A pal of mine has this for sale: Exported by BSA 19 January 1955 to the order of BSA's importer and distributor for the West Coast, Hap Alzina, in Oakland, California. Alzina sponsored many professional riders during more than 50 years he was in business. As with US spec bikes, this one left the factory with the High Compression engine it still has. This engine is very rare in UK and we are reliably informed that the National Motorcycle Museum doesn't even have one of these! The bike has had a full nut and bolt restoration from the ground up however, as will be seen, the restoration has been carried out to look much as it appeared when reimported with its slightly 'Hot Rod' Californian flavour that may not be to everyone's liking, but the parts required to make it look UK spec, (that it never was) are in plentiful supply and easy to get hold of. The restoration has included powder coated frame, new rear hub, both wheels have new bearings, rims, spokes, the engine has been rebuilt from a reground crank upwards, including new valves, re-cut seats, new pistons, rings, bushes & seals. The magneto has been rebuilt, the carburettor is brand new, as are cables and brake shoes. No corners have been cut or expense spared in rebuilding this bike and it shows when ridden! All paperwork has been done, there is a V5 present and the bike has an age related number
Noooooooooooooooooooo. It took me ages to sell the "My little Pony" paint job one, custom with wide bars..... Went to Poland in the end.
Guess it depends what you want to do with it. Love my AJS 500, it's slow which is good as it has virtually no brakes, but it is just fun to ride. The Brit bike scene is still thriving and there's always events to join in. I don't think most affordable Brit bikes are good investments though if that's what you're looking for. For newer stuff I quite fancy a GL1000. Must be an easy bike to live with and still capable enough to use properly. A CB900 also appeals. With your £10k I'd get both!
Went and had a look at one of these a couple of days ago (have had 5 11's over the years) but unfortunately the bike didn't live up to the pics in the ad. I want another gsxr in my life
If you are looking for something a little ''unusual''...titter ye not, i bought this years ago for peanuts ,if and when they appear on the bay nowadays they go for > £2k. 1972 MZ ETS250 Trophy sport ,not to be confused with a normal Zedder, these are rare and pretty quick for what they are ...AND they always get attention ,sometimes the abusive kind!.....Love it.
It was a MK1 frame with GPZ1100B1 engine, as I have found out recently it was the wrong engine for that frame, GPZ engines had a cradle.
GL1000 is a surprisingly good bike, had my '77 model for best part of 3 years now and absolutely love it.It gets load of attention everywhere I go on it and for a seventies bike is a good performer - the only bike quicker back in the day was the 900 Kawasaki. A good one with original exhausts (a must) should still be found for around the £5k mark, you will need to be patient and keep looking but they do come up for sale and are a great bike for classic fun .