GT750 Kettle: keep original or highly polished????

Snowy

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I'm very lucky to have the problem of not knowing what to do with the Kettle I bought last year. It's a 1976 'A' model, completely original, honest and mechanically excellent. I bought it as an investment but also to have fun on, it gets ridden and isn't a garage queen.

However, I can't decide to keep it as it is (albeit give it a good clean and polish) or strip it down and get stuff re-chromed and the engine and casings properly polished and made shiny. I flip-flop on this almost on a daily basis. The photo on the left is how it is now and still covered in ACF and WD40 from the previous owner (but this would go in the spring clean). The other photo is how they can look after polishing.

What is the general view of you Tossers as to what to do? Keep it honest, original and showing her age or go under the knife and have 'enhancements'? :nenau
 

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If you strip and clean it, you'll never ride it; so fettle in situ is my vote.
 
It's only ever original once, keep it as is and enjoy, in my opinion is worth more untouchend👍
 
Just look after it, keep on top of the jobs, let it show it's age - ride it and enjoy it....
 
I would polish it within an inch of its life and enjoy continuing to polish it at every opportunity :drool
 
You open by saying its an investment. Buyers of classic bike prefer original patina. It looks fairly respectable as is so leave it.

Once you start the stripping polishing route you wil incur costs that will not be recouped on selling.plus you will never keep up with the serial restorers who scour the world for NOS parts, then trailer the bike to shows such as Stafford

And as said above garage queens get treated as such and two strokes need to be ridden to keep them Running sweet
 
You either bought it as an investment or to have fun. The more you do to it to take it away from its ornignal state the less return on your money. JJH
 
Ride it to Las Vegas...................................................or thats what I did with mine.:D
 
It was original once, just as it rolled off the production line. Now it is old and dirty so clean it! It is what the 'original' owner would have done.
 
I'm very lucky to have the problem of not knowing what to do with the Kettle I bought last year. It's a 1976 'A' model, completely original, honest and mechanically excellent. I bought it as an investment but also to have fun on, it gets ridden and isn't a garage queen.

However, I can't decide to keep it as it is (albeit give it a good clean and polish) or strip it down and get stuff re-chromed and the engine and casings properly polished and made shiny. I flip-flop on this almost on a daily basis. The photo on the left is how it is now and still covered in ACF and WD40 from the previous owner (but this would go in the spring clean). The other photo is how they can look after polishing.

What is the general view of you Tossers as to what to do? Keep it honest, original and showing her age or go under the knife and have 'enhancements'? :nenau


brothers got 2 off em, one original and one polished (gixer front and rear end on the polished )..he has about 10 classic bikes and the best rider out of all of them is his original kettle
 

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No point in restoring it if it doesn't need it, and especially not if you want to keep using it, there must be hundreds of people that would want to buy that bike as an original with time earned patina, but once its restored you will probably restrict your potential customers to just a few rich nit picking rivet counters.
 
brothers got 2 off em, one original and one polished (gixer front and rear end on the polished )..he has about 10 classic bikes and the best rider out of all of them is his original kettle

I would love to build a GT750 special. Fec it I wish i didnt open this thread.
 
Thanks for all the replies. This has been very helpful and it's an overwhelming thumbs up for keeping her original.
 
I have the same bike in blue. Mine only has 3300 miles on it. I am trying to get it back to as close to original as possible and then will offer it up for sale this spring. I think your bike looks really good as is but in the end it's not us to decide its you.
 
If you leave as it is you'll not worry too much about riding it and getting it dirty. The patina has value to some people, and those who prefer polished bikes can buy one with patina and have the pleasure of polishing it. You can't re-create the patina.
 
brothers got 2 off em, one original and one polished (gixer front and rear end on the polished )..he has about 10 classic bikes and the best rider out of all of them is his original kettle

Mr Lindoes K5 kettle.....
 
While the shiny polished within an inch of its life bikes are very pretty to look at, an original untouched bikes look just as good. At the Kettle Club rally, there are awards for best special, best restored and amongst others is Best unrestored....These are getting few and far between.....keep it as is.....
 
Keep as is and ride it time spent polishing is less time riding.
There are enough trailer queens out there.
 
It's only ever original once, keep it as is and enjoy, in my opinion is worth more untouchend👍

Not read the rest of the posts yet... but what Ferret says is correct, keep it clean, ride it mean :thumby:

Do it up and you'll not ride it ...

They asked me to be a judge at the Rotherham Vintage Motoring/Motorcycle Weekend years ago ... the winner was always the ridden bike, sticky tape here, none standard cable there, oil leak here, scratch there .... never ever the trailered Queens :D

Ride it and enjoy :thumb

:beerjug:
 


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