Potential leaky purchase

It’s not the worst package in the world, but does need some tidying. If they are going to deal with the leak, damage,( seat looks a bit odd), and they offer you some sort of discount it could be made into a nice machine .  Not a lot of spanner rash, butchery and it depends on what your ownership is based on. A rider, show bike or investment, once checked by someone who knows the model well you can decide.  Personally I would avoid dealers, they will not offer any support once sold.  Keep an eye on club classifieds, that’s where the real nice bikes are.

cheers

jon

A dealer tart up job with a respray and polish, surface only looks good, mechanicals will not have been touched and I bet there is no warranty or a very short one. Its a 5K to 6K bike as its unrestored and lead a hard life. Walk away and buy from the NOC Classified.

Seat looks like a Roaster seat bodged to fit the Interstate tank, rubber brake hose looks original and fit for the bin as it will expand when brake lever is pulled making the front brake even more wooden than normal. Tank is not fixed correctly at the back, too high off the side panels and probably the cause of the handlebar issue. Throttle cable adjuster will eat into that nice new tank job if not sorted. 

Caution is needed whoever you buy from, as there are so many either unwittingly incompetent sellers or plain crooks out there.  Unfortunately, buying through the NOC is no guarantee that you will get an honest bike.  I bought an Atlas off a NOC member that was a restoration just requiring finishing touches, primarily tank badges.  The issues only became apparent after a time - metric pistons in imperial bores; two broken valve springs; no footrest stud  spacer between the engine plates, so plates and primary case bent like a banana; no spacer between new swinging arm  metalastic bushes; and a 7” stainless front wheel spindle in 7 3/8” forks - the nut was only held on by about two threads. All in all, a horror show from someone I had naively trusted because they were in the NOC, had an Inter too, and came across as a genuine bloke.

I bought a T140ES from the Exeter Triumph main dealer, a bike they had ‘known for years and did all the servicing’.  When I later spoke to the previous owner about it, he said it had been laid up for several years and only been put back on the road for a few months, as he got back into biking.  Nothing wrong with that and did not change the bike, so why the fabricated story from the dealer?

So to avoid disappointment and expense, try and get a second pair of eyes to look with you, wherever you buy.  You may not be able to see all possible issues, but if anything visible does not seem right or makes you nervous, dig further or walk away. 

A red flag, NOC member or not, is a fresh restoration with few miles on the clock. A minimum of 2000 miles for settling in and covering any issues is a good rule.

No one can make money by buying a basket case or unrestored bike unless they are a 'Name' like Norman White or Mick Hemmings, they can because their name allows a premium to be charged. So without a name the only way to cut a profit is to cut corners, focus on the bling and ignore the mechanicals. Now there are some people who restore to a high standard and knowingly sell at a loss just for the enjoyment of the process but these are few.

So either buy a well used and maintained example or a restored bike with 1 or 2 years miles underneath it. 

Over the last 15 years or so I have rebuilt (I don't like the term "restored") about a dozen bikes ranging from an NSU Quickly through Matchless G80S, Moto Guzzi V50, Ariel Arrow, BSA A10, 1931 Sunbeam Model 10, Velo Venom etc etc to what I consider a good roadworthy standard. I have concentrated on mechanical work to make bikes that are good to ride rather than cosmetically attractive although I have done a lot of refinishing - mostly using brushed coach enamel. I've also had items replated where appropriate, rebuilt wheels, rewired, made new control cables etc.

I have kept meticulous records of everything spent on these bikes. At the time of writing, if I sold my ES2 for the £6,000 or so I think it's worth I would have broken even to within a few hundred pounds in my favour. Of course this takes no account of the many hours I've spent in the workshop. If I'd been paying someone to do the work I would be very out of pocket indeed. And some rebuilds have shown a loss while others have done the opposite.

It may be worth saying that more than one subsequent owner has complimented me on the standard of the bikes and all have been very happy with their purchases. Unfortunately I don't have a Commando to sell to the OP (I sold mine which I'd had for 20 years or so for £2,700 in 2005 which was a fair price then).

It seems very close to the forks on full lock to me, so may not be an original petrol tank. The seat is just plain horrible. There isn't a shortage of Commandos for sale so I'd look elsewhere. £8.5k should get you a good one, not a shoddy one like that. 

That Triumph in the background looks nice ;-)

HNY.