Sun Wasp ? (now appears to be a Super Vitesse)

[Hawmaw]

I picked this up from Gumtree for £35
Seller listed it as 1950s Sun Wasp but its been painted and the head tube badge is missing
The bike was given to his deceased father many years ago and he was told it was a flying Scot. He gave it to a local South East Ayrshire enthusiast to service a long time ago and that gentleman told him it was a Sun Wasp.
At first glance it is apparent that the original rear mech has been replaced by the usual 70s Sachs Huret. The rear wheel is also not original nor is the seatpost and saddle however the stem and bars look right and the brake levers and front caliper are GB. The rear brake is unfortunately the ubiquitous Weinmann. The front wheel has a high flange hub and chrome rim.
I've got a weeks holiday next week and the weather is forecast as awful so instead of going out riding I'll get tore into this ...
Here are the photos from the Gumtree ad

 

[OldTel]

Re: Sun Wasp ?

Hi, it could be an late forties / early fifties Sun Wasp, piccies not the best, but if its a Sun from that era, the year ( financial that is ) can be determined by the serial number which should be on one of the drop outs ( check out the pictures in current Sun Mist message in the Classic road section ) . Look forward to more detail. Terry

 

[Hawmaw]

Re: Sun Wasp ?

Thanks Terry

I'll have a closer look later after work and get some better pictures up

 

[Hawmaw]

Ok . Been out to the garage and had a closer look. Bad points ... painted with hammerite or similar , braze on missing from top tube , general surface rust and decay due to neglect.
Good points ... Its straight , dent free and quite light weight

Plan is just to get it back up and running. I'm not planning a full resto just a re-commision of an old bike that would probably have ended up in a skip.

Frame number is XSV11976 . Having done some digging I think this means its a 56/57 Super Vitesse and not a Wasp. Probably the same as this one
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=255593

 

[OldTel]

Hi, got the year and model spot on, shame about the hammerite, but get it running and usable, and maybe later if you feel like it deserves it, strip it and paint it. That Sun Wasp stem is quite collectible, and most of the other components look restorable, so good luck, once on the road put up a piccie. Terry