To chrome or not to chrome, that is the question......?

I haven't done a blog about the aim of this restoration, but one thing I have learnt over the years is that it's important to have a clear vision of the end goal, otherwise you can't really set out the path to get there properly. 

One consequence of that can be a "light" restoration that ends up as a full on show-stopping finish and that was kind of where I got to with my previous Honda restoration. Not that it was a full on show-stopper, but I did go way way further and spent loads more money than intended, and when it was finished I was kind of scared to use it because it would undo the really nice finish!

So my thoughts for the Crusader have been that I wanted to end up with a presentable old bike that I could happily roll up to a classic show on and display, safe in the knowledge it would never win a prize for best in show, but also that I won't be afraid to sling some camping gear on the back of and head off to the Classic TT or on a weekend camping trip. 

I am not aiming for 100% originality. Anyone coming to me at a show and saying" I think you'll find that the 1962 Crusader used a Lucas xyt7 lens and not the earlier xyj4" will probably get a polite shove off.

I would like to reuse or repair rather than renew, although not where the economics of doing that are ridiculous. The bike is probably never going to be worth more than about £3000 maximum and I have spent just under £1000 on the purchase - £2000 isn't a lot once you start a project like this!

So, here's what my bike would have looked like when new:

My initial thoughts were to head for something like that, but within sensible economics. e.g. to refurbish my fuel tank, which currently looks something like this:

will cost upwards of £500, by the time dents are repaired, chrome is removed, polished and rechromed and then painted. That doesn't add significant value to my "vision" really. So I have decided that I will paint the tank, not rechrome it.

I got my pile of things that DO need rechroming together today and drove an hour to my nearest rechromers - except for the wheel rims, this was a similar pile to the last restoration I did, which cost me about £400.

Here's what I was quoted:

Wheel rims: £180 each - £360

Front Mudguard: £120

Rear Mudguard: £350

Handlebars: £75

Exhaust header: £75

Headlight bezels (2): £60

Grand total: £1,040!!

So the vision has been "refined". 

• I can get new rims to the same pattern for about £100 each. (saving £160)
• I'll get the exhaust header rechromed - they are £120 new, so better value.
• I can get new reproduction headlamp bezels for £32. (saving £28)
• I was only getting the handlebars done because they were the original "sports" ace bars. I can get some more comfortable "touring" bars new for £36. Not as original, but definitely kinder to my old back 😀. (saving £39)
• If I am now not being faithful to the "sports" look, there was a contemporary model to the Crusader Sports called the Clipper with less chrome etc, so I'm going to de-rust the mudguards and repaint them with the tank. The majority of British bikes of the 50s and 60s were finished with painted mudguards and there are loads of Crusaders around like that. (saving about £400)
• Tank is being repaired and painted instead of rechromed (saving about £450)
• I'll try and recycle the old unused parts on EBay, rather than throw them away. 

In total, that will save me about £1,000 and the bike will look something like this:

instead of this:

Less bling, but I can live with that, and it will have more of "me" in it because I'll do the painting myself, seeing as I'm not aiming for a concours restoration.

Oh, and it won't be red. Almost every Crusader I see is red. I'm thinking a nice lawnmower dark green at the moment!