Topic: Are custom bike builders destroying historical artifacts?

[Retro Rocket]

as far as riding bikes im an old #$%* now,my reflexes would never allow me to ride even the most ordinary commuter bike to its full potential,i like riding my historical artifact in an hysterical sort of way?

FTFY   

[BPellerine]

when I was restoring old bikes,I got a lot of stock stuff from racers,chop guys and those who started projects and did not finish,alot of customizers and racers end up only using the frame and engine so there was a lot of stuff they did not want!bill

[Oldtech]

+ 1 for that. I search Kijiji and Craig's list for failed projects. The most common lines are "lost interest" or " no time to finish". The translation for this is "I have neither the money nor the ability to complete this project". Sometimes the bike comes with a box full of new parts bought for the project and not used. I've come across the ocassional gem but mostly these are parts bikes.

[jerry h]

I don't think there are very many sohc's that get restored.    Check out the project shop section.  Maybe 40 customs to 1 resto?

[seanbarney41]

I don't think there are very many sohc's that get restored.    Check out the project shop section.  Maybe 40 customs to 1 resto?

restored?...it is so common for them to get modded into something unrecognizable, often by someone who has never even ridden a 1970's motorcycle, so how do they know if they have even improved anything?

...I think restorers are guilty too.  These bikes were so well put together, it is often hard to do as good a job as the factory did.

[BPellerine]

the other side of the coin is that it should be a fun hobby,so many look at it as a moneymaker ,pushing the bikes out of reach for some to fix up,some areas suffer more as there are more bike builders,bill

[seanbarney41]

the other side of the coin is that it should be a fun hobby,so many look at it as a moneymaker ,pushing the bikes out of reach for some to fix up,some areas suffer more as there are more bike builders,bill

I don't think that is the other side of the coin, I agree with that, and to me the funnest part of this hobby is riding!

[calj737]

...often by someone who has never even ridden a 1970's motorcycle, so how do they know if they have even improved anything?

Is it required that someone pass a certification to be allowed to buy, modify and ride whatever the fcuk they want, or must they meet approval of the Board of SOHC Governors?

These bikes were so well put together, it is often hard to do as good a job as the factory did.

I've seen many very fine examples of beautifully restored bikes on this forum. And I'll bet you dollars to donuts they are much finer works of craftsmanship than a 40 year old assembly line product. The paints today are better (as is the technique for applying it) powder coat is a superior finish, bronze bushings, tapered bearings, stainless spokes. Yes, some of these "upgrades" aren't 100% Concours accurate, but they make for an extremely beautiful and better restored product.

[FunJimmy]

Is it required that someone pass a certification to be allowed to buy, modify and ride whatever the fcuk they want, or must they meet approval of the Board of SOHC Governors?

That's the kind of passion I'm liking, Cal.

[calj737]

Sorry, in hindsight I shouldn't flame at people who I know are "good people"... Sometimes posts hit my anti-pious button wrong.

Apologies Sean.

[rb550four]

My this can be a heated subject matter, the perfect trap for sure FJ.
 It's like watching a candle burn, you know it's hot , but sooner or later you can't help to stick your finger in the flame.

[LesterPiglet]

I put bits on. Doesn't matter if it's original, repro....or something from another make. I want to ride. The engine and frame are there.
When I first put my bike on the road after rebuilding, my friend said he was distracted when passing me in the opposite lane.
He said how he had forgotten how good CB,s looked and had such a memorable engine note.

[scottly]

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=69526.msg770254#msg770254
We've been here before.

[FunJimmy]

My this can be a heated subject matter, the perfect trap for sure FJ.
 It's like watching a candle burn, you know it's hot , but sooner or later you can't help to stick your finger in the flame.

Yup. Good to have a little controversy and an opinionated topic to help pass the time. Bourbon too.
I'm surprised the comments aren't more polarized and hostile but I guess we've learned to respect each other over the years. There are a few rare builds that I find offensive but most I appreciate for various reasons. Build on!

[Killer Canary]

Do you remember Gerber's build? Cut the right frame tube out to clear the under-seat exhaust?

[seanbarney41]

Sorry, in hindsight I shouldn't flame at people who I know are "good people"... Sometimes posts hit my anti-pious button wrong.

Apologies Sean.

dude, flame away...I really could care less.  This is the internet, just a bunch of mostly unsubstantiated information and a heck of a lot of advertising and entertainment.  As long as you think I am "good people", I have no reason to feel any different about you, especially with how willing and generous you are to help other forum members.  I am pretty sure if we went for a ride together, we would have a damn good time even though you would think my bikes are cheap old junk and I think yours is a hacked up mess.  I have a great time with my riding buddies and most of them ride Harley choppers, and I definitely think their bikes suck, and I am sure they feel the same way about mine.
     Fun Jimmy started this thread to stir the pot.  We aren't gonna let him down are we?

[Retro Rocket]

Sorry, in hindsight I shouldn't flame at people who I know are "good people"... Sometimes posts hit my anti-pious button wrong.

Apologies Sean.

dude, flame away...I really could care less.  This is the internet, just a bunch of mostly unsubstantiated information and a heck of a lot of advertising and entertainment.  As long as you think I am "good people", I have no reason to feel any different about you, especially with how willing and generous you are to help other forum members.  I am pretty sure if we went for a ride together, we would have a damn good time even though you would think my bikes are cheap old junk and I think yours is a hacked up mess.  I have a great time with my riding buddies and most of them ride Harley choppers, and I definitely think their bikes suck, and I am sure they feel the same way about mine.
     Fun Jimmy started this thread to stir the pot.  We aren't gonna let him down are we?

