Next Bike

Anything else ya ride!
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Barnsey
Posts: 187
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:31 pm
Rides:: Honda C50 BMW R100
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Re: Next Bike

Post by Barnsey » Sun Aug 08, 2021 5:15 pm

There's a neat little CT90 on Wightbay right now, but it is a bit more than I would want to pay. £2500. I could get a nice Enfield for that.

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bikerbaker
Posts: 2810
Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:35 pm
Rides:: 1990 C90, 2016 Kayak 110, Riders Cub, 2xSV650, BMW F800GT, Buell XB12R CT90/110
Location: Rochford Essex

Re: Next Bike

Post by bikerbaker » Sun Aug 08, 2021 6:25 pm

Barnsey wrote:
Sun Aug 08, 2021 5:15 pm
There's a neat little CT90 on Wightbay right now, but it is a bit more than I would want to pay. £2500. I could get a nice Enfield for that.
Problem with CTs in the UK is they were never imported here and the rarity value has shot up in recent years. Also spares for the pushrod lump and they are SLOW. A couple on here have been fitted with Lifan engines though.

Even Oz postie CT110's prices seem to have trebled over there in the last 3 years. I paid $1200 (£600) for mine in 2017, looks like I could get about $3000 for it. :D

Earnest Thrasher
Posts: 340
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:33 pm
Rides:: Honda Super Cub C125

Re: Next Bike

Post by Earnest Thrasher » Sun Aug 08, 2021 7:50 pm

Barnsey wrote:
Sun Aug 08, 2021 3:09 pm
Interesting.... So, how is the 350 better than the 500? I confess that I had thought of the 350 but only in as much as I could have fun upgrading it to 500 spec. I also thought to go for a 1990s bike with carbs and drum brakes, for the tinkering, but others may disagree.

Oh! and by the way, I already have quite a few spanners, not in a box, but like a flock of ducks across my cabin wall.
I've run both 500 and 350 Bullets long term high mileage without any issues other than a broken clutch cable. They do require rolling maintenance, but once they're set up and maintained properly they are fine. Both mine saw over 100,000 miles. The 350 runs a lot smoother/less vibration than the 500, but it is slow. Bringing a 350 to 500 spec isn't a case of a barrel swap, the crankcase mouth requires opening up, the old stud holes filled, and new one's machined to accept the 500 barrel wider spacing, and more. The other way is a 441 conversion, using a BSA B44 piston. There is a lot of work involved (new liner manufactured etc etc), but it runs a lot sweeter than the 500. The last 350 Bullet I owned got a bit of work on the head, a carb and exhaust change and otherwise left completely standard, and it would chug along at 50 mph all day, and it was by far the best, and I never ever felt sore or fatigued after long days in the saddle, some 500 miles +. Hitchcock for parts, usually overnight, and anything I ever bought from the "sub continent" went directly in the bin. Plenty people slag Enfields, but they don't understand them. One rule of thumb I have adopted is; if. you want a fast bike, buy one, don't buy a slow bike and try to make it go fast. Leave an Enfield in its low stressed state (with a few improvements) and it can be a very rewarding and reliable motorcycle. One of the biggest mistakes I made was selling my last 350.

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