Moving To San Diego want to buy a motorcycle... Help!

[Julius Xavier]

Okay guys I'm moving to San Diego in approx. 58 days and I am selling my car before I go to raise money for the move. Shortly after I arrive I'm going to be in the market for new transportation. I am looking for a motorcycle. Perferably something that looks like a WW2 motorcycle. Like the one McQueen stole in The Great Escape. Here are some pics for reference and for what I'm generally in the market for.

I'm looking for something with a seat like this... I really like that seat.

Steve McQueen "The Great Escape" Motorcycle

Any leads or dealers that you know of would be of great help.



-DocIndyJones

 

[Dalexs]

Well, Steve McQueen rode a 1962 Triumph TR6SS.
Something like this...

Ok, so you'd need a seat and gas tank, but I'm sure it runs great!

I've seen these kind of bikes go in the neigbhood of 8-10 grand.

Good luck looking for antique bikes. Generally they are hard to come by for low $$ and are expensive to repair/maintain.
They are a bit more of a lifetime project type bike.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Well, probably the most accurate WWII bike still in production is the Ural. It is the most accurate because it is a WWII motorcycle. The Russians either acquired a license from BMW to build copies or just got some and duplicated them just before WWII (I think it's the 1939 model), and have been building them ever since. The only things they have done are update the electronics and the brakes, and maybe a few other things. There are dealers in the SoCal area, too.

Another option is the Triumph Scrambler, which is styled to recall the Desert Racers that Steve McQueen used to ride. It doesn't have the bicycle seat, though. Here's a bunch of the stuff that Steve rode and drove: Stars and Their Cars: Steve McQueen.

 

[PADDY]

Old ww2 BMW bikes in the US for sale...

http://www.blitzbikes.com/

Try the above link. These bikes I believe are made up to the old WWII BMW specs and can be painted in German Wermacht livery, if wanted (just like the McQueen bike!). Hope that helps you out (the things I keep in my favourties list!!).:eusa_doh:

 

[Julius Xavier]

*

These are great leads. Ural... although offers a bike I'd want I don't see the seat I want. I reliese that these bike will cost me alittle coin but I think it's a worthy investment... besides I don't think it'll cost me more then owning an automobile in California... Keep the leads coming please.



-DocIndyJones

 

[pablocham]

They are now marketing Royal Enfields in the USA. They are, as far as I can tell, made in India from the same old designs modified somewhat to meet emissions. http://www.royalenfield.com/app/US/default.asp

 

[Mojave Jack]

Wow, both the BlitzBikes and the Royal Enfield sites are great! I didn't even know Royal Enfield was still around. I like their military model.

 

[Dalexs]

Actually that BMW R35 on the Blitz site is pretty close to the style your looking for. Its on the for sale page, http://www.blitzbikes.com/id2.htm

And its only $7200. Not to bad for a restored bike.

BTW While maintaining a motorcycle in CA will not cost that much, unless you've been riding for a number of years, CA will kill you when it comes to insurance!

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

You can also get the Chinese BMW R75 copies (these also come with sidecars) and they can be easily modified to look just like the WWII German models complete with the license plates on the fenders and ID plates on the various components.

A bunch of the guys in my WWII German unit have them. Be warned however that WWII motorcycles won't run as well as a modern motorcycle. They can be a bit unreliable and unless you know a bit about how they work and how to fix them you could have problems.

For example the R75 we were using last weekend at a public battle just died unexpectedly while we were riding it, apparently from a generator failure.

 

[Burma Shave]

If you're into BMW (or clones) specifically...

...go to this site: http://www.ibmwr.org/market/

It's the classified ad section of Internet BMW Riders, and has classics, airhead and oilhead bikes, along with other goodies, for sale and trade. It's where I found my Beemer, where I sold my last one, and where I'll look first when I need another bike.

Good luck with the search.

 

[renor27]

WW2 Bikes

A very good point that the bike used in the GE was a Trimph this was due to the fact that the German bikes from the war years had ridged frames and could not take the kind of stunts that the film is noted for.
As for the Urals and other vintage looking bikes such as the Enfields well,they are copies of bikes that were built 50 years ago and have up grades some folks love then some hate them not sure just how much one would like using them for a daily rider.
I my self do ride and rebuild 1960's BMW mostly with sidecars. I love these older bikes. I ride then hard and for long tours been across the country a few times and never on any thing newer then 1966. The BMW bikes from the 1960' s have the older looks and you can still get parts the down side are the brakes weak by todays standers and they have 6 volt electrical systems so head lights are well not really there in the dark of night. These bikes can be found in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.
As for getting a true WW2 bike I would not suggest that for a few reasons:
price $10,000 to $50,000
parts are harder to find
many of the bikes have not be taken care of so are in very poor condition. Be very careful of WW2 German bikes on E-bay for many are new Russian copies that are being passed off as WW2 bikes.
David

 

[zeus36]

Check out some vintage BSA motorcycles:

http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike Directories/BSA Bikes/BSA index.htm

 

[jeep44]

Hello
The bike you first posted in your starting post is a BSA M20. I have two of them,a '40 and a '44,and they are really not all that expensive or difficult to find here in the US. EBay has them all the time,in various states of completion. Engine parts are no problem at all,but the sheet metal parts like toolboxes and fenders can be hard to find, so getting one as complete as possible is usually a good idea. The main drawback to everyday riding of a bike of this vintage is the 45 mph top speed,and the rudimentary electrical system. These bikes also have magnetos, which can be fussy. A good website for the M20 is http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/ahum/
I'm new to this forum,and I don't have attachment priveliges yet, so I can't post pics of them. I can say that they turn all heads when I putter by.
A good modern alternative is the India Enfield. This bike has been made in India for many,many years, and is a direct copy of a '50s British Royal Enfield.