Should you be considering buying a Quasar, you need to consider the following factors and weigh up whether a Quasar really would suit you.
It has to be said that a Quasar is not like other bikes to ride, to man-handle or to keep in good running order.
Many of the habits that you may have developed from riding motorcycles will be inappropriate when riding a Quasar. Unfortunately, most of the negative factors, such as the substantial weight and size of the device, the difficulty of handling it at walking-speed maneuvers, and the limited visibility, (for a 2-wheeler), make themselves very evident from the moment you climb aboard for the first time, whilst the really good stuff only becomes evident when you become sufficiently confident and competent to take it out and start throwing it around on some fast A-roads.
In order to master your Quasar and get the maximum enjoyment out of it you need to be in fair physical shape. It's a big heavy machine and when you start to ride it you'll initially find it awkward to handle. If you have dodgy knees or a serious back condition, you're unlikely to cope well with the learning process. Many Quasars are consigned to the back of their owners garages because the owners have become physically too frail to handle them any longer.
Whilst the Quasar is uniquely comfortable for riding long distances at high speed, if you're a six-footer, or particularly long in the torso, you'll find the Quasar rather cramped and will curse the low roof-line, because you'll bang your head on the roof a lot until you get used to it
The Quasar is, realistically, not terribly suitable for carrying a passenger for any distance. Carrying a passenger pushes the rider further forward, further restricting head-room and compromising your ability to operate the controls comfortably.
The Quasar has a Reliant 850cc, water-cooled, shaft-drive, power-train. Most parts are inexpensive and, once the bike's reasonably sorted, you can expect very good reliability. The 1970's technology makes it simple to maintain in a normal home-workshop environment.
However, it's essential that you are competent to maintain the Quasar on an on-going basis, (or have some-one to do it for you). Keeping on top of regular maintenance tasks shouldn't be neglected or you'll find that numerous petty problems will mar your enjoyment of it. You won't be able to take your Quasar down to the local bike shop and expect them to fettle it for you.
To avoid deterioration, you should have a dry garage to keep it in.
If you enjoy this sort of thing, you'll find that there is great scope for many enhancements over the original specification.
As intimated above, for you to get the most out of your Quasar, you'll need to put in a fair amount of work to become truly competent in managing it. This is particularly true in the first year of ownership. You'll need to ride it frequently at first in order to become confident about taking it out and playing with it. Unless you're both willing and able to put in the hours up-front, you may never become truly at-one with the bike.
We organise two or three get-togethers for Quasar owners each year, notably to the 'Motorcycle World' show at Beaulieu in the New Forest each June, and the annual Quasar Rally in Hastings in September. We would hope that all owners of road-worthy Quasars would be willing to attend these events.
This is probably the easiest area to justify!
The scarcity of Quasars, (only 21 Reliant based ones exist), means that they don't come cheap, prices are around £15,000 for a fully working one.
You have to bear in mind that these bikes were all individually hand built and cost around six grand thirty years ago. However, if you buy one, and you look after it, you'll have an asset that will keep it's value.
In effect, you get an incredibly rare machine to play with it for as long as
you like and, if you tire of it, you get your money back when you sell it.
If you're successful in buying a Quasar, ask to join the 'Quasar Owners Mailing List' which will give you access to the support and accumulated experience of many other Quasar owners, and to an archive of technical information on Quasar servicing and upgrades, as well as a full parts list giving details of the original suppliers and manufacturers part numbers.
Above all else, owning a Quasar can be phenomenal fun, a truly rewarding experience like nothing else you're ever experienced on two wheels. If you get the chance, (and you think you can cope with all the above)