Hey swingers,
An auction is about to finish for a Royal Star frameset made by Sydney
builder Ron Bates of Hurstville.
http://ebay.com/
I've only ever seen one other Royal Star and that was a track frame (very nice BTW) and somewhere on my hard drive I have some pics of it.
Where am I going with this ......
Well,some of you may recall I bugged the list about a whiles back about
a mystery frame I had and was seeking help to identify it ....
http://homepage.mac.com/
I thought it hailed from England (because it was refined) and a fellow NZ lister prompted me with the Bates name but not having seen any confirmed examples I really couldn't tell. In any case I am hoping to get some more pics of the ebay Royal Star frame and have a good hunch about this maybe being the end of a now year long puzzle. Downside is my plans were for a rattle can paint job and a mish mash of parts to make a good beater/commuter with.
If any cats here need a hand I am local to the frame that is being auctioned and can help with shipping if needed (and you are patient). I have no relation to the seller other than one message sent asking for details but I see see the current and only bidder hails from the US so thought to mention it. If it's anything like my frame it's very well crafted and it's quality is well above the norm for downunder bikes of that era. Perhaps not evident in the pics but it's a touchy feely thing.
Whew ... glad I got that off my chest (and probably put you guys to sleep). You can now continue with your normal programming.
Ben "owner of a Royal Star" Kamenjas Bondi, Australia