B44 Victor

[Cyclops]

Thinking of buying a '68 B44 Victor. Only had A7/A10/A65 twins before so can any member give advice on things that are known to go wrong and parts availability etc. Thanking you in advance, Cyclops.

[Briton-2191]

Hello Cyclops,
This is a good choice - I have just recently bought one...  It is a fairly bullet-proof machine, having had the benefit of several years development in off-road competitions.  If you have not yet bought one, then I'd recommend the Rupert Ratio Singles books.  Parts availability is good, especially if you scour the small ads in the motorcycle magazines, and those well-known websites for used items...  The square-barrel and head versions are preferable, in my personal opinion.
From my own experience with buying mine, inspect the tyres well (mine had serious cracking on all the sidewalls and were so old that I haven't yet found the date code interpretation).  If it starts easily and doesn't smoke or leak oil, then it should be good.  Depending on where you live, specialist auctioneers can be an excellent source of bikes, e.g. H J Pugh in Hereford, and at reasonable prices, too.  Best of luck in your search - there's nothing like the sound of a big British single.