We're Not Doing This Forever
/Hi to all our valued clients - Vintage Steel will soon be For Sale
We would like to plan to retire from our Motorcycle Mudguard Manufacturing business. We are in the 6th year of our 5 year plan and still growing.
Andrew and I have been serving restorers all over the world and Vintage Steel now has an enviable reputation for the quality and accuracy of its reproductions. We would like to focus a little more on some of our own projects and ride our bikes more often so we have decided to either seek the future owners of this little gem or bring in a new partner.
What This Means to a Restorer:
If you have an important project in mind that you would like us to make mudguards or fenders for, it may be wise to get your order in early. At some point we are going to stop making guards and there is almost no-one else in the world doing it. If we find a suitable buyer for the business, it will likely be relocated to their premises and go through some transition and training period. Andrew and I will both be taking about two months off in 2022 to travel 13,000kms around Australia which will include 4,700km on Veteran bikes riding Brisbane to Broome. This will cause some delays in production next year.
What This Means to a Buyer:
If you ever thought you’d like to work in the field of your hobby, we can both testify to the many rewards this business has given us. We have met some amazing people and been given opportunities we would never have guessed at. Over time we have amassed a vast amount of data and knowledge and have become widely consulted as subject matter experts in this field. The biggest bonus is the growing network of contacts and clients we regard as friends.
The workshop needs only about 100sqm or 1000sqft. The main rolling machine can use any of 58 sets of custom CNC machined rollers for making the mudguard blades we call blanks. After this the work begins to convert the blank into a Norton, Indian, AJS or whatever it needs to be. For this we have over 220 Valance templates, 90+ press tools, 90+ original sample guards, 70+ cutting templates, 50+ sets of bead roller dies as well as an array of hand tools. Other powered equipment includes 3 bead rollers, sheet metal shears, spot welder, mig welder, drill press, compressor and pneumatic hammer plus a large sheet metal guillotine. Major hand tools include 2 bead rollers, sheet rollers, bender, shears and 2 hydraulic presses. There are racks, benches and shelves to suit as well as a complete office with filing cabinet full of drawings and a very comprehensive website linked to facebook and Instagram pages. It will all fit in a 40’ sea container for transport.
This business is not for you if you like getting stressed. Even though we have the capability, we have had to learn to say no to many requests for additional work like petrol and oil tanks, chainguards, primary covers and mudguard stays. There is also a growing demand for a number of mudguards we haven’t had time to make yet. The reason is, we enjoy making the mudguards that no-one else can make, at our own pace, and making them really well.
This could be for you if you like to restore, ride or talk bikes and cars or just like dealing with people who like bikes and cars. You may even have to force yourself to go on club rides and be prepared to attend auctions / shows / events / swap meets all over the world to talk bikes, just to make sure you don’t get stressed.
We anticipate new owners would need a 2 week training period here and a further 2 weeks once relocated. It can be a stand-alone business or a great add-on to another workshop. Neither of us is desperate to move on so we could be part of your transition plan for longer.
Is there someone you know who may be interested? You can let us know HERE. I’d really like to know that mudguards will be available for my future projects I haven’t even started yet.
Regards
Michael Rock
See us here on FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/VintageSteelAus/
Or an interview here on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMApeOJCH18
