New Member

[rocket111]

Hi all and thanks for allowing me onto this forum the names paul and i live in the uk(cheshire)
I currently own a triumph rocket 3 and several old goldwings
As yet i have still to make a purchase of a bsa but have my heart set on either a road rocket or a super road rocket
Hence my joining this forum before parting with my hard earned cash,so i might well for a time be one of those forum lurkers
I do have my eye on a couple of bikes on e bay but as with all things e bay it might just be a dumping ground for some one elses junk
Trouble is i can also be a bit of an impulse buyer ,but usually rely on the good lady to keep my feet on the ground

I have looked at old bike mart and several other sellers but have no real idea of value for one of these classics

Any help in pointing me in the right direction will be greatfully recieved  

[muskrat]

G'day Paul, welcome to the forum.
                                              Think about what type of riding you wish to do on the A then make your mind up on a model. The older plungers and rigid mods are great plodders,the super rocket for a fang or a scrambles for a bit of dirty work. They are all great bikes.
Cheers

[A10Boy]

Ebay is a great site if you use it properly. Obviously no-one would just bid on a bike sight unseen, so ebay is a place to search for what you want then go and look at the bike in the flesh. I did that with my current A10 [and AJS], went to look, did the deal paid cash and took the bike away. Sometimes the bike isnt at all what it looks like in the photos.

[Goldy]

One of the bikes faults is wear to the timing side bush. Listen to the off side of the engine for noise when under light load and bear in mind a big strip down if you can hear this.

[rocket111]

thanks for the welcome
im not averse to ripping one to bits and restoring it and i must say having restored a 1978 goldwing a few years ago i am amazed how cheap some of the spares appear to be for these classics
of course one of the big problems is  getting the right bits for the year of the bike
i have been hovering over this one on e bay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1956-BSA-A10-Road-Rocket-/300580426179?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item45fbfd51c3

but the first thing to put me right off is the powder coated frame i cant help but wonder how difficult that would be to have removed to have it stoved

[Goldy]

I am not so sure that is a road rocket and if it is 1956 it should have Ariel hubs??

[muskrat]

Might be a '58 FA7, the hubs are the first thing I look at.
Cheers

[chaterlea25]

Hi Rocket111,
In my experience, any "project bike " will turn out to be an absolute nightmare and a moneypit
Unfortunately its not like a Honda when you buy replacement parts they seldom fit without "fettling "
An awful lot of complete SHI*E is lumped together and sold on ebay

I would recommend buying a bike either from a long term owner who will be glad to find a caring new keeper for their pride and joy,
Or
If you want a project find a bike which has been mothballed for a long time or sleeping peacefully in a fairly dry place,

Its unbelievable at the antics some so called "dealers" (note small "d") come up with to flog off total crap for top dollars!!!!

I have seen better than the ebay one broken for parts  its a lashup of years /models/ and pattern crap

My 2 cents worth!!
John O R

[rocket111]

Well the deed is done just got back from buying a 1961 super rocket in fairly reasonable condition just a few bits and bobs to do plenty for me to be tinkering away at while the other half is in soap land
will post some pics soon (when i hit my 5 posts lol)

[rocket111]

this might work now

[muskrat]

Well done rocket111,
                            looks like a good rider straight off the blocks.
Cheers

[mike667]

a beauty 4 sure!

[A10Boy]

That sure looks like a nice bike.

I dont know how much experience you have with A10s, but to add to what Goldy said, next time you have the timing side cover off it would be worth checking for play on the timing side crank bush. You dont always hear a worn one due to other rattles such as the dynamo chain etc. Its probable that theres nothing to worry about but I always check this before doing too many miles. You will  find more info here using the search facility than probably any other subject. [Search Timing side bush].

Cheers

[rocket111]

well shes been home 2 weeks now and viewed from every angle and before ripping into a full restoration i need to put the ravages of 50 years right ,main stand wrong ,side stand wrong pillion foot rests look (250 honda ish) kick start wrong (now know why it has caught the oil tank)
and i thought restoring the goldwing was a pain 

[Hubie]

Welcome aboard mate,

She looks great and you will smile ear to ear once all the work is done and the bike does what you expect it to do 
I bought a bike that ran well from a place I trusted (and still do) but found out my A10 had an A7 crank in it.  An awful lot of stuffing around to rebuild it.  Thanks to members on this site, she now goes brilliantly 

Cheers,
Hubie