‘Demand has pushed the value of projects way out of beginners’ reach’

‘Unrestored’ means exactly that – what you are paying for is largely cosmetic’

‘when the Sunbeam went on the bench, I honestly believed I was doing a pre-sale spruce up’

‘I think it’s a shame if we lose the inclination (and ability) to try and fix old parts’

‘I seldom go to a bike event without learning something I didn’t know’

‘I couldn’t operate without a lathe, yet I meet people who have one but almost never use it’

‘The engineer said the piston was scrap, a rebore was needed’

‘That’s why the cylinder was on a shelf, not a bike’

‘You cannot work out carb tuning simply by plug colour’

‘Technology should be our servant, not our god’

‘each screw took six mins 44 secs to make; i’m working for a miserable £9 an hour’

'I got a shock – I was struck by the incredibly vivid colour of the terminal corrosion'

‘join an owners’ club... you’ll get help and advice and almost certainly a fair deal’

‘Nothing seemed right... the seat looked too high... to be frank, it looked a mess’

‘Keeping bikes on the road with a limited budget taught me what i can get away with’

‘Time may appear to be free, but it’s harder to get than money when you need it...’

‘However nice that bike in the advert looks, all classics are flawed to some degree’