Still waiting to get put on a transport, Alan sent me 4 more pictures of ‘my’ MAC, giving me a better idea of what is there and what is not…

MAC Alan1

What’s most obvious is the empty headlamp-shell. Looks like a 7” unit, reflector not a problem, will be converted to Halogen or HID bulb anyway. Switch and ammeter missing, as is the wiring. Again not too bad, Ammeter £36 and switch about £47 each on eBay if you buy-it-now, cheaper if you are prepared to wait and see or buy original, more tatty units (way to go!). Nice clean Dowty forks, look even as if they have air in them still! Exhaust pipe will be replaced at some time, and the silencer appears somewhat strange without the holes in the side!! Did you catch that the pipe is too small for the ‘hole’ in this end of the silencer?? They don’t belong together! Dent in tank easily repaired… otherwise OK!

Velocette MAC Alan2

Good general shot from the other side: Battery and strap missing… (Black dummy battery cases go for anything from a fiver in the UK to AU$75 downunder. Probably not cheaper if you import it yourself (coz of the shipping)…hole in belt cover for dynamo…original rear mudguard (that’s nice…) No Pillion seat, speedo missing (can be pricey)

Velocette MAC Alan3

Kickstart a bit tatty (cheaper to get a ‘new’ one than to re-chrome??) everything else looks OK and usable. The Miller dynamo that’s missing will be replaced by a Lucas 60W unit, which was just rebuilt and sent from GB for the princely sum of £249, £50 of which was postage. Posting parts from the UK, whether light or heavy, is expensive, but when you can get a bargain, is often cheaper than buying at ‘home’, wherever that might be, simply because there are so many more of everything over there, the prices tend either to be more reasonable…often enough, it’s the only place that you will even be able to find some of the parts, so It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the British eBay and to get to know all the dealers and suppliers there, even if they don’t ‘do’ the make of bike you’re restoring. A lot of the parts are interchangeable or can be made to fit/work without too much trouble, as was done when the bikes were ‘new’. Is that a dent in the oil-tank, or is it just the way the light is falling on it?? (Who cares??)

Velocette MAC Alan4

A good close-up of the drive-side, no surprises here. I like the touch with the greeny-plastic bottle-top! Gives it style, don’t you think?

All in all, Alan sent very useful photos which allowed me to make a decision without having ‘seen’ the bike. Unlike a modern bike, you don’t have to do a test-ride to see if all is OK. If you have done a bit of homework and know more-or-less what the bike should look like when complete (books, internet, friends bikes), once you have seen a few pictures of the bike you have set your heart on and become familiar with what’s there and not, and asked a few questions to find out if the internals really are all there if it is even advertised as such (does it run at all, have compression or even turn over), there is no reason, apart from the price, to not go ahead and buy ‘unseen’ and unridden. You will be taking it pretty much completely to bits and will be reconditioning (you did notice, didn’t you, that I used the word ‘reconditioning’ and not ‘replacing’?) anything that needs it, so where’s the problem with that?? I would never buy without having seen photos, unless there are very unusual circumstances. All that I can’t see in these shots is the rear number-plate, so I don’t know if there is a light on it or not. SO? Those original taillight units can be very expensive, but there are replicas all over the plave, albeit without the Velocette-typical ‘star’ insert.

Altogether a very nice, original and complete bike, one of the best I have seen for a long time. The price is a little high, but still reasonable for such a clean and complete bike in this condition. Veloce always did make a damned good 350!

©peter gouws 2011