Thats the spirit....

[pn2501]

Run your own race.

There will always be someone who won't agree with what your doing, Motorcycles are dangerous, Hondas are shiet, performance upgrades are pointless you can only go the speed limit, motorcycles aren't art form follows function, the list continues.

A lot of the sohc's are already 40 years old, 40 years from now a lot of you will probably be dead, myself included. Who ever inherits your bike wont have the same relationship with it as you do most likely.

Build or buy the bike you like and enjoy it, it's all materialistic bullshiet, it's the experience of riding and enjoying your bike that counts (ha providing your bike is ridable lol).

Were gonna be dead too long a time to sweat the small shiet.

[calj737]

you would think my bikes are cheap old junk and I think yours is a hacked up mess.

Let me remind you what condition they were in when I got them. The damn bike literally had a tree growing through it. Lots of dudes use a SawzAll or cut-off wheel when modifying their bikes. How many do you know need a chainsaw to start the renovation? Nobody could restore this bike, and it wasn't even safe to try to save it. So it became a platform for a major modification. Hacked up mess, you bet it was at the start. But it had been abandoned in the bushes since 1987 in the humid Sotheast. So it's first 15 years it was ridden. Then for the next 25 it was redneck yard art. What would you have someone do with it? Discard it? Part it out? (I sent heaps of usable pieces to Australia for a couple of blokes). But the motor was shot, the frame was rot, and it's life was over! Until some foolhardy knucklehead like me decided there was enough to use to put it back on the road in a different suit of clothes.

Truth be told, I'll have over $15k in this project when done. That's right, $15k. Everything from tire-tire is new/rebuilt/upgraded. The motor is bored, coated, cam'ed, Mike R, and dressed with ARP fasteners. Modern electronics and custom frame and suspension work. Hacked up? Ok. Non-stock? Yep. But a disrespectful klooged up wannabe build by some know-nothing with black rims? Far from it.

It will not be a "show" bike or trailer queen. But it will be executed as well as possible without exception to create a lasting value motorcycle and the memories between my son(s) and me. You can't o that with a "new" bike and you can't achieve that only by "riding". It's part of the journey of cultivating new riders into a lifetime of ownership, respect, and pride in their machines.

There's heaps of blokes on this forum who build meticulously crafted bikes out of "dead" donors. FJ, Tige, Blackfin, Ouette, Wilbur, and so- and theres heaps of blokes who lovingly and meticulously restore these bikes as close as they can, some even do them too well. It makes all these projects great examples of how a single Japaense piece of metal can unite, divide, and stimulate so many strangers from so many diverse backgrounds. Embrace it! Even if you wouldnt be caught dead on some of them (as I wouldnt). But the people and their inspirations for "why" are worth appreciating.

[bwaller]

There are some "resurrections" through this place that I shake my head about. It's a drain on the parts supply that slowly disappears. For me it's those crucial engine parts that will not be available aftermarket.

So build away, but leave the engine rebuild for last. Then if the project looses steam, or it's determined the rolling chassis IS indeed a pile of #$%*, no engine parts or money will be wasted.   

In all honesty there are some really cool bikes that have been produced. I just wonder what percentage don't get ridden and sit outside, or in a corner because they are so uncomfortable, or because the builder got in over their head?

Not too hostile I hope!

[Markcb750]

I was given this 67 K0 CB450 about 31/2  years ago,  I have restored every part that could be restored.  After combing the local shows and spending far too much time on the internet I decided I really did not want to invest that much money into a bike I never liked the looks of, even when they were new.

So here it is with the front & rear of a CBR 250 grafted into place.  This has extended the wheel base about 200mm.


One friend who restores to original expressed disappointment, but I look at it this way, I might keep this when I am done.

[calj737]

200mm? That's a stretcher! Need to chrome the swing arm, install some LEDs under the engine, and get a tribal bucket with a neon Mohawk to ride that thing-

[Grinnin]

One friend who restores to original expressed disappointment . . . .

There is absolutely nothing that a person can do that another person cannot express disapproval.  Or instead of the double negative: anything that you do will be disapproved of by someone.

This forum is for people wasting gas in toys that aren't as efficient as Priuses.  And they're not "real" motorcycles, i.e. inch V-twins.

A motorcycle is more likely to receive long-term maintenance if it isn't last decade's fad.  I sometimes wonder about some of the extremes of chopper/bobber/cafe/brat styling.  But anyone who wants to put the work into it is welcome to in my opinion.

Someone in the past chrome-plated my spare 750 engine (along with some mechanical mangling).  It became my spare engine only because it wasn't in a rolling frame anymore.  Someone's fancy, fancy project became my parts source.

[Markcb750]

200mm? That's a stretcher! Need to chrome the swing arm, install some LEDs under the engine, and get a tribal bucket with a neon Mohawk to ride that thing-

Ha!  I am sure It will have appeal to some of the tight panted riders I connect with from time to time.

My son in law has expressed significant interest.  He hangs with a group in Durham NC that participate/run the Bull City Run.  He has taken to busting my chops about getting done.

[ekpent]

200mm? That's a stretcher! Need to chrome the swing arm, install some LEDs under the engine, and get a tribal bucket with a neon Mohawk to ride that thing-

Ha!  I am sure It will have appeal to some of the tight panted riders I connect with from time to time.

My son in law has expressed significant interest.  He hangs with a group in Durham NC that participate/run the Bull City Run.  He has taken to busting my chops about getting done.

Your a 'Man among Men' for even taking that project on. Like the nest in the headlight bucket !! Found a few myself over the years.