Interstate refresh / Sold

Since moving up to the north Austin area (Leander), we have decided to sell our old place rather than rent it out. This means my new garage is all the space I get, unless I pay for storage which is typically not cost-effective. Coincidentally, my cousin's business partner contacted me to see if I would consider selling my MkIII Interstate, to which I have consented. On October 1st, we agreed on a price with the provision that the bike would get:

-New tires, tubes & rim strips (Avon RoadRiders)
-New battery & heavy cables
-Roadster tank, seat & sidecovers
-New gas cap, fuel lines & fuel taps
-Black paint with Gold logos & striping, OEM pattern
-Carbs cleaned w/ rebuild kits
-Brakes flushed with rebuild kits
-Full oil change including forks, primary & transmission, new oil filter
-New pair of mirrors
-any incidental items replaced so as to assure reliability
-front-to-back, top-to-bottom check of all fasteners
-basic wash & detail to remove built-up road grime

With these items done, the bike will be guaranteed to embark on a cross-country trip at 80MPH sustained speeds, with total confidence (and, of course, handle any twisty roads and/or ton-up blasts with aplomb).

I got in just under the wire as Fred & Ella at www.OldBritts.com were about to take off on vacation coinciding with Andover being closed for 2 weeks.

So, the project began...

Looks like a nice bike to me GP.

I have been gathering Commando parts for 15 years, so I knew exactly where to look for the brand new reproduction unpainted steel Roadster tank, unpainted 'glass sidecovers, and new seat on the shelf ...



My intention was to remove the mounts from this new Interstate seat, and move them back a bit to the Roadster location (I have done this before without too much hassle). As I have not yet managed to figure out which tools and equipment will make the "final cut" to my new (MUCH smaller) garage, I didn't have the welder, grinder, etc., so decided to just order a new seat from Burton's who had the best delivered price.

Yes, it's clear to see that the tank is not the highest quality, but it doesn't leak, fits in place correctly, and with the cap installed (and once it's painted) it will look quite nice indeed.

cjandme said:

Looks like a nice bike to me GP.

Click to expand...

It's been sitting way too long, tires were dry and slightly cracking, battery was dead, gas tank had about a quart of orange juice in it, etc, etc...

As original steel Interstate tanks are getting quite rare, this one fetched very nice money from a forum member who also bought the sidecovers. They have a few scratches and slight ding on one of the sidecover corners, but that was all disclosed pre-sale...

First order of business was to get the tires done. I found a local shop almost the same distance from my new home as the place in Laredo that used to do tire swaps for me. PiggPen Cycles also balances them included in the $25 a tire price!



The goods...



Tires done 10/10 (also preliminary wash and grime removal)-

I had never looked closely at this deteriorating little sticker on the idiot light cluster; "Chris Horsfield Motorcycles, Evesham". One can assume this bike was imported privately, but who's to say for sure?



Old Britts box arrived 10/15...



Seat arrived from Burton's a couple of days later...

Off came the carbs for a soak in a gallon can of Berryman's Chem Dip...



Lovely clean carb parts-





Carbs back on the bike (also note heavy ground cable (can't really see the new heavy black starter cable)



Here you can also see why this bike is a "ten footer", look at the head steady bracket and see some of the spots with bits of flaking paint... Anyway, it was sold as a "survivor", an honest bike that got plenty of regular road use and has it's very minor flaws that don't affect it's reliability.

I visited my new painter, Destry, at PoorBoy Custom Motorcycle Painting in Liberty Hill on 10/21 and handed him the decals to match the pinstriping paint with. He had been sanding down some first-stage primer after cleaning up some of the ripples on the bottom seams for a cleaner look once it's painted...



I'm going to load up the bike on Tuesday and we'll fit up the tank & sidecovers, THEN mask out the decal locations so that they'll be level to the ground with the bike sitting on it's tires. That's a mistake many painters who've never done Commando bodywork make, not aligning the decals properly; typically, they align with the tank & sidecover top edges, and this is the result...



I've already got the rear brake operational before I tear it down and overhaul it; the front brake system top hose is plugged, but I already got in the replacement from Phil at Fair Spares. Once I get the front brakes working, all the brake parts come off for a fun-fest of overhauling...

grandpaul said:

With these items done, the bike will be guaranteed to embark on a cross-country trip at 80MPH sustained speeds, with total confidence (and, of course, handle any twisty roads and/or ton-up blasts with aplomb).

Click to expand...

I can't see why anyone would prefer a roadster tank when they have the option of an interstate tank. The greater fuel capacity helps me keep from using ethanol laced fuel in my bike, and increases my range before I have to refuel. I suppose looks play a part in it, but I went the exact opposite way from roadster to interstate. Maybe I'm more focused on the non-ethanol aspect, so my choice of the interstate tank is a more practical one...

o0norton0o said:

I can't see why anyone would prefer a roadster tank when they have the option of an interstate tank.

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I believe it was a long-held desire to own a Roadster; I mean, they look AMAZING...

Nice work GP. A quick focused project makes for a very interesting read.

Oil change today. Sometimes you get one of those STUBBORN oil filters that just doesn't want to come off...

Biggest problem was the CORRECT tools were 285 miles away, in my old garage. Tried to work that sucker off and mangled it. Went to Lowes and bought MORE tools!


MUCH better...

Air filter on, new fuel lines waiting for tank...


New Dzus fastener waiting for sidecover...

Ha - boy does that oil filter bit look familiar - nice to see a guy with talent resort to swordplay with a screwdriver. Since you have come clean and shared this I can now admit to doing the same !
Nice to watch a quick project - keeps me motivated for the marathon I’m in . Thanks for sharing - RT

I'm thinking my storage unit has freed up enough space I'm bringing my BIG tool box over next time I make a trip to Laredo. That was basically a waste of $20 on duplicate tools.

Thanks for the tip about Burtons for seats. I just ordered an Interstate seat for my project GP. Ben

Picked up the tank & sidecovers from the painter last week, they've been shot Black, then "knocked down" in order to lay on the decals.


Then, I installed the bits on the bike, set it level by shimming up the front tire just a touch while on the centerstand, and masked the decal reference lines on the level and properly centered to allow clearance for the pinstripes...


Voila! Now I need to get the parts back to the painter so he can match the decals gold color...

Did you learn some new words pulling that filter...or just reuse some old ones?
Bike looks great.

I really couldn't figure out what was going wrong, I removed the band clamp; when I punched a large screwdriver through and tried turning it, it kept tearing. Turns out the screwdriver was catching on the tab plate! I had to stop and do something else twice before it hit me...