I've Gone and Done It

[RichardL]

After years of watching for another A7/A10 project, I finally found one that was cheap enough, and interesting enough, for me to buy  and here it is:    

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-BSA-PARTS-BIKE-500-cc-/111181724455?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=%252Bd18dKfqtM%252FJkNgYT5bC0ofE5%252Bw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

A little while back, I passed on an A10 deal because it would end up being a version of my existing bike, but here, being that it's an A7, put me over.

I am hoping for not too many snickers for the price I paid. I figure that, going in, there's more than $1k in parts showing, but I plan to get it titled. There are not that many such bikes that come up in the U.S. I'm really not sure right now, but it looks to me that it may well be a numbers-matching Twin. In purusing my books, and one '57 brochure that  I could find online, it seems that BSA did use iron heads on this model, at least for part of '57. The HC stamping should mean 7.25:1 pistons inside. I'm wondering if those headlight ears were home-made to adapt to a scrambler, but then, there's the chronometric speedo in the shell. Hmmm?

Any advice or thoughts on exact model or what to do with it is very welcome.

It will ship from way, way upstate New York on Wednesday if all goes as planned. I'll let you know.

Richard

[Brian]

Very well bought Richard, a bargain.

Appears to have lots of good stuff on it and whats missing shouldnt be too hard to find.

Well done.

[a10 gf]

Congratulations, wasn't enough work with owning only 1, I suppose 
Good price, the Smiths chrono alone must be worth a small fortune these days.

[WozzA]

Great buy there Richard..  you'll enjoy many hours polishing those beaut hubs..
I was watching that one, BUT postage cost to Australia put me off..   

[terryg]

Looks a really good buy.  I don't recall seeing anything to match that price/completeness in the UK for a couple of years now.

[bsa-bill]

Well done my man

[Topdad]

Richard, it's a great buy in fact a steal , especially ( for the brits )when you convert to sterling, £630 , without even taking into account the obvious enjoyment you'll get from returning another BSA to the road . Enjoy Richard you'll love the motor when its done, always had and will have an affection for A7's. Well done BobH.ps pictures please ...

[muskrat]

Nice pick up there Richard. The high scrambles pipes will set her apart. The headlight and ears are home made but I won't tell anyone  .
Hours of fun in the shed over winter for you.
Cheers

[Seabee]

Nice project Richard!  Another A series here in Illinois!
Seabee

[RichardL]

Gents,

Thanks for the confirmation that I was not out of my mind to buy this. In theory, it's going to arrive at my house on Friday, so there should be some interesting stuff to share with you. I've spent about the last 16 hrs. nervous regarding whether or not I could get the shipping arranged and the Bill of Sale issues organized, but now I think it's under control. If you look up De Kalb Junction, NY on Google maps you will see that it's right next to the little town of Bum****phiopia.

e,

Right, not to mention that the A10 is in the middle of an engine rebuild. I've found a really good (and cooperative) automotive machine shop about 25 minutes from home. They installed my new timing-side bush, including line boring and honing. I think they do about everything. It gives me hope for my crankshaft, since the do journal over-welding (I'm calling it that) and grinding.

Wozza,

Just getting it to the west coast would probably have been $600. I wasn't happy with $400 to Chicago, but I got tired of fighting it.

Muskrat,

I don't thing the headlight is home-made, but a later addition, maybe. My wife has been amazingly supportive, what with my agreement to lay off the new bike until 200 other things are done.

Seabee,

I may have asked you this before, but where are you in Illinois?


Regards,

Richard L.

[RichardL]

Muskrat,

I didn't notice it before, but I suppose (and you probably "know") that the speedo was adapted to that shell.

Richard L.

[muskrat]

Gee, shipping ain't cheap over there!, That's close to $1/mile. There are shipping companies down here that would get it to Australia for less.
The memory of cost fades as the smile gets wider.
Cheers

[RichardL]

Yep. I was sort of ticked off, because I wasn't asking for any special treatment except to avoid crushing it. I figured, "Hey, just pull up and throw it in the back of the truck and it pays for a lot of gas/diesel hauling other stuff." That didn't fly and I couldn't take two days off for driving, that wouldn't pay either, so I bit the bullet.

The shipping cost makes it a little less of a good deal, but I think it's still OK. At one point, suffering from buyer's remorse, I offered the seller $150 to cancel the sale. He said I could do that if I wanted. Obviously, and so far, I've gotten over the remorse and saved the $150, so, in a way that only I understand, the shipping seems more like $250 instead.

When I went to pay for the bike by PayPal, I discovered $150 in my account that had been there for three years from the sale of some electronic parts that I got for free 30 years ago. That took some of the hurt off the shipping cost, if only in my head.

Richard L.

[a10 gf]

I've gotten over the remorse and saved the $150, so, in a way that only I understand, the shipping seems more like $250 instead

[RichardL]

e.

Now that I think of it, if I had offered him $400 to cancel, the shipping would have been free.

Richard L.