[Apriliarider]

I can agree with your perspective to a point. I’m not saying every thing has to be magazine worthy. I am saying more often than not, attempts at a “special” go way South and end up a disaster or unfinished….or both.

A restoration to me is a back to factory spec near perfect as the day the machine rolled off the line. In some cases, I think that’s what the machine in question deserves. In other cases, restored to how it was last ridden, so it can continue to be ridden is perfect.

Then there are retro-mods & resto-mods etc which in my mind should be limited bikes that are salvage titled and will never be worth what a clean titled example will be worth. Hacking up a clean titled rare machine into a resto-mod….I just gotta shake my head.

I have 2 such machines in my garage right now in various stages of resto/retro mod builds. I build bikes to be ridden. Neither bike is a low mileage pristine example. Once done, they’ll accrue more mileage until I can no longer ride.

Then I’ll drain the fuel from them and park them in my living room so I can look at them and reminisce without leaving the comfort of my couch….maybe I should grab that parts bike…..it’s down to $200 now. That MV tail has to be worth nearly that…..

 

[Clive]

I don't completely disagree with you. some are ill conceived and never going to work but a lot do they're just not as pretty as your magazine bikes. people are different and see things differently all I'm saying is you can't discount them just because their not magazine friendly, hell have you seen the hulks in style magazines and then looked in a mirror. OH boy.
not everything has to be picture perfect to be a success, in a way it's the same thing as restorations opinions vary there is the "sympathetic" types that believe you must account for a bikes history as well as age when restoring it.
and those that believe a full on back to factory renewal is the only way. both views have place in restoration in the same way although the final result may be way different.

This “special” was for sale here on Craigs List. You tell me, is this closer to magazine material or destined for the skip?
View attachment 57915

You only need to look beyond the bike to see the lifestyle this guy lives! And yeah, I would be thinking "it's a heap of junk" which he has definately "transformed" it into. Strictly spares only now he's butchered the electrics! The recently demised Practical Sportsbikes always highlighted the very best in "specials" but for now I'll stick to my earlier point about innovation, imagination, and choice. The above photo is a great example of how NOT to go about it.

 

[Apriliarider]

Oh don’t tell me practical sports bikes is gone. Please say it ain’t so. One of my faves. I saw they’d recently combined with Fast Bikes I think but didn’t think they’d quit.

☹

Just saw my March digital issue has “Final Issue” stamped on the cover.
😟

 

[yorkie]

in the early 80's a neighbour next door to my brother (a really old guy in his 90's) gave me his bike that had been stored (left dumped) for over 30 years in an out building when he was clearing out his belongings to go into a nursing home.
a really old Ariel 4v single. now this bike was in a state (of course but complete) but I thought this thing has to be restored thinking I would do a sympathetic restoration and make it like it has just been ridden without a break in homage to the old guy. I got it home and made a list of the parts I would need, contacted the Ariel owners club and national restorers but started to realise the enormity of the task and resources I would need to complete it.
after about 6weeks a guy turns up out of the blue said he had heard about the bike and wanted to buy it as his next project. being reluctant to sell it I said no. But he made me an offer I just could not refuse.
he promised to let me know when it was finished and send me a photo of it and also promised to dedicate the restoration to the old guy I got it from.
10 years later a letter arrived at my mothers house. within was photo of the finished bike and list of the things he had done. he also as nice touch had the name of the old guy sign written on the rear fender.
boy did he do a job on it. I almost cried when I saw it, had it not been for the reg plate (I still had) I could not have believed it was the same bike. I could never have done such a resto, he was a true professional.

here is the finished bike.

I think that would rate as a back to factory restoration, apparently he kept it for a few years accumulated several trophies from classic bike shows and then sold it for an undisclosed sum.

 

[Apriliarider]

That’s an amazing resto….and a great story too!

 

[yorkie]

That’s an amazing resto….and a great story too!

yeah you would have to give him 10/10 for execution even if he did over chrome it a bit (no way did a 1937 Ariel have that much) 90% was black/green painted inc the tank and wheels. but for effect it's top notch for sure.

