Drove 2 hours to pick up my new Bomber on Wednesday. It was better than expected, literally looks like it has never been washed though. Good for me, because the seller's lack of washing plus poor pictures plus non-existent Ebay description (and probably the time of year) meant that I ended up getting a steal of a deal on what should have been a $4000-$4500 bike all day long.
The bike was purchased from the original owner who purchased it in '66 for the princely sum of $800. The bike has always been garaged and it shows. It hit 50 degrees today so I decided to take her around the block a few times
It appears to be stock except for the grips, battery, Buco saddlebag mounts, and the luggage rack. The mounts will be gone as soon as I have the time, but the rack will probably be useful. Even the tires appear original but I don't know what tires these came with stock.
Problem areas:
Front fender has some damage along the leading edge. Looks like someone bumped it up against something.
Mirrors are missing.
Speedo/tack trim ring has a dent.
The tank chrome on the left side has one tiny dent.
Tank badges have the typical spider-web cracking.
Tail light is missing a screw.
Seat latch knob is missing.
Seat hinges are cracked. They are still holding but I'm probably going to end up buying some of the repros.
Overall I'm ecstatic. Once the bike is cleaned up, I think it will be too nice to restore. I think I'll just stick with cleaning and polishing and ride the dickens out of it next spring
I'm glad I bid on it sight-unseen. I was willing to risk the wrath of Ebay and the seller if I had shown up and it had been worse than expected. I would have just walked away.
Here's some photos of it dirty. I guess I shouldn't rag on the seller for the bad photos as my photos are no great shakes either.
The bike was purchased from the original owner who purchased it in '66 for the princely sum of $800. The bike has always been garaged and it shows. It hit 50 degrees today so I decided to take her around the block a few times
It appears to be stock except for the grips, battery, Buco saddlebag mounts, and the luggage rack. The mounts will be gone as soon as I have the time, but the rack will probably be useful. Even the tires appear original but I don't know what tires these came with stock.
Problem areas:
Front fender has some damage along the leading edge. Looks like someone bumped it up against something.
Mirrors are missing.
Speedo/tack trim ring has a dent.
The tank chrome on the left side has one tiny dent.
Tank badges have the typical spider-web cracking.
Tail light is missing a screw.
Seat latch knob is missing.
Seat hinges are cracked. They are still holding but I'm probably going to end up buying some of the repros.
Overall I'm ecstatic. Once the bike is cleaned up, I think it will be too nice to restore. I think I'll just stick with cleaning and polishing and ride the dickens out of it next spring
I'm glad I bid on it sight-unseen. I was willing to risk the wrath of Ebay and the seller if I had shown up and it had been worse than expected. I would have just walked away.
Here's some photos of it dirty. I guess I shouldn't rag on the seller for the bad photos as my photos are no great shakes either.