What's the worst thing you found after buying a used British bike?

The fun almost never ended with this one...

What's the worst thing you found after buying a used British bike?


(in no particular order)
Front fender hose clamped to the active springer rods, so it loosened up after each bump
One round headlight, one rectangular
Front wheel on backwards, brake plate no braced (i'm sure that wrapped and snapped the cable the first time it was used)
At least 5# of bondo
At least 10# or red Oklahoma dirt caked EVERYWHERE that oil leaked, which was EVERYWHERE
2 pieces of pipe welded together, coils jammed into the pipes, the whole affair duct-taped to the frame
One stainless steel header, one mild steel pipe
Every wire red
2-piece Harley gas tank welded to the frame
Seat mount welded to the frame
Oil tank mounted with hose clamps and band straps
Sissy bar held on with U-bolts, then reinforced with welds to the frame
Thin steel straps for rear "struts" (I guess they would be sacrificial if you hit a big enough bump)
The world's longest rear brake rod
24" socket extension welded to the shifter shaft
Several other parts coat-hangar-wired on, hose clamped on, or u-bolted on
The bike obviously hadn't had filters on the carbs for years, the cylinders, crank journals, rod bearings, and other parts were trashed

Still, I managed to rescue it. As far as I know, it's running fine. It just so happened I scored a huge U-Haul truckload of parts including 5 Norton top ends (Heads & Cylinders) and a bunch of other stuff. I did have to buy ALL new wear parts everywhere.
 
BSA 650 Lightning purchase used from a dealer in 71'.
My dad went with me to drop me off for the ride home and spotted the broken bolt on the rear brake strap. He had a conversation with the shop manager and brought me back the next day mandating the shop mechanic who made the repairs ride it then review the bike with me listening.
Thank you dad.
 
A long long time ago, there was the BSA C15 250cc single c.1960ish.

It won’t start but it’s got a spark and fuel etc. It’s had a new piston and barrel but it just won’t work.

after a good look around with my extensive knowledge (ie next f-all) I removed the pushrod cover and swopped the pushrods over. It had been reassembled incorrectly and proved a good buy.
 
slightly off topic, but a hastily put together Tri- Bsa ( A10 frame, T100 pre-unit) got me to the TT in 1977, where upon the dynamo end cover fell off( one screw), and I only spotted that at the end of the day. However, a couple of days later I stopped to watch from a new place behind a stone wall, and there was the cover helpfully left on top!!
 
Landspeedracer said:
A long long time ago, there was the BSA C15 250cc single c.1960ish.

It won’t start but it’s got a spark and fuel etc. It’s had a new piston and barrel but it just won’t work.

after a good look around with my extensive knowledge (ie next f-all) I removed the pushrod cover and swopped the pushrods over. It had been reassembled incorrectly and proved a good buy.
Click to expand...

Landspeedracer said:
A long long time ago, there was the BSA C15 250cc single c.1960ish.

It won’t start but it’s got a spark and fuel etc. It’s had a new piston and barrel but it just won’t work.

after a good look around with my extensive knowledge (ie next f-all) I removed the pushrod cover and swopped the pushrods over. It had been reassembled incorrectly and proved a good buy.
Click to expand...
Good catch
 
I got a British bike a long time ago. The worst thing that had happened since then was that I had realized how addicted it can get. I use it every day. I don't even use my car for that long. I had even got insurance for it from https://sundaysinsurance.co.uk/cyclist-insurance. I treat it better than I treat myself. I'm really sorry this happened to you. But it is kind of your fault too. You were supposed to check everything before buying it second-handed. No worries, I'm sure any repair center can provide you with repair, and it will work just fine.
 
A friend bought a 250 BSA in the early 70s, which got him to work and back for about a week before it stopped. When it was stripped there was a hole in the piston, it wasn't until the barrel was removed that it was realised the piston was made of wood, oak. It had been grooved to accept rings and had oak plugs to hold the pin in place. We said if the bodger had screwed an alloy disc to the top, it would still be running now.
 
