People ask me for advice on buying collector and special interest vehicles as I've been driving and riding distinctive stuff for pretty much my whole adult life and my work is in accounting services. Once we get past the vehicle-specific question, like "Renault Le Car? Are you shittin' me?" the advice is consistent. "Buy the best example you can find. Unrestored original that's been well kept and stored sympathetically will always be the best."
But do I follow my own advice? NOOOOOOOOO! I have yet to buy a running moto, and about half my cages over the years were towed home. I'm just too damn cheap to seek out the best thing. I get stuff that falls into my lap, like this set:
On the left is a /6, in the middle is our subject 1979 R100RS Elsa, and on the right is Edgar, a 1978 R100/7. Elsa looks to have been parked in 1985. Edgar was last registered in 1988. I've spent the last year reviving Edgar and he's fit for use. Time to see about Elsa.
Here's the current state of things:
Elsa was modded BITD. SJ BMW fork brace:
SJ upper triple:
SJ braced swingarm:
There are also SJ BMW shocks, but they may not make the final build as the shafts are pitted after 30+ years in a coastal barn.
The goal here is to make the bike run, make the chassis and mechanical bits shiny, and possibly add some period chassis mods. If the motor has to come apart, there's a good shot of it going back together with a healthy helping of 7Rock bits. Thanks for following along!
But do I follow my own advice? NOOOOOOOOO! I have yet to buy a running moto, and about half my cages over the years were towed home. I'm just too damn cheap to seek out the best thing. I get stuff that falls into my lap, like this set:
On the left is a /6, in the middle is our subject 1979 R100RS Elsa, and on the right is Edgar, a 1978 R100/7. Elsa looks to have been parked in 1985. Edgar was last registered in 1988. I've spent the last year reviving Edgar and he's fit for use. Time to see about Elsa.
Here's the current state of things:
Elsa was modded BITD. SJ BMW fork brace:
SJ upper triple:
SJ braced swingarm:
There are also SJ BMW shocks, but they may not make the final build as the shafts are pitted after 30+ years in a coastal barn.
The goal here is to make the bike run, make the chassis and mechanical bits shiny, and possibly add some period chassis mods. If the motor has to come apart, there's a good shot of it going back together with a healthy helping of 7Rock bits. Thanks for following along!