Whatever the terms an owner uses, I'd say that when you take receipt of a new to you bike, and you refinish it to your taste, that process can legitimately be called, or referred to, as a 'restoration.'
The term concours was used. In the auto world, and probably the motorcycle world, concours is generally referred to as, "when it left the factory." Does the Yamaha of any type have Hamamatsu air in the tires? What's that, you say? You live in Denver, and you just fitted Dunlop F20 / K525 Qualifier tires? OEM tires, but not of the year of the bike's manufacture (those would be hard as rocks) and Mile-High nitrogen/O2? Are you gonna be docked points at a concours judging? I don't know what rules govern such events, to parse the question. However, if someone wants to polish castings, to remove casting flashing, and to paint the machine a non-standard non-OEM color code, and puts on a 43mm front suspension instead of the 1985-'89 OEM 40mm front end, I'm OK with the restoration, even though it's not exactly as it rolled off the assembly line 37 years ago. It's in better shape than it was when the new owner got it, and with updated parts, it should perform better. Refurbished, restored, repaired, concours... choose a bike, choose a term to describe your work, and if you enter an AMCA concours and are deducted points because it's not original in how you did the work, I doubt that matters to the proud owner who enjoys his/her ride home.
I have a friend who restores C1, C2, and C3 Corvettes. He's a stickler for getting things correct, he has all-sorts of trophies for his work. More-importantly, he is paid six figures by customers to restore their Corvettes. He uses his 1967 tri-power big-block as his calling card. He often doesn't enter the shows, because his
customers enter the same shows, and he wants to see them garner the trophies. "Why would I want to compete against my customers?" he says. "I make a very-good living doing this!"
What's your goal? Refinishing a vehicle/motorcycle to 'as it left the factory' condition? Or improving on the conveyance to suit your needs and taste? I agree that a description of 'concours' is as it left the factory, while 'restoration' can be anything you want as you repair mechanicals, and replace worn items, and if you want to throw onto your 454 1970 El Camino/Sprint a GMC 6-71, and tub the rear end and use a nodular 9" Ford rear end, with Strange axles and a true parallel 4-link, expect to be downgraded in a concours. Heck, they probably would refuse to allow you to enter, unless the work was done in 1970, and it was raced then in that shape (axles replaced later for safety). However, on the ride home who's going to have more fun? The guy pulling his trailer queen on the flatbed, or the "I drove it here" enthusiast?
First pic, 1969 Corvette restoration, including a non-AC car being switched to an all-GM AC system.
Two guys happily headed home with a new bike to 'restore, or to return to concours?'
That-there's a cast-iron V-10 in the Mopar engine bay, yes, that's how it came from the factory.
Concours, or 'patina?' They say, "it's only factory-original once." Lately, both bikes and cars are selling for more in unrestored shape than are restored ones, though the ones falling into this category are valuable to begin-with. This Knucklehead has plenty of character/patina. 'Cleaning it up' could greatly-devalue it in today's marketplace.
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