Your advice and wisdom, please!

[Byfleet Beeza]

So, back in 2014  I joined the forum.
I own a 1954 plunger A10 which I bought in 1987, It was lying outside a house on the Sussex seafront since 1979 as the engine had seized (usual sludge trap issue).
I still have the bike, now with the engine removed, etc and boxes of removed parts. The dismantling happened quite a few years ago, the engine out more recently. The good news is that it's all been garaged for the last 30 years!
However, as I get older I am now doubting my ability to do the work / ever get the work done to get it back on the road due to too many other projects and time etc.
Because the bike was left in the open for so long, it is not pretty, but it was complete. I don't want a showpiece; if I could use it more or less as is,a rusty beauty, that would do.
I will one day need to make a decision to either sell it as a basket case, find a restorer (even a basic repairer) to get it usable or find a mentor to spur me on and direct the order of work, etc, .
The sooner the better to get it usable!
I don't really want to part with the bike, and hope that someone will offer straightforward advice etc..
Thanks for your thougts.

[RDfella]

Your age is not mentioned in you profile, but my interpretation of your post is that you feel you need to get a move on because you're not as young as you were. DAMHIK. If that's the case, my advice would be to sell it, because, again taking cue from your post, this restoration will take years. Not only that, but the restoration will probably exceed the value of the finished article (as is the case with most restorations).
Good luck.

[Swarfcut]

 RD's right there about the money. Coming out on top after investing your hard earned in a full restoration only happens in the world of TV entertainment.  The decision is whether to play with what you have and get a runner without spending on the cosmetics, the so called oily rag resto, Fine if you really just want the satisfaction of bringing it alive once more, or just dust it off and try your luck on ebay. A rolling chassis is well within your skills, and will add value for little outlay. It then becomes a straightforward non runner, a real magnet for the more masochistic savers of lost causes.....You may also find that inside it's not as bad as first thought. These motors are simple, a wash and brush up may be all it needs, worst case is a crank grind and bearings.... a clean of the sludge trap and a good working oil pump. Used parts for anything major will be fine.

 Swarfy.

[Rex]

If you're doubting your skills, enthusiasm, money available and time, then best to flog it as a project (it'll fetch good money on Ebay...everyone loves a BSA twin project it seems) and either buy a running A ranger or something else entirely.
If you get no pleasure from reconditioning bits of rusty motorcycle then don't kid yourself that you'll ever get it done.

[KiwiGF]

If you're doubting your skills, enthusiasm, money available and time, then best to flog it as a project (it'll fetch good money on Ebay...everyone loves a BSA twin project it seems) and either buy a running A ranger or something else entirely.
If you get no pleasure from reconditioning bits of rusty motorcycle then don't kid yourself that you'll ever get it done.

I totally agree with the above, but be careful when buying a running A series, to make sure that it is not another project! A running B series is for many the best way to start BSA ownership.

Some people get their kicks from restoring old british bikes (some sell restored bikes without even starting them! - best avoided those bikes), some from riding them, some from doing both.

If you do decide to restore it, the “restore one part at a time” approach works well, for many it’s better than trying to plan the whole project by making lists of missing parts to be bought, and work to be outsourced, which can be overwhelming.

The wheels can be a good place to start, but would very quickly reveal the cost of restoring a bike to a rideable state, rims and spokes are often too rusty to be safe, so new parts and re-spoke job there, bearings should be replaced, brake shoes probably will need to be renewed, sprocket replaced. Then new tubes and tyres bought. If you want the patina look then you might find yourself looking for usable but rusty rims!

Owning a running old british bike, even a restored one, still means spending a fair bit of time down the shed 🤣

[RichardL]

Here is one thing I think the forum should be for. We have a forum member in need of good advice, or help. He lives in  North West Surrey. I would guess there are a dozen forum members within 20 miles who could stop by and take a first-hand look to offer opinions (or ogle the survivor, the bike, that is) and share beer or tea, and, maybe, even, bring some tools and help with the fettling. I mean, the engine has to come apart, maybe it takes two hours or so of teamwork to get to the answer on the internals. The future of the bike will be a lot clearer once that is known.

Richard L.

