restore cost....ouch!

At Stafford show yesterday...a guy with a pristine MK2A was showing his bike...i said "Off cuff" i bet this would sell for 8 grand. he looked at me and said " i would hope so. it as cost me 12,000! It was a total rebuild with a few goodies...belt drive RGM , Norvil big brake, all bolts/nuts stainless , new stainless rims.spokes...the guy loved it! must admit the paint work was top dollar, and he did it himself,...the whole bike was faultless.....well after £12 k what would i except. :?:
Just shows how much a concours rebuild costs...and he did most of the work, Every part he could make in stainless,he did.

Hi John,
I hope after spending that amount he had fitted Lansdowne Front Fork internals.

Are we talking Euros, pounds or dollars? For a complete restoration and a few upgrades $12,000 U.S. is fairly cheap. Checkout what CNW gets today for a full resto.

JimC said:

Are we talking Euros, pounds or dollars? For a complete restoration and a few upgrades $12,000 U.S. is fairly cheap. Checkout what CNW gets today for a full resto.

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US$19398 = £12000.

A bit shocking on the one hand, but reassuring on the other - it looks like one of mine will have to go soon :cry: , and although I've had an offer of £8.5K on my Combat I haven't seen the colour of his money yet.

I restored/rebuilt my 1971 Fastback. I did the work myself including complete engine rebuild and gearbox. Took me four years. I started with a frame, gearbox and a seized engine and some assorted parts. Much of the bike has been replaced with new parts.Total cost of the project, not including labor, $23000.00 US. You know, I do not regret spending one penny. This bike transports me back 42 years when I owned my first Commando.I think a general resto would cost somewhat less. I incorporated as many upgrades as possible, including a cam chain tensioner, rebore and balance of the engine, Norvil belt drive and an Alton electric start. Other small things were done that are too numerous to mention. The entire project has worked out very well. Craig

champ7fc said:

I restored/rebuilt my 1971 Fastback. I did the work myself including complete engine rebuild and gearbox. Took me four years. I started with a frame, gearbox and a seized engine and some assorted parts. Much of the bike has been replaced with new parts.Total cost of the project, not including labor, $23000.00 US. You know, I do not regret spending one penny. This bike transports me back 42 years when I owned my first Commando.I think a general resto would cost somewhat less. I incorporated as many upgrades as possible, including a cam chain tensioner, rebore and balance of the engine, Norvil belt drive and an Alton electric start. Other small things were done that are too numerous to mention. The entire project has worked out very well. Craig

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You've hit the nail on the head - when I rebuilt the Combat I wanted to experience what it must have been like to ride a new bike out of the showroom, excepting the upgrades already mentioned, and I still daren't add up what it's cost, but surely more than I'd get back, even at the top of the market.

A memorable experience, and reminded me of looking at the bikes through the dealer's window when I was a schoolboy, and to realise that dream was well worth the effert

12K for a bike isn't much.
Heck, people pay over 20K for new HD's all day - every day and no one blinks.

What I'm often shocked by is the amount of money some guys will pay for "collectors" bikes that are just going to sit in their living rooms as "art"
and never even get started not to mention never ridden.

Some folks have a lot of money (good for them) and are able to spend it frivolously.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people.

We went to Stafford yesterday (Sat) probably walked straight past that MK2 without a second glance, for £12000 it should have been on it's own podium with dancing girls!
Is it really worth that much?

There were some project bikes at the show for sale at about £3500 - £4500 and, if you do it yourself, a rebuild could cost another £3000 and you've got a bike that's worth about £7500.

I too do despair at some of the expected prices, I saw a wideline frame for sale at (I think) £1200, although to be fair it did have all the relevant paper work and stuff.

John was the bike exhibited as concours? I always thought that to be concours a bike has to be as faithful to the original as possible, so putting on Norvil bits, stainless steel rims and spokes etc just makes a nice but expensive bike.

CB

I agree about the crazy prices people are asking for - and getting! The real shame is as prices get higher the bikes are used less as they become 'investments', no longer a motorcycle. Sod all you can do about it apart from ridicule the collectors and speculators on sight. What a waste.

Ever since my bike started running down in the 70's I've always wanted to put it back in decent shape. I spent about $8K from 2005 to 2010 and am still making little improvements. It was in pretty rough shape but all there and only 13K miles. Only thing I haven't done is get either new chromed/plated parts or SS for small items like the TLS adjuster, rocker arm covers, oil tank banjos, things like that. I'm sure I could spend another 2K on it easy, but it looks good, and I did all the work except the head. It runs good, I can't believe how fast the thing is in 1st gear heading out my garage and down the hill. Then when I get on the pavement, gotta love that torque. And no bike looks better, except another Norton in different livery.

There are a few good days this week I'll get out, the spine seems to be fine on the last ride, I didn't even have the usual leg cramps.

Dave
69S

The bike was near the enterance, just a private corner,,,it is possible to spend huge amounts and if a shop is involved then that cost jumps sky high, i asked Les Emery for a price to change a layshaft bearing...it was about £300! Didnt jump at that...a few hours and £20 :!:
It depends upon the owner with rebuilds, a slighly worm cam and followers that some would stone up and go again, well some have new...it's that "must have new" owners that run up huge bills...i had a vincent engine bottom end rebuilt by Tony Maughan, he would replace EVERY BIT if allowed...loctite a loose bearing onto a worn shaft...NO WAY :!: The adage is lots of money and little time, or lots of time and little money. very true.

The Commando owner told me he had the head totally rebuilt by Norvil.. at big bucks, saying he could have bought a New one cheaper :!:

Cheshire bloke said:

We went to Stafford yesterday (Sat) probably walked straight past that MK2 without a second glance, for £12000 it should have been on it's own podium with dancing girls!
Is it really worth that much?

There were some project bikes at the show for sale at about £3500 - £4500 and, if you do it yourself, a rebuild could cost another £3000 and you've got a bike that's worth about £7500.

I too do despair at some of the expected prices, I saw a wideline frame for sale at (I think) £1200, although to be fair it did have all the relevant paper work and stuff.

John was the bike exhibited as concours? I always thought that to be concours a bike has to be as faithful to the original as possible, so putting on Norvil bits, stainless steel rims and spokes etc just makes a nice but expensive bike.

CB

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'John was the bike exhibited as concours? I always thought that to be concours a bike has to be as faithful to the original as possible, so putting on Norvil bits, stainless steel rims and spokes etc just makes a nice but expensive bike.'

I agree with that comment, and I'd never buy a bike which had been 'improved' in that way. There is a motorcycle shop in Melbourne who sells bikes which have been imported from the US. A nice unspoilt, as found commando costs about $9000. A few years ago I was at an historic race meeting at Winton. There was a group of old guys there with bikes that were old and beautiful, and had not had the business done to them - they were nut and bolt genuine. They told me that they'd looked at the historic racing bikes, and felt ill. I know exactly what they meant.
I'm not a purist and I will probably never own a standard commando. I would not go down that path because I could not do it justice, and 'if you cannot do it right, don't start' - is the way I feel about old bikes. I try to build some authenticity into my Seeley 850 racer, however I recognize the futility of it all. The Gus Kuhn Commandos are the benchmark for Seeleys. I avoid Japanese parts like the plague, and stainless steel on an old British bike, stands out like dog's balls .

It is interesting to go to an Australian historic race meeting and look at the Manx Nortons. You will see Scitsu Tachos, Japanese levers , Amal monobloc carburetors, 18 inch wheels, Honda brakes - all great improvements which make the bikes go faster, however the guys lose the aspects which made those old racers so lovable.

There are enough stainless goodies available for Commandos these days that you could probably
splash out about £12000 on them - and that doesn't even include any bike ??!

Whether they add anything to the value of the bike is another question though.
Stainless steel iso head steadies, for example. Its up under the tank, so can't even be seen.
Bling for blings sake.....

Restoration is a labour of love often costing more than the finished product is worth
If your intention is to make a buck you will likely lose out

Ain't that the truth.

At least with a Norton you are somewhere half in the ballpark.
Some of these gleaming little tiddlers you see, with hefty asking prices,
you have to ask 'why ?'

Yep Jed is right it's a labour of love indeed. I have got a couple of £000 set aside for my MK3 rebuild (coming along tediously slowly!) and adding up all the cash I've spent on it over the past few years I will NEVER get my money back. I would like to spend a shed load on it but really can't justify the expense, and like most others on this site, there's not a lot I can't do myself or get done at a reasonable price.
The Norton owners club stand had some good daily use Commandos on display, proving a point that not all 'classic' bikes are only an investment.

An observation regarding stainless bits, I did notice a lot of good stuff for BSA and Triumph, there was some more Norton stuff than last year but not a lot more. Don't know why this is when comparable numbers of each make were produced.

Rose tinted spectacles were selling like hot cakes though!

CB

I expect to put at least $10K US in my MKIII before I'm through. It still is a lot less than a pro restoration would cost or a new Norton from the factory. I look at it from the persepctive of having an awesome classic motorcylcle to ride and enjoy...how else could you do that if you want it to be nice and like new?

I expect to put at least $10K US in my MKIII before I'm through. It still is a lot less than a pro restoration would cost or a new Norton from the factory. I look at it from the persepctive of having an awesome classic motorcylcle to ride and enjoy...how else could you do that if you want it to be nice and like new?

For $10K it will be a great bike, ride it and enjoy it dennisgb.
Here's a hypothetical question. If you could afford it and paid for a pro restoration would you enjoy it any more, or less?

CB