 

[Clive]

Oh don’t tell me practical sports bikes is gone. Please say it ain’t so. One of my faves. I saw they’d recently combined with Fast Bikes I think but didn’t think they’d quit.

☹

Just saw my March digital issue has “Final Issue” stamped on the cover.
😟

Yeah - Gutted doesn't even begin to express how I feel about it. Another reason to look forward to a really well informed read gone! I loved the dry humour, problem pages, and amazing builds, Your Garage section and so much more. Jim Moore was/is an excellent journo and Mat Oxley - ex racer - could put a really good story together. All I can do now is start buying up the back issues I missed over the years. One magazine that really does hold my attention these days is Classic Racer (Mortons). Let's not forget that the definition of "Classic" is anything over 20 years old! So there's plenty for us to get our head into with ZX10, R1's etc. It also covers the vibrant amatuer racing scene in the UK very comprehensively. Lot's of personal stories are included, women racers etc, and worth every penny. Comes out bi-monthly.

 

[Apriliarider]

Heres the cover of the March 7th issue. I hadn’t gotten round to reading it, even now. I “thumbed” through to the magazine’s “good bye” article though.
Seems they were being forced to water down the content and decided they’d rather just call it a day versus compromising on content. Sad as it is, I’m rather happy they stuck to their guns over disappointing their readership.

 

[Clive]

View attachment 57921

Heres the cover of the March 7th issue. I hadn’t gotten round to reading it, even now. I “thumbed” through to the magazine’s “good bye” article though.
Seems they were being forced to water down the content and decided they’d rather just call it a day versus compromising on content. Sad as it is, I’m rather happy they stuck to their guns over disappointing their readership.

Agreed. However they did spend £££££'s on the ZX7R conversion job, which took 3 years to complete! And they also had quite a few other big budget projects on the go. For such a niche mag, I think the combined costs, printing and publishing costs etc were just too much. Best monthly in the UK IMHO.

 

[Apriliarider]

Agreed. I get all of the UK mags in digital format through the READLY app. Well worth it to me as individual subscriptions to US would be cost prohibitive.

Plus getting a weekly like MCN wouldn’t be practical, even if they did mail to the US. By the time it got here the following week’s issue would already be out.

Classic Bikes is another one I read frequently but they cover some really obscure and esoteric machines that just never made it to this side of the pond. Interesting….but not as interesting as PSB. Here’s a page shot from their “good bye”

US mags just don’t compare. I think Cycle World is pretty much all that’s left that isn’t “Harley-centric” and it’s like quarterly now and digital only.

 

[Clive]

Yes, agreed, Classic Bikes is a bit too Old Skool for me. It's nice to see the old British iron now and again, but not spread over every page! PS will be very sorely missed. Classic Motorcycle Mechanics is still on the go, and Bertie the editor has done a lot to improve the content over the past 10 years. MCN is a total joke and not worth the money £2.50 per week! Ridiculous. I used to enjoy Motorcycle Weekly, the rival to MCN, because it had better technical coverage from well known racers and journo's like the much admired and long gone Vic Willoughby (ex TT racer, and WWII M/C courier). Old Bike Mart is worth a look, as they do cover 70's and 80's Jap machines, and the content is very good. Also, the readers stories have often left me in tears of laughter with their antics and bodged repairs....OBM is a monthly and at £22 per year well worth having a look at. In the meantime I'm over at Fleabay looking for backdate copies of PS

 

[Apriliarider]

I hope they put their entire library up on digital format. I pay $9.95 a month for Readly but get access to any magazine in the app. Well worth it to me to be able to get all the bike mags I can find.

If my linguistic ability wasn’t limited to English…and American English at that, I could read through the German, Italian and Spanish mags as well. I get a couple Aussie mags to go along with Fast Bikes, Bike, Performance Bike, Classic Bike, Classic Motorcycle Mechanic, MCN and MCN Specials…oh and I still get Cycle World whenever they release a new issue.

I also get a few aviation mags to assuage my aviation back ground. History mags too. In other words anything I feel like reading is available. Best of all is, I get these mags on my iPhone so I can read them wherever and whenever I want…..after I zoom in on the text of course, cuz I can’t see shite anymore