[sean]

we all have a best before date but the longer you put off the project the closer it comes.
 You need to make a decision and either rebuild it or sell it, lots of help and advice would be available here should you choose to proceed I dont think age is as big a factor as having the $$ to do the build , hard to come up with extra cash on a pension .....I am 74 and during covid I rebuilt my a10 motor..... bike runs great now feel like a teenager again taking it for a ride .
The decision is yours to make ......good luck hope you decide to save another BSA.

[RDfella]

I dont think age is as big a factor as having the $$ to do the build , hard to come up with extra cash on a pension

If one is solely on a pension, I'd rule out major restoration - we're talking thousands £.  The reference to age that I made was twofold: at my age (75) I've no intention of starting major new projects, for two reasons. First, things take much longer - I find nowadays four hours in the workshop is my limit. Gone are the days of working past midnight and starting again at 8am.
Secondly, bearing in mind the last sentence, is one likely to have the project finished before one's in one's box (in which case nothing has been advanced and the half-restored motorcycle / car may well end up sold for scrap). I'm still (relatively) fit for my age, but nevertheless am pragmatic about what I'd like to do and the reality of finishing it.

[Byfleet Beeza]

Hello.
Many thanks, everyone, for the helpful comments.
Age: I'm just eligible for the pension now, but time is definitely becoming a factor.
What I didn't mention was that the seized engine resulted in one piston smashing the bottom flange of the cylinder block, although years ago I fortunately bought a used spare, so a basic overhaul isn't going to work.
RD Fella is so right in that the restoration will exceed the eventual value. The financial side isn't currently a big issue and I like the idea of piece by piece restoration, and saving the bike.
I'll tread water for the time being, but if there's any 'local ' members who'd like a tea or coffe, I'd be really pleased to hear from them.
Thanks again, all..
Stephen.

[Greybeard]

My bike had been in my storage sheds and garages for 30 years. When I retired in 2010 I set about restoring it. It was lucky that I hadn't made a start on the work before then because the bike was pretty much complete. I'd advise anybody reading this to not start a restoration until you know you are going to be able to continue with it. Putting stuff in boxes and then trying to reassemble things years later is no fun.
I was keeping track of expenses on a spreadsheet but when I realised that the cost was getting close to £4k, (@ 2010 prices) I deleted the sheet in case my wife found it.
As I had been a bicycle, motor and motorcycle mechanic I was able to do a lot of the work myself. Parts, painting and plating was where most of the money was spent.
I don't think the concept of 'Oily Rag' bikes had caught on back then. I needed the mechanicals to be as good as I could get them. I doubt I could achieve that and retain 'patina'. I have a suspicion that the oily rag concept allows owners to get away with a bike that would not have passed the annual UK roadworthiness tests,(MOT) that are no longer required for older vehicles.

[sean]

Hello.
Many thanks, everyone, for the helpful comments.
Age: I'm just eligible for the pension now, but time is definitely becoming a factor.
What I didn't mention was that the seized engine resulted in one piston smashing the bottom flange of the cylinder block, although years ago I fortunately bought a used spare, so a basic overhaul isn't going to work.
RD Fella is so right in that the restoration will exceed the eventual value. The financial side isn't currently a big issue and I like the idea of piece by piece restoration, and saving the bike.
I'll tread water for the time being, but if there's any 'local ' members who'd like a tea or coffe, I'd be really pleased to hear from them.
Thanks again, all..
Stephen.

Not a big deal you would have to strip it down to clean the sludge trap anyway ….. bag and tag everything and take lots of pics

[Greybeard]

... Feast your peepers on this GB, would you repaint it?  Of course not.

Of course not. Is it yours?

I see machines at club weekends that really should not be on the road.

[Greybeard]

Firstly GB a lovely bike you have there.

Thank you. The oily rag culture makes me feel a tiny twinge of guilt.

[Greybeard]

I have a suspicion that the oily rag concept allows owners to get away with a bike that would not have passed the annual UK roadworthiness tests,(MOT) that are no longer required for older vehicles.

I stand by this.

[RichardL]

... Feast your peepers on this GB, would you repaint it?  Of course not.

Of course not. Is it yours?8

I see machines at club weekends that really should not be on the road.

Ooh. You would not want to be at Motoblot Chicago, then.

Richard L.