Newbie to restoring

**ink ink** · 11-11-19, 17:45

Originally Posted by Horse

Hmmm . . . Was it 'Ninja44DD' or similar who had several people fooled?

You fell for the double bluff.

Reader, I married her.

**Horse** · 11-11-19, 17:58

Originally Posted by ink ink

You fell for the double bluff.

Reader, I married her.

Ant will be along soon . . .

**Bike Breaker** · 11-11-19, 19:28

Originally Posted by davidat19

Naively i thought it unlikely a fella would call himself " maria"....there again .....

A lot of men around the world have 'Maria' as their middle name.

**ink ink** · 11-11-19, 19:42

Originally Posted by Bike Breaker

A lot of men around the world have 'Maria' as their middle name.

Not to mention Big Mary!

**Tomcat** · 12-11-19, 16:07

Originally Posted by Bike Breaker

Always start with a complete bike, preferably a runner.

Oh!

Can't overstate this. Despite all the info you can gather from owners clubs, shop manuals or t'internet there is no substitute for seeing one in the flesh and understanding why that odd shaped bracket is there. The more original the better, because the odds are that bit you had to destroy to take off is no longer available anywhere in the world.

And don't underestimate how much it will cost. When I first restored my Commando back in the 90s it cost about £5,000 to finish a bike that was 90% complete. Re-restoring my LC last winter (from what I thought was fully restored before) cost about £2,000. Do it as a labour of love or not at all, don't expect to make a profit on the deal.