I have just bought a rather sad Dandy as a project and have today started to strip it down, my question is is there a regular supplier of spares or is it just a case of someone selling bits now and again either on here or eBay etc. thanks.
Hi John. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get spares for a Dandy from the regular suppliers but, fortunately, second hand spares are generally not too difficult to find with a bit of patience. What's the general state of the bike and are there any particular spares you think you might be needing?
Thank you thumper, I think the headlight surround and reflector might be past it ,not sure yet, I will need a new light switch, handlebar grip and saddle. I think the rest maybe just elbow grease and re-chroming.
That doesn't sound too bad - if you keep your eye on eBay, a surprising number of NOS parts do appear from time to time including headlight reflectors. Are you going to have to get the wheel rims re-chromed?
Yes or re-rimmed. The chrome has peeled off and the rims are quite pitted so I don't know if they can be saved that's an exploration a little bit further down the line. Thank you for your time. John.
I don't think replacement rims are available in the required size - hence the need to consider re-chroming them.
I've just phoned a wheel building firm in Coleshill Warwicks and they can rebuild with new 16in rims no problem, not cheap about £280 the pair, I've yet to search for re-chroming yet.
Do you actually mean 16" rims because the Dandy's rims are 15"!
In case you did not know there are two styles of saddle for the Dandy, reflecting the different designs of petrol tank they sit on top of. I had the wrong one on mine which worked but the support springs did not sit in the tank where they should.
It's good ere innit, you are learning all the time. I measured the wheel and it looks near enough 16 inch but checking the tyre it does say 250/15 so it must be 15".
Thank you Dean I didn't know ther were two types of saddle, mine (scrap) looks like a large bicycle saddle just a metal frame with a rubberishshaped seat stretched over it. I have googled Dandy now and there are bikes with thickish pad like a single motorbike seat so I will have to look for a big bike saddle. Thank you for taking the time to write.
The diameter of the wheel has to be measured at the inside shoulder on which the tyre bead fits. The external diameter of the wheel will be ~1" larger. The situation may have changed but when I checked with the suppliers a couple of years ago (including Central Wheel Components of Coleshill) they didn't do any 15" x 2.5" rims - hence the need to get them re-chromed.
First photo shows 1957 Dandy brochure illustration.
Second from 1959.
Shows 2 versions of seat and other differences including leg shields.
Hi again, mine is definitely the later one of the two. John.
Very few of the Dandy's produced had the sculptured seat as opposed to the the flat deeply padded one, possibly on those produced in 1959. My 1960 Dandy has the latter type as did the earlier ones. Unfortunately, the sculptured ones are extremely rare and difficult to find - hopefully, you have enough of the original seat to get restored.
Good morning, it gets better and better, it looks as though I will be permanently glued to the computer to catch these things as they appear before someone else does..John.
The only problem with Dandy spares that come up on eBay in particular, is that people seem to feel they can ask silly prices for some items - rare means expensive to them. I have seen the plain triangular seats go for at least £150 in the past and even rotting silencers offered for similar prices. With Dandy's, I would always recommend starting with a complete bike otherwise you can end up paying as much for the missing bits as for the original bike. It sometimes makes sense to buy a complete donor bike in poor condition if it has the parts on that you need as you can always sell off the bits you don't need.
John
There is a complete Dandy boxed, in bits at HJ PUGHS auction next weekend, I would think it will be very cheap, worth a look.
Pughs is in Ledbury. Good luck mate.
Thank you, good of you to take the time, I actually bought. A second unregistered Dandy some time ago and have I think enough parts to finish up with a decent bike. The second bike had all very good chrome which my first one hadn't and was generally in better condition than my first one but since I'd already dismantled the first one and stripped the paint of it I decided to carry on with that and pick the best bits off either to complete. It's on the back burner at the moment as I've just bought a small camper which needs a bit of attention but once that is done it will be back to the Dandy. When it's finished I will have quite a few good condition spares to sell myself to try and recoup some of the 1500 or so that I have spent. Cheers for the heads up though, John.