Don't think I've wanted to spend 5 grand....

[-Ralph-]

...this much in a long time.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201233481744525

but then, they do say never meet your heroes?

[Specialone]

Very nice mate, except it's a replica, I'd rather have the real thing :)

[andrewsmith]

Do it

Its a FZR750 underneath so won't go bang

[-Ralph-]

Very nice mate, except it's a replica, I'd rather have the real thing :)

The real thing would need a bit more than 5 grand!

Its a FZR750 underneath so won't go bang

I guess it's just the bedroom wall poster looks at the end of the day. It was the engine that really made those things special. It made something like 140 bhp off a 588cc rotary, which in the late 80's was rocket fuelled.

[andrewsmith]

Ralph if I had 5k I'd have the MoT legal one

[squirrel_hunter]

Its a FZR750 underneath so won't go bang

But thats all it is. A YZF750 with a paint job.

[Specialone]

But thats all it is. A YZF750 with a paint job.
Exactly, they couldve chose any rep to do with same bike.

[-Ralph-]

But thats all it is. A YZF750 with a paint job.

No, give the guys that did it some credit. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy if they read that comment. They've not done a bad job of it and they've obviously put in a lot more effort than just giving a YZF a paint job.

It's a custom fairing and a custom tail section. They've used YZF fuel tank and front mudguard and an aftermarket hugger, and on those it's just a paint job.

It's not like there's bags of Norton F1's out there in sheds waiting to be restored is it. Or that you're going to find an RCW588 tank on ebay!

It's also not the case that you could have made a good replica of any old race bike with it either, the bike has been chosen with an RCW replica in mind. I've seen some pretty bad so called 'replicas'. Usually built in the garages of those same amateurs that would criticize this one.

Had they manufactured a custom tank, front mudguard and hugger to get it more authentic it'd be more than 5 grand. There's a guy in Austria building new Brough Superior replicas from scratch and he doesn't talk about the price, ie: as much as a small house and if you need to ask you can't afford it.

Before criticizing somebody elses replica that they've obviously put a lot of effort into, go do a better one yourself.

The original for comparison. Manufacturing a one-off tank would be the best way to improve it.

http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints-depot-restricted/motorcycles/norton/norton_rcw588_rotary_1989-11502.jpg

http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=2118225539

[andrewsmith]

Agree with Ralph

The Brough's are about £150k

[Specialone]

Don't get me wrong it's a nice looking bike, but it's not for me, if it was norton powered that might change my opinion, horses for courses I guess.

[yorkie_chris]

For me something like that is as much about the engineering as the looks.

If I wanted something to hang on the wall it would be a Britten V1000, or an SB8R with it's clothes off... hubbahubba...

[-Ralph-]

For me something like that is as much about the engineering as the looks.

If I wanted something to hang on the wall it would be a Britten V1000, or an SB8R with it's clothes off... hubbahubba...

I agree, from an engineering perspective, with the exception of the rotatry engine perhaps, the RCW isn't the most innovative bike out there.

But then if you coud find and had the wonga to buy a bona fide RCW, then hanging it on the wall and occasionally run at events like Goodwood is all you would do with it.

You'd need to be seriously rich before you started buying up rare motorbikes as ornaments. Even if I had the money, I'm not sure I'd buy race bikes TBH, and as much as I love the everything about motorbikes and will visit museums to look at ornaments, for me personally buying motorbikes, it's all about the riding. So road legal classics yes, ornaments no.

The replica for sale here isn't supposed to be about the engineering, it's aimed at nostalgia, I had an RCW on my bedroom wall at 13 yrs old, and it's meant to be a unique bike that you can actually ride on the road, that will draw a crowd in a car park. If that crowd walk away muttering stuff about it 'not being a real one' then they've missed the point.

[squirrel_hunter]

No, give the guys that did it some credit. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy if they read that comment. They've not done a bad job of it and they've obviously put in a lot more effort than just giving a YZF a paint job.

It's a custom fairing and a custom tail section. They've used YZF fuel tank and front mudguard and an aftermarket hugger, and on those it's just a paint job.

My apologies allow me to correct myself:

But thats all it is. A YZF750 with a paint job and a custom seat.

[speedyandypandy]

Go buy it and have fun, that's really all there is to it, it's what you think that matters.