I think you really only need a direction if you're looking at a pile of parts on the floor. Do whatever you want to it, whenever you want. That bike is super cool. If you're thinking about a café style... throw on some clip-ons, a new seat, and ride it. If you don't like it, it's not hard to throw the old bars back on and try something else. Cutting the ass off the frame however, is a little harder to undo.
I kinda feel like, when you get a bike like that... meaning 40 years on the road, still looking good, running like a champ, and carrying around it's own bit of history, you really need to just live with it for a while. Of course make it YOURS... but eventually, just by you KNOWING it, it'll develop it's own style. (That sounds like a total douche-bag line, but I'm a sentimental softie. It's the cross I bear).
I try to avoid telling people what to do with their own bikes, but since you asked....it looks great as is. If you want a cafe racer styled bike, your BSA would lend itself to it very well and very easily. If you want a chop, find a pile of parts to build a chop out of and leave that one alone. If you don't know if you want a little road burner cafe bike, or a chopper, leave it alone until you figure it out because the two styles are completely 100% different from one another. It is cool as is, I'd ride it as is at least until you come up with a better plan for it.
It looks great as is. You can always buy parts and add or subtract stuff as you go along. Keep all of the original parts so if you sell it you'll get a "collector" price for the original setup.
I have a 68 Spitfire all original except for the monoblocs. In years past I would have cut it up in heartbeat, but have since learned not to be in such a hurry to go nowhere, just saying!
Somewhere, in past years, it was published that only 200 of them were built......and you still see that from time to time. I never believed that cause I've seen too many over the years. Hell, I even bought parts off one that one of the members here desecrated!
Anyway, everyone else who ought to know agrees no more than 1400-1500 were built.
Looks pretty clean. If it was mine, I would throw some tank badges on it, paint the side covers black, polish the primary cover and rocker cover, then ride the piss out of it. Are the shouldered alloy rims Dunlops?
Looks pretty clean. If it was mine, I would throw some tank badges on it, paint the side covers black, polish the primary cover and rocker cover, then ride the piss out of it.
Damn fine machine. Get rid of the gauges, swap the seat out, get some clubmans and go for a really long ride. The ride itself will answer your question. Too good to chop IMHO.
I think it'd be a waste of a very clean, together, original machine, to chop it. I'd detail it, put a nice cafe seat with a tail section on it, some clip-ons, and look for a beater to chop up.
Well,The FB and i had a talk and i'm going to leave it alone
Maybe down the road I can find something a little more beat up to chop.
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