New (to me) Colson Motorbike

So I just picked up this Colson, which I got because it is the match to my 33 Colson tandem. I think this is a 33 as the serial number starts 3J3XXXX. I have the last 4 digits somewhere but don't remember them. Is there a Colson expert that can confirm that?

I am excited to have the bike. It is very original, except for the added red paint on the bars and rims.

A couple of questions for you all.

This bike has decent paint left, but the rusty areas are pretty crusty. Still on the surface but crusty. Most techniques I know for removing the crusty stuff would compromise the adjacent paint which I don't want to do. Any suggestions?

This is my first bike with metal clad wood rims. These are clinchers so at least finding tires won't be too tough. I will actually ride the bike so will likely get some repop tires. The Allstate that is on the back looks pretty nice. Anything out there with a similar tread design and sort of squared off section, or do any of you have an Allstate that is rideable for sale?

Also the rims are pitted so I will probably repaint them, but does anyone know what they would have looked like originally? It seems like there is some pretty weak chrome underneath the red paint.

Last, and honestly not that important, but why was I the only one who bid on this? Is the rust enough that it made the bike overpriced ($685)? I'm happy with what I paid but honestly thought I might have ended up bidding against someone.

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Here is a photo of the tandem too. It's much cleaner than the new one.

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Thanks for your input.

Bruce

Great score! My buddy actually bid on that very bike at an estate sale several months ago. The bidding went beyond what he thought he could re-sell it for, so he dropped out. I think you have a great piece considering all the goodies and condition of the saddle, fenders and grips. I'm guessing most didn't bid due to the high cost of shipping, I know that is a huge factor for me when shopping for bikes on ebay. I'm guessing you were able to pick the bike up? Also, these motorbikes, although super cool (they are my favorite type of old bike) just aren't that desirable right now (save, of course, the Indians/Harleys/Chiefs, etc). I think if you love the bike, you did fine, if you want to flip it, your not gonna make much unless you part out...My sense is that you love it and want to keep it...As for the paint, I'd say start with a gentle soap and water cleaning and see what you've got. Post some detailed pics of the trouble areas at that point and I'm sure someone will chime in with some techniques...Good luck!

I would have bid if I saw it listed. I love Colsons. I have a 35 Colson Flyer motobike. I honestly wouldn't bother washing it because it might disturb that original tank decal. It's so old the water might loosen it up and cause it to peel off or disentigrate. Old water slide decals loose their adhesion after quite a few years so i would just replace the tires and ride it if it were mine. O and be sure to store it inside a climate controlled area like in the house. Drastic changes in temperature from hot to cold can cause paint and decal deterioration. That's just from my experiences.

Thanks for the cleaning advice.

I've had good luck with a Meguire's product on old paint. The tandem paint came up amazing well but it was in much better shape. You're right about the decal, that area is pretty dicey.

The chrome is also pretty rough so i will just leave it as is. There isn't much left to polish.

I keep the bikes in my garage, better than outside but not conditioned. I am in SoCal so they don't undergo any real temperature swings and the air is pretty dry.

Since I've never sold anything I doubt I will start now, and I'm glad to hear that the motorbikes aren't very desirable right now as they are some of my favorites. That does also present a problem though as I already have too many bikes.

Some of you might be able to relate to that.

Does the serial number sound right for '33?

Thanks and I will try to show some progress shots as I go along, but I will do very little.

I wish i could help with the serial. Also I may have bid if I had seen it, as I'm looking for a 26" motorbike right now. Although I think I should try to keep the price a bit lower. While you do want to be careful with cleaning the paint, I would probably try to remove the paint from the handlebars. The paint looks like it was applied a pretty good while back, and you may find that the chrome has been decently preserved underneath. But then again you might just like painted bars. I doubt that it would bother me, although I would probably paint them white on that particular bike.

Also, as far as the rims are concerned, the metal they are clad with would probably look a grayish silver at that level of patina. If you can find it, there is a simulated nickel plate that comes in a spray can. It is basically paint, but with a high level of actual nickel in it, that would probably make the rims at least LOOK correct. I think it was manufactured by plasti-kote. There are probably tons of options, but I noticed that this finish matched the metal on some 28" wood rims i had a while back. Just a thought.

I was wondering if you can get me a nice picture of the tank decal. I need it to finish my restore job on my colson. Thanks

I didn't have a problem with the price. I had a problem with not having the money to pay for it. Glad you got it though!

Just my my opinion and .02...

First of all, I like your bike and wish I had it. I have been scanning national ads for many months now searching for the right Colson after one slipped through my fingers out of WI when my internet connection dropped in the final moments on ebay. Typically, 5-6 items are displayed acrosss the country and they are either an Evans Colson middleweight girls or a tricycle, so Colson's in my experience are extremely rare.
I know what you mean being the only bidder, it's not the endorphin rush you get from capturing it in competition...instead you are quickly wondering if the absence of a body buzz is due to overpaying once you look around the room and only see yourself.
Your bike did not get the action for a few reasons, a couple of which Bud mentioned: being a motorbike style (not affiliated with a motorcycle brand), the condition, and the seller's pricing strategy.
Maybe it's because many motorbikes have singletube tires that many folks have steered away from them (pun intended). With my Elgin motorbike, it took me a full year before I found a pair of singletubes without surrendering to a 350.00 dummy pair and it saddened me that not only was my bike standing on it's rims for such an extended period of time, but that it really never should be ridden if kept "correct."
You are fortunate yours are clinchers and although not a concern of the above, still in general this style is associated with them.
Now the condition...with little variance between the bent/camelback frame styles of the period, original paint is even more critical and key differentiators such as rear drop outs, seat tube junctions, and truss bridges are not that sexy... at least to me. I think your frame and fork are in nice expected condition and a plus, but all of the rechroming is not and the investment of labor. Currently, I have a number of projects in various states with a batch of metal at the chromers and another batch on the way and I really would not want to incur yet another restoration of this magnitude. So for me, the condition was a factor now, maybe not so a little while ago or in the Spring when I am caught up.
As an ebay seller, I am sort of like a Las Vegas oddsmaker, keenly aware of what something should go for and my introductory price is usually about 25-33% less of what I think it would land at to encourage bidding. Your bike was priced on the high end, because it was probably acquired high and the seller needed a particular margin and it would had had far more interest had it been set differently. Again to Bud's point being outside of my pick up range, I had a 100.00 handicap and the risk of damage that you did not.
For what this is, I think you got a fair price, but in a down market still a good investment and if properly and wisely restored, you'll get your mojo back baby!
Thanks for sharing, Chris

I do think you are right with it being a 33 since it has a 3 in the serial. Someone on here identified mine as a 35 because of the 5 in the serial. At least that's what i'm sticking to anyways!! It's a gorgeous bike you bought. It is very hard to find an original paint bike in any year in my opinion so the original paint bikes are a great investment and should be left alone and not restored unless they are way too far gone. It's only original once afterall. If you really wanted to you could just nickel plate the chromed parts and that would still be nice in my opinion.