G2 restoration - Opinions
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:37 pm
Hello all,
A brief introduction:
My name is not DimgJa of course but Paul. I am Dutch and own a 1954 G80S since 1978. In those years I lived in Amsterdam and drove regularly to the south of France, and also once to Scotland. After emigrating to Portugal in the early nineties (my wife is Portuguese) the bike remained stored. In 2020 I retired and last summer the Matchless resumed it's plonking life again in the beautiful Portuguese countryside. In an amazing way it resumed life after 39 years of standstill. But that is another story.
The G2
Last August a lovely 1959 G2 came my way. After a few days I made a short test ride to the village garbage bin and back, using only first and second gear. It sounded very well but I didn't want to push it climbing mountains (there is nothing else beyond the garbage bin), and also had to spare my behind because there is no seat.
The gearbox happily leaks at standstill as soon as it is topped up, but the PO - whom I trust - claims that he never had problems with the gears except the kick not coming back. He had bought the bike in the early eighties and had transformed it into something groovy, stripping it almost bare including the chainguard. He must have been a bachelor at the time and I was lucky to find a NOS chainguard.
Your opinions
The bike looks lovely and I might not be getting it completely back to originality. Here I need your opinions, what would you do?
Leave the Honda forks on? They are much better than the original and the brake is splendid... or mount a teledraulic?
And the rear shocks? Leave them on, or find Girlings?
So far it has been impossible to find a left-hand toolbox, nor an early buddyseat. If those prove impossible I might fabricate a toolbox of polyester, that might pass unnoticed.
And maybe use a Lycett saddle instead? Never seen a G2 with a saddle, but nevertheless...
And what about this air filter, would that be original? Happy that it is there anyway, on my G80S there is none.
I will take my time preparing a restoration some day, in the mean time doing research, sorting things out and chase parts. That has become very costly after Brexit, risen tranport prices, customs clearance services and paying VAT two times, all this even on secondhand stuff, all togeher effectively doubling the cost. And delays up to 10 weeks!
Looking forward to hearing your ideas.
A brief introduction:
My name is not DimgJa of course but Paul. I am Dutch and own a 1954 G80S since 1978. In those years I lived in Amsterdam and drove regularly to the south of France, and also once to Scotland. After emigrating to Portugal in the early nineties (my wife is Portuguese) the bike remained stored. In 2020 I retired and last summer the Matchless resumed it's plonking life again in the beautiful Portuguese countryside. In an amazing way it resumed life after 39 years of standstill. But that is another story.
The G2
Last August a lovely 1959 G2 came my way. After a few days I made a short test ride to the village garbage bin and back, using only first and second gear. It sounded very well but I didn't want to push it climbing mountains (there is nothing else beyond the garbage bin), and also had to spare my behind because there is no seat.
The gearbox happily leaks at standstill as soon as it is topped up, but the PO - whom I trust - claims that he never had problems with the gears except the kick not coming back. He had bought the bike in the early eighties and had transformed it into something groovy, stripping it almost bare including the chainguard. He must have been a bachelor at the time and I was lucky to find a NOS chainguard.
Your opinions
The bike looks lovely and I might not be getting it completely back to originality. Here I need your opinions, what would you do?
Leave the Honda forks on? They are much better than the original and the brake is splendid... or mount a teledraulic?
And the rear shocks? Leave them on, or find Girlings?
So far it has been impossible to find a left-hand toolbox, nor an early buddyseat. If those prove impossible I might fabricate a toolbox of polyester, that might pass unnoticed.
And maybe use a Lycett saddle instead? Never seen a G2 with a saddle, but nevertheless...
And what about this air filter, would that be original? Happy that it is there anyway, on my G80S there is none.
I will take my time preparing a restoration some day, in the mean time doing research, sorting things out and chase parts. That has become very costly after Brexit, risen tranport prices, customs clearance services and paying VAT two times, all this even on secondhand stuff, all togeher effectively doubling the cost. And delays up to 10 weeks!
Looking forward to hearing your ideas.