'[if all of us had left their bikes in as received condition(I wish I had) they at least would have their own history...']

This is an utterly nonsensical argument...The M20 I posted a picture of in my previous post was an incomplete 'basket case' when I bought it and if it was ever to return to the road as a complete, serviceable machine a full rebuild was the only option...

I could have piled it in the corner of my workshop and tried to impress anyone that visited me with the evidence of it's 'full history' record but frankly in that event I think they would have considered me unhinged in some way...
The fact is with many restored vehicles, especially basket cases, many unserviceable parts of the original machine require replacement during that process and all the parts have to be refinished, so the factory finish or what's left of it, has to be removed ...

God forbid you came across an M20 that had been badly made into a metallic purple chopper in the 70's...I assume that as part of the bikes history you would be duty bound to preserve it for posterity...:laughing:

Machines like the unrestored M20 above are absolutely in a tiny minority these days so the option of preservation in that state doesn't present itself to most people...Particularly after (or arguably before) a full rebuild the physical entity of the original machine has already been lost so at that point any 'incorrect' markings applied have little relevance from a history preservation standpoint....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

This is my BSA WB30....No known history, no factory finish remaining but the numbers were from a Naval contract of 100 bikes so I put it into Royal Marines Engineers markings....Why?...Because the Navy were responsible for the Marines, I live in an area with a strong Marines presence and I'm an Engineer...The fact is the end product, however pretty, is just a representation of how it might have looked originally..Once the originality/history has gone, it's gone and at that point some artistic license comes into play...

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

NB. That bike could be yours......Fictitious markings and all:smile: :smile: :smile: Ron
http://www.stuart-bray-motorcycles.co.uk/bikes/military-bikes/bsa-wb-30-1942-restoredrare-motorcycle-badged-to-a-royal-marines-ww2-unit/

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Yes, it moved on a while ago, but for a price any forum member could own this fine machine...I wonder why they changed the ammeter and pannier bags?...Ian:laughing:

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com