Bought a 79 Bonnie off my brother in law had been sitting under a trap for sometime and was told every thing was good so took my bike battery and fresh fuel to start it, was surprised it fired up after a few kicks so I bought it, worst thing I ever did but he wanted $4.5K for it but told him a few things need to be replaced the mufflers were toast from rust, so go it for $3.5K, got it home and went to fire it up again then there was nothing so next day started to look closer into things, found the main power wire from the ignition only had one strand of wire, its was a wonder it fired up the day before.
Fixed that up had to remover the mufflers and I took the mufflers off my Norton I was working on at the time major rebuild, they were my near new reverse cone short mufflers made in England so they went on and had to fix a few other things up, the bike was still rego so after a few days fixing thing I started to ride it as I need transport while the Norton was being rebuilt, then things started to fall off and other things needed fixing, oil seals had gone hard and brakes were giving troubles, at the end I was getting so pissed of every time I took it out I had to fix something else on it, the Bonnie has sat longer under the trap than what I was told, in fact was sitting unused for near 10 years,
After 12 months I has enough and decided to sell it and put it on Trading Post to sell then got a call from my brother in law saying you selling my old bike and he wanted it back but told him it selling more than I paid for it from him with all the repair I have done to it so he agreed to the $4.5K I had on it, when he picked it up it was running sweet after all the time I spent of the heap of sh.t and told him not to let it sit to ride it, as that was the original problem letting it sit.
After selling it back him guess what, he let it sit again without riding it and the worst thing it still had my reverse cones on the exhaust, I was pissed off selling the bike back to him with them mufflers on it, he ended up selling it 3 years later without riding it, what a shame.

Funny thing when I first bought it off the brother in law a few days later I got a call from the cops, my brother in law got raided and was busted for growing dope in his wardrobe and they found the money I gave him in his bedroom and ask if I bought a motorcycle off him, they thought the money was from a drug sale, so I was a bit pissed off that I was involved but after I told them yes for his Triumph $3,500 all was good, the brother in law got a fine and someone he knew narked on him.

Ashley
 
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Scariest one for me was an 850 I bought. Colder then Hell so I didn't test ride it. Started it on center stand went through the gears. Paid the guy and put it the back of the truck! Got it to my work shop changed the oil started checking things out. Drive chain was very loose. While adjusting it I saw the master link did not have the outside link or retainer. Previous owner admitted he replaced the chain! You know I had some advice for him, and where to go do it!!!
 
I bought a low mileage 74 850 Mk2A Interstate some years ago. I knew the owner and knew of the bike for at least 16 years. It had been in the garden shed for at least 16 years that I knew of, in Arizona. He was moving and I got a deal at $1,800 US. Got it home to Texas, changed the oil and she fired right up and then oil started to come out between the head and barrel. Stripped it down and replaced the head gasket. On the re-start same thing. What the heck!
Off with its head and a deep dive showed that the stud next to the push rod tunnel was broken through. Pulled the stud and cleaned out the hole. Got some two-part, high heat JB Weld, the putty kind. Worked it into a ball about the size of a pea and dropped it in. Cleaned up where it squeezed out into the push rod tunnel and let it set up. The tank was a mess with braze along the seam, and not well done. The tank leaked. The bike had come out of Michigan and expect it had been parked with fuel in the tank.
Then the fun began looking for a good Interstate tank. A friend had one that was "repaired" and even had the receipt for the repair. He had bought it at a swap meet years before and never used it. Turned out the "repair" was done with fiberglass and a few days after installing it the garage floor was covered with fuel. Bought a tank out of India which was a mistake, might hold gas but look very bad. Then a year ago there was an add on Walridge's winter sale for Interstate tanks. So I bought one. Looked great and had it painted. At a distance it looks good, up close you can see and feel the ripples in the steel.
You can also see the pitting from what I think was moisture on the frame before it was painted. Time to strip it down and do this right.
 
storm42 said:
A friend bought a 250 BSA in the early 70s, which got him to work and back for about a week before it stopped. When it was stripped there was a hole in the piston, it wasn't until the barrel was removed that it was realised the piston was made of wood, oak. It had been grooved to accept rings and had oak plugs to hold the pin in place. We said if the bodger had screwed an alloy disc to the top, it would still be running now.
Click to expand...
Oh Fred...
Yes, Wilma?
What did you do to the kitchen table? One leg is shorter than the rest!
 
I bought a 1949 Matchless G80 rigid , an older restoration that wasn't finished and never made it on the road , it did run ! , but had a massive leak from pushrod tubes , this was known at purchase , all good , after removing head , I did a double take , at TDC the piston was ½ inch down the bore , calculated comp 4.1:1 , after removing barrel I found all three ring gaps were .120" ! , and absolutely no side clearance in conrod and a couple of small tight spots , I still think it is so cool and love it , it makes me smile everything time I see it .
 
Brought a 500 Venom from a well known West London dealer, (Not Geoff Donkin)
Rode it a while until an exhaust valve went.
Replaced that, but noticed a "sort of seam , across the piston crown"
A while later as the bike appeared to be using more and more oil, it clonked out.
Finally found that this "seam" was a split piston crown that opened up on down stroke, so it needed a rebore and new piston.
Surprised it kept running like that!
 
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