One owner bikes do not get as good as this.

Displayed here is a recent purchase. Bought without viewing on a popular auction site, I took a gamble. From the pictures, it looked like it needed a bit of work, however when I picked it up, it was a lot better than I first thought!

The bike in question is a 1983 Raleigh Night Burner Mk1. It is totally original and had been stored in a damp shed all of its life. Not the best way of storage, but it could be a lot worse. Upon first inspection, a lot of the chrome was pitted and needed resurrecting. The spindles on both wheels were really rusty too and it was evident that the bike had never been serviced. In fact, never even taken apart!

What makes this particular bike so special, is how original and complete it is. Most of these all have the Superchrome finish peeling off and looking very tired, however it is intact on this one. It even holds the original Chengshin tyres, chain tensioner end caps, pads all round and the reflector. These parts are hard to find and usually taken off the bikes when they were new. Just to add to the originality, it also retains all of the untouched anodised parts in phenomenal condition. Even the factory ‘Carbospec’ sticker on the frame in tremendous condition.

I first thought about selling this bike, but owning it longer and longer has made me realise that I would be very hard pressed to find a better example. Enjoy the pictures below which detail the gentle restoration that I have compelled and show the before and after. Everything is still totally original. Just stripped to a bare frame, then every component, nut and bolt meticulously cleaned and polished. It has also benefitted from new bearings and grease all round, which all of my restorations are subject to.