However, I am pretty sure that at some point the poor thing is going to crap out on me. Then I have a few options, get another beater and fix it up, or have one waiting in the wings.
I plan to have one waiting in the wings, or fairly complete one waiting in the wings.
So over time, when cost effective, I'm going to sort out the Enfield. I can get everything I need for it (except the gearbox) from a company in India, brand new but much cheaper than any of the regular places, and actually straight from the factory. Engine parts I'll probably get from Hitchcocks as I'll want English made engine parts, but the rest I can get from India.
We're going to do it fairly right. I have discovered that for example you can get for the same price as the original wheels, you can buy brand new wheels with vintage half drums - complete with spindles, brakes, bolts, etc. So that's what I'll do.
I can also get new front forks, electrical, fenders, suspension, everything. Cost wise it will eventual work out to costing a couple grand. But, the end game is I'll get the bike that I really wanted, the Enfield I wanted to build originally (and kind of did, and should have kept) for less than it would cost to replace it and change the replacement into what this one could be.
So while I'm riding the XS400, I'll slowly put the Enfield back into place.
This is more or less the End Game for the Enfield:
Thats a 1951 350cc Model G with the big head (which would be dead last), the half drum wheels, a rigid frame (which I can buy but probably won't) but if I did, this is what the bolt on Rigid Frame looks like:
So yeah, the end game is to have the Enfield up and running someday, and when its rideable then I have a bike in the wings, and when it looks like the machine I want - when it IS the machine I want I'll retire the XS, assuming it's still alive at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment