Topic: Are custom bike builders destroying historical artifacts?

[Retro Rocket]

I've been collecting parts for about 16 years, I have 4 frames and 3 1/2 engines, 3 engine kits, 900, 970 and a fuel injected billet block 1000 which i'm keeping, its the money pit, but I don't really care, I also don't really care how long it takes either, I have a clear idea of what I want to do with it, it seems to bother others more than me as to how long its taking but i'm doing this the way I want to. The first one is the 900cc K2, I'm about to start on it, I'll be wanting around 10 grand for it, almost everything on it is new or better than new, CB1000f forks, custom triple clamps, GSX1100 swingarm modded to suit, braced frame, back cut gearbox, heavy duty primary and cam chains, bigger cam, 29mm smoothbores, stainless Yoshi replica pipe, big port head with bigger valves and all the goodies, bigger wheels DID 3.5 rear and 2.5 front, new tank and covers freshly painted in stock type colors and decals , new guards etc etc. the 2nd one is the 970cc, its an F model, pretty much the same deal for it except I want  more of a 70's/80's style superbike in looks for that one, and finally the brute, 1000cc fuel injected  billet block with the best of everything, its the end game, i'll never sell it, when i'm to old to ride i'll give it to my son....  I still have to work out how i'm going to run stock gauges on the 900, the bigger forks and stock hub configuration still need some serious thinking to make them work, I want to run the stock speedo, I have a set of brand new gauges i bought over 20 years ago and they are going on it one way or another. Modifying