The Super Profile Bike

[Angus]

Well I am now the proud owner of the book bike. Have ridden her and was surprised how different a standard A10 was to my A7 which is on high comp pistons and I believe a spitfire cam, thus the bigger bore carb fitted at the last minute.
Anyway different in so many ways probably about the same performance but delivered in a very laid back way and the vibration is very noticeable even at tickover.
So what to do now she is very original and looks like the pictures in the super profile.
Her chrome looks good and the frames is good, but her gold paint looks a bit old (well it is 53 years old).
I don’t think MB-Transits would have broken her (he’s a good guy and very helpful) and I bought her to take to some shows and show her off with the book and then sell her on without loosing money (I don’t buy and sell bikes),.
So do I start spending money on her in terms of paint to give her back that shiny new look, its not that bad at present just faded with some chips and pealing at the edges of the chrome on the tank (no rust),
Or do I leave her to show her well cared for age

[a10 gf]

! Got the book, congrats with the acquisition.

Fix the tank stripes\paint, then maybe one day a set of downpipes and a primary\timing polish?

[Angus]

So a10gf you are saying paint her. Just the tank or all the gold bits ?. Most people I have spoken to so far have said don't paint as this is original factory paint and some people/collectors like that (although forum members opinions would have more weight)
I agree about the down pipes but again spending money I may not get back.
I will polish the cased a bit but not too bright for the originality reason again.

[a10 gf]

as this is original factory paint

I didn't think of that, you may want to keep it as it is...

[bsa-bill]

If your thinking of maintaining the bikes value for selling at some point in time then I would think the downpipes are a must, it has a fully enclosed rear chain case that's good, I would have the tank lines done but then it gets tricky as I don't see putting new lines on old paint a good move also it might just be the light but the photo gives the impression the tool box is a slightly different shade to the rest of the paint and once again the light may be giving a false impression but it looks to my eyes (not reliable) that the bike has been painted at some point.
I don't really see a bike with patina being more value than one that's been restored, maybe less - tinware/tank painted, new down pipes would I think be recoverable.
The one factor you can't put a price on though is the achievement of a well restored bike
it's your bike now though and whatever you decide will be understood by all the rest of us I'm sure     

[muskrat]

Congrats Angus, nice buy. I wouldn't touch a thing. At most like others maybe the pipes. I love the unrestored look.
Cheers

[metalflake11]

Well, seeing as you ask. Firstly let's remove the headstock and get some rake on it, enough for 12" over stantions should do. Secondly we need a bit of rigidity on that back end, so lets have the back of the frame sliced off, along with all that sissy suspension, and a few tubes welded back on. Lastly spend years fabricating parts to fit, spending thousands £££££'s on the way. Finish off with trick paint in a garish colour and bingo!
Failing that, you could try and do a sympathetic restoration on the tank pinstripes, and replace the B.S.A. sticker on the timing side which looks too low down to me. Finally some downpipes and a bit of elbow grease would give it a nice 'lift'. I'd leave it at that then.................Nice bike!

[fido]

I would just ride it. It looks like it had a bar end mirror at some point so I would fit one of those. It might be possible to touch up the red stripe without disturbing the gold. If the downpipes are genuine BSA ones I would not replace them with aftermarket pipes.

[iansoady]

If it's the original paint I would leave that alone. Otherwise things like exhausts have probably been changed in its 50 - odd year life.

[metalflake11]

I know you don't want to spend wads of cash on it, but I would take that paint back a bit, re-furb the water slides and pinstripes and then lacquer over it....... Like new, but still the origional paint.

[Angus]

Thanks for the feed back

I don’t thinks it ever been painted at least I am very confident that the paint is as it was in 1984 when it was pictured for the book. If you look closely at the book the stripes on the tanks are already going and I have even identified some chips/scrapes that where there then e.g the front mudguard at the front on the book cover, also some things that are not there but have left their mark like the GB sticker on the rear mudguard.
The sticker on the oil tank is also as near as I can tell where it was in 1984 (hard to measure but compared it to kick start).
The tool box does look a little lighter then the rest and I can not see that on the pictures but that could be sun bleaching or more/less polishing.

The downpipes and silencers where changed in 2007, the silencers are fine, don’t think the downpipes have last too well will consider replacing

I have lots of bills and she appears to have had a fairly large refurb in 2007, including an oil filter which is not now fitted and some stainless bits which are. I am thinking of swapping the stainless bits for my A7’s chrome and zinc plated bits, more original for the A10 and I always want stainless bits on the A7 but the bank manager said no.

The general consensus seams to be to try to tidy the paint up without a full re-spray so I will look into that any recommendation on a paint shop near Suffolk (I have seen adverts etc for Finishing Touches in Chelmsford)

I wont actually start anything until I can give her a good clean and polish when the weather is a little better

[Butch (cb)]

I wouldn't change a thing.

[bsa-bill]

I don’t thinks it ever been painted at least I am very confident that the paint is as it was in 1984

yes you could be right that it as it was in 84 however From the photo (not reliable I know)  it does look as if it has been painted since BSA did it, colour looks like mine which is not original (Ford Oyster Gold) and unless someone knows for sure I think original tanks had one thick line only.
One thing for sure if you paint it's painted end of story, If you leave it you have the option to change your mind at a  later stage if you want to.

[Angus]

Yes I thought the double lines odd to, however if that is part of a re-paint then it is not uncommon as I have found other (all gold) gold flashes with double lines
these are all 1960 but some older ones as well.
examples
http://www.roncobb.com/BSAgoldflash.html
http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16230/lot/497/
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/289/10454/Motorcycle-Article/Memorable-MC--BSA-A10-Golden-Flash.aspx

There seam to be about an equal number of gold painted gold flashes pictured on-line (google images) with single and double lines.

I don't know about colour but if it was painted sometime during the first 24 years of its life, once again it did not lasted very well as it was wearing along the border with the chrome on the tank in 1984.
I can not be 100% sure about the paint as I have no documentation to prove it. As I have said I will investigate some restoration to the paint just to see what can be done, the cost and what that would give me.

[taroha10]

looks fab,
leave it as it is!  enjoy!!