An on-line magazine dedicated to the love of vintage motorcycles.

NEW: Tips on how to install the Legend oil filter on a Triumph twin

Aging Harbor Freight motorcycle Lifts are suffering from a leaking pump seal. See how I solved the problem.  

Also see how I restored my father's Beech Bonanza airplane (for MS flight simulator that is).

See Pictures from a recent trip to a Botswana Game lodge.

After exploring the Restoration Page, come on over and join the MBVMC party by clicking on the icon below!
(Be sure to check out the picture of the week)


Restoration Features

A pair of 1979 Moto Guzis 1000SPs are brought back to life

 

I find a well preserved AJS 16MS in a shed here in Mobile
A very rusty old German scooter comes back to life.
An internet scam turns into a happy ending with a BMW R60
A 1973 Benelli 650cc Tornado is brought back to life
Want a cafe racer like the girl with the dragon tattoo rides?  Why not build one?

 

Honda in a suitcase? Restoration of a 1960's S&K Suitcase Cycle
Restoring a 1966 Honda Black Bomber.  I find an example of Honda's first big bike in a barn.
A 1967 Yamaha YDS3 gets a new lease on life

Restoring a Triumph T90

See how a truckload of parts turned into a beautiful
Triumph T100.

You can relace that old wheel. Go ahead! Its not that difficult.

A how-to article on how to fix a faulty charging rectifier with an inexpensive Radio Shack replacement

An old Bantam is never too far gone.  See how we brought this one back from the junk pile.

Here is a two-for-one article in which a 1957 Triumph Thunderbird and a 1960 BMW R60/2 are restored side by side. This one includes some good before and after shots.

Jim Arrington and I find a 1966 350 Sebring and a 1963 250 Scrambler.  Both come back to life.  Part 1 of a 2 part article.

Special!! New Indians only $215 FOB Springfield.


Travel Adventures

Visit Kersting's World of Motorcycles
Museum in North Judson Indiana
Business takes me to Salt Lake city where I rent a Harley Road Glide and tour the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. Some great pictures of one of the west's most beautiful spots.
A mid winter trip to Brisbane turns into a date with a Vstar 1100 and a trip to visit the Crocodile Hunter.

 

On a recent trip to Cape Town South Africa we rent some Harley Davidsons and have an adventure riding through this African wonderland.  See some great pictures of everything from seals to baboons along with some breath taking scenery. (Now available in French as well as English)
The Greek island of Rhodes serves as a backdrop for a leisurely ride back into history on a Yamaha 650cc DragStar

The restoration page is maintained strictly as a hobby by James Downey. Please send your comments, good or bad, to jasdowney@gmail.com.

There is a fair amount of restoration activity here in Mobile, Alabama. Visit Jim Arrington's motorcycle site to see more vintage bikes. For my daily driver I ride a Honda Valkyrie Interstate. I also have a 1966 Triumph Bonneville. I have several Sears bikes. I restored a Sears (made by Puch in Austria) 250cc "Twingle" several years ago. Another Sears project was a Sears 124 which was actually made in Italy by Gilera.  I had a 1959 BSA Bantam (see the feature article "Restoring the Bantam" at the top of this page), a 1966 Ducati 350 cc Sebring (I have posted a description of my restoration in "Ducks in a Row" above). One interesting recent project was a Piaggio Vespa scooter. There is always confusion with the name. Vespa (Italian for wasp) is the model and Piaggio the manufacturer. It needed repainting and crank shaft seals. In 2009 I sold the Vespa and traded the Ducati for an oil-in-the-frame BSA which cleaned up real nice and ran fine but I sold the BSA outriht in 2010. For some reason I just don't like BSA 650s.  In 2001 I acquired a 1950 Sunbeam S7 which cleaned up beautifully and is the pride of my collection. In 2004 I cleaned up several Honda GL1000s and a BMW R27 250 cc single I gave my Goldwing to my son and sold the R27 to my friend Steve McClintock in 2011. Another friend gave me a very clean BMW R50/5 "toaster tank" on which I have logged many miles. I restored a 350cc JAWA in 2009 and thet went to my friend Mike Thomason. I bought a 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 for the collection in 2005. In 2007 I obtained a very rough Honda CB550 four which cleaned up nicely but I traded it in 2008 for a 87 Yamaha Fazer 700.  In 2010 I found a rough 1987 Honda CB450 "Black Bomber" which cleaned up remarkably well but I sold that back to its original owner, David Hangen. In 2011 I restored a 1966 Yamaha YDS3 250cc twin. In 2012 I traded the YDS3 for a 1970 BSA 650 Thunderbolt,  but I still didn't like BSA 650's so I sold it at Barber's.  It was a pretty bike though.  Soon after I ended up with a BSA SS80 250cc single from the 1960's. It is a sporty little devil.  In 2016 I bought a very clean Matchless g12. In 2017 I acquired a long sought after Whizzer motor bike.

In real life I am a professor in the Medical School at the University of South Alabama. If you want to know more about that, click here. Sadly my father, Richard M. Downey, passed away in 2001. He led a fine and adventurous life. Click here to read about him. Finally, here is a neat picture of me at age 16 on my Harley Hummer

Visitors since 1 September 2006


Dental Curing Light