1958 Sunbeam Motorcycle?
Was that a good era for their production, what are the known issues and things to examine before buying one as a collectible bike? Finally, how do they handle at higher speeds and what's the acceleration/breaking like?
Answers:
My dad had 2, S8`s. Both had the same problem in rain. Water would be thrown onto the magneto by the front wheel, and it would eventually stop. Tried just about every trick in the book, nothing worked for long. The "best" solution was to seal the housing with Plasticine (a type of play-dough) making sure that there was a little tube in the bottom of the housing to act as a breather for the inevitable build up of moisture. The handling was "OK", remember the bikes from those years were not as good as the modern stuff. Same with the performance, they were adequate for the time. The best thing though was the shaft drive, no greasy chains ! and in general the engines were oil tight, not like a great many of the others at the time! I`ve seen some S7`s at " rallies" most of them are in a bad state (the 7 is the one with the big "balloon tyres, the 8 had "normal size ones)Haven`t seen many 8`s, maybe they are all in museums !
my grandfather told me that he knew everything about 1950s sunbeam motorcycles. his particular specialty being information such as how they handled at higher speeds, and the acceleration and breaking performance. he can't help you now, he's dead.
no only to say they were always good bikes so i assume you can bet the 1950s were ok no doubt someone on here will help you
S7 or S8 inline twins. Handsome, with strong engines. Made good tourers, but not particularly fast. Had dodgy electrics and didn't like the rain. Stable at speed, not exceptional handling though.
Not a bad old horse, good for a sidecar, problem areas, firstly never leave home without wd40, secondly check rear suspension, and third- the drive shaft is open and with a bronze universal joint check for wear hear and keep it well greesed, most will have new tight ones now. can be a bit pricey.
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