Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series) [Paperback]

Mike Brown (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tech Series | Publication Date: March 15, 2009

This enjoyable, engagingly readable book provides a detailed roadmap for rebuilding and restoring unit-construction Triumph and BSA twins without spending a fortune. The book is organized just as you would a rebuilding project, starting with selecting a bike to work on and finishing with bringing all the pieces together to ride. It contains the practical, down-to-earth information you wish the factory manuals had, but don't. Brown passes along the tips, shortcuts, and money-saving advice he has acquired over a span of 20 years working with British motorcycles. Every aspect of refurbishing unit-construction British twins is covered: engine work, transmissions, frame repairs, shocks and forks, brakes, tanks, and those pesky Amal carbs and Lucas electrical systems. The book also helps you choose a bike to buy, including how to spot bogus serial numbers and avoid stolen goods. Whether you want to build a concours quality restoration or simply put a good-looking, reliable British bike on the road, you will find plenty of helpful information here.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This enjoyable, engagingly readable book provides a detailed roadmap for rebuilding and restoring unit-construction Triumph and BSA twins without spending a fortune. It contains the practical, down-to-earth information you wish the factory manuals had, but don't. Every aspect of refurbishing unit-construction British twins is covered: engine work, transmissions, frame repairs, shocks and forks, brakes, tanks, and those pesky Amal carbs and Lucas electrical systems, plus plenty of sound tips, shortcuts, and money-saving advice.

About the Author

A Texas high school teacher by day, motojournalist and avid Brit rebuilder by night, Mike Brown has been wrenching and learning the nuances of Triumph/BSA unit twins for more than 20 years.  He has written numerous technical articles for Old Bike Journal, Walneck’s Cycle Trader, and other U.S. magazines.  He also fields reader questions about rebuilding and restoring old bikes.  This is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Whitehorse (March 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884313620
• ISBN-13: 978-1884313622
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 3.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Building Budget Brits, March 3, 2010

By 

John M. Whyte (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series) (Paperback)

I am the owner of several BSA A65 models of different ages and I also own the original BSA workshop manuals and parts books for these machines. I have found this book to be an excellent aid to rebuilding this model of BSA. There are many hints and tips for assisting the home mechanic in these endeavours,most of which will prevent you making costly mistakes and making a fool of yourself, especially in front of your fellow afficionados!
Most of these hints and tips are not in the manuals as they are the result of experience by the author and not possible for a technical writer in a factory who has probably never ridden such a machine, much less ever taken one apart and rebuilt it.
It is well written, in an orderly fashion providing guidance in an easy-to-understand format. I wish there were more books like this.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the money, December 1, 2009

By 

R. Blackwood (Quebec) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series) (Paperback)

I am restoring a '72 Bonneville and had already bought a few books, including the shop manual, so I thought buying this one would be redundant. As it turns out, this is well worth the money. A lot of good tips that you won't find elsewhere, a fair price, good photography, well-written and quite precise. It takes some of the fear out of starting a rebuild for an amateur like me. I say buy it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Really Like British Bikes, June 23, 2009

By 

gtoherder "gto69wt" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series) (Paperback)

This excellent book is to British bikes what 'Guzziology' is to those fine machines; except a lot cheaper and a good deal more compact. It is packed end-to-end with tips, tricks and wonderfully practical advice on restoring and maintaining BSAs and Triumphs without riding off to the poorhouse while you're at it. The chapters each deal with a particular aspect of the bikes we know and love with a modest slant towards the 'daily rider' although if you're dead set on a perfectly restored machine this book would be no less handy.