my B33 to "shiny as a chimp's testicle" condition.
I intend to use it, and use it as often as I can.
All being well, the belt drive Gremlin has been laid to rest ( fingers
crossed ) and I can start to put some serious mileage on it. This week
would have been ideal, weather-wise, but I've had to use the trike and the
Enfield. Still most enjoyable, but it ain't my B33 though.

 

In fairness to the old fellow, he was blinded in an industrial accident
shortly after buying the Goldie and took 5 years to get back partial
sight in one eye and another 5 to get his licence back so it is hardly
surprising that he does not ride a lot. Lovely collection of Triumphs and
Beezers though.

 

OK, fair enough, then.

What else has he got?

 

yeah. I'd be VERY wary of a nominal Goldstar, and would want convincing
evidence. It's not that hard to fake 'em. Not that I've anything against a
fake one, but not for genuine money.

Ideally, you'd want a known expert to look at it, too.

 

You two been reading "how to make friends and influence people" again?

 

The collection is the stuff of local legend and one day I hope to be invited
to his lockup, the location of which is understandably closely guarded.
Until then I can only see one bike on a trailer and a box of bantam in
his garage. There are known to be around 20 bikes in pristine order, all
1950s and 1960s britbikes. Until then everything else is hearsay.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Austin Shackles

It is a source of constant wonderment to me that TOG's father was in the
diplomatic corps, post war.

I can only assume that he was never assigned to a nuclear-capable
country. My evidence for this assertion being that I am here typing, and
not beating two rocks together in an attempt to make fire.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - "He's hopeless, but he's honest"

I have already made the greatest contribution to the fight against climate
change that I can make: I have decided not to breed. Now quit bugging me and
go and talk to the Catholics.