Restoring Old Bikes
Buying a new motorbike is easy. You just pitch up at any dealer, have a look at what they have to offer, strike a deal with the sales person and take delivery of your shiny new motorbike a few weeks later. However, many motoring and biking enthusiasts find that restoring or renovating old motorbikes is much more enjoyable than buying new and gives a real sense of achievement when many months or years of hard work pays off and the restored bike is finally able to be ridden on the roads.
The first thing you will need if considering restoring or renovating an old bike is plenty of space to work in. A garage is ideal, as long as it is not crammed full of junk and other bits and pieces from the phone or garden. If you are going to be spending long hours in the garage with your bike at all times of the year, consider installing some sort of simple heating system. You will also need to have light and power to wherever you are planning on working on your bike.
Once you have the space for your workshop sorted out, the next step is to find the perfect old bike in need of restoration. One of the best ways of doing this is to subscribe to one of the specialist magazines available or join a group for like minded people. A good network of contacts will mean that you hear about bikes before they are advertised. If you can’t find one from contacts, look in the classified ads section of your local newspaper or on websites such as Gumtree or Ebay. Set a budget and stick to it as it is easy to get carried away when bidding against other people. Also remember that auction websites often do not allow you to see the item before you commit to buy, so buying from another source is preferable.
If you are not confident about mechanics, it is wise to undertake a basic course in maintenance and building the engine before starting on your project. Try to build up a library of books and websites which will help you and seek out online forums to chat to others who are doing similar sorts of things.
If you are planning on riding your bike on the roads once it is restored, you will need to insure it, and tax it if it is young enough. For households with more than one bike, it is nearly always better value to take out a multi bike insurance policy. A good multi bike insurance quote should be able to take into account different ages of bikes, and differing mileage on each.