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Help! Restore to Original or Cafe racer?


peetacheeta
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I have a 1975 xs500b. it is running and driving, The original paint on the headlight, tank (one dent) and the side covers is all good (original orange with white and gold striping), It needs a little tlc, a few parts, seat cover and tires.

It has 17,000 original km.

I was wondering what this bikes value is restored to original condition?

I cannot find a lot of information on the internet of its worth.

Debating turning it into a cafe racer

please share your knowledge

thanks!

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Googling suggests £600-£1000 on average, based on past sales.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cafe race it. Why put yourself through all the grief and expense to find all the right stuff to be told by some pedant that " the screw on the back of the speedo is wrong for that year " ? And, after all that you find you have a bike that cost so much to restore you will loose thousands if you sell it.

I have a few bikes restored to "original" but to be honest they are not, why you ask ? Well, when Triumph's left the hallowed works at Meriden the frames were painted - mine is powder coated, they had poor quality chrome on the whole - mine has stainless spokes and fastners, I have fitted a Bransden instead of points the list goes on. So what is a restoration and what is not ?

If you look around at shows and see restored bikes that claim to be as original ask yourself does it actually run, was it ridden here ( doubtfull ) and how much of the shiny stuff realy was shiny when it left the factory ?

Yes it is nice to see a bike in good order and fair play to those who do it but surely its better to see a bike being used than trailered. A sympathetic resto job is much better ie stainless exhaust, uprated brakes and lights etc to make it easier to live with on a day to day basis.

So sod the purists and cafe race it and keep us all updated as you do it. A 500 twin well sorted is a fun bike to ride believe me.

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i had one of them a little while ago,was half tidy condition,i put it up for sale & had very little response,maybe it wasnt a good time to be selling it but i would go for the satisfacion factor of cafe racer-ing it

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