Of course, the other side to this threadf is you bring attention to ads online, even non-members can read them. Then if there is an item in your neck of the woods you are interested in you have to deal with everyone else getting involved.
Often times I find when buying old rust that tons of emails come in, then the buyer thinks he is sitting on gold and won't sell. "I don't want to drop the price, I've had 10 emails on it today"
They don't know that 99% of the emails aren't serious, dreamers or spams, etc.
Makes it tough....

That replica would have been cool but what was he thinking with that motor! 
He ruined the whole bike with that thing. Thee has to be better ways to run a non-simplex, new style motor without making the bike look like chit

Old thread but what of this book you speak of??? Available?
Enlighten a newb!

Hey- I'm coming into this late but I want shirts!

So when did the front brake start appearing on these? Was there a model like this (automatic) that came with the 150cc?
No way to tell from the motor number?
Also, what do you guys think this bike is worth, rough guess?

I didn't see another place for a newbie to post an intro so I guess it goes here?
I just got my first Simplex last week. I have loved them since I first saw pics of them. I never knew they existed until I saw a pic online. (I'm young enough that these were long gone when I was a kid) I was looking at websites trying to figure out what kind of homemade scooter I bought at a yard sale and came across a site with all kinds of old motorbikes, scooters, etc. (BTW- the scooter was a cushman front end, mated to a schwinn frame which was mated to the rear part and running gear of a Trail King... why? I don't know) When i saw the simplex I fell in love with the lines.
Anyway, I grew up in So Cal and never saw one of these in person. I had the chance to see this one and some other stuff at an old guy's house last week. I paid too much I think, but he really didn't want to sell it and I really wanted to buy it.
I was told it was a 1950 or 52 with a 150cc motor. I was also told it had a rare front brake. I think now that I have looked around he was wrong and it is much later and there is nothing rare about the front brake.
He probably wasn't lying, probably didn't know. He was an old swap meet rat who had picked a few cool things over the years.
He "restored" it but what I noticed about all his other restorations is the time went into mechanicals, he was no show winning restoration expert. He bead blasted and spray painted most of the parts. The internals were rebuilt, he gave me the receipts for a bunch of the stuff he bought. He did all the bearings, carb, etc.
He never finished it, this is how it sat for the past couple years. The tires are new, there is a new seat but it is not correct and would need a bracket made, all the parts look like they are there. It needs to be put back together. I do have the tank and original exhaust. (that exhaust was a seller for me, I love it)
I plan to re-paint the fenders and tank- hate the color and I can do a better job. (there is a light metallic to the current green- looks wrong!) I am just going to get it back together and ride it. Someday maybe me and my son (6 now) will take it all apart and do a proper resto with powdercoating, chroming, etc.
So here she is, tell me what you think;










(I have more parts, this is just one of the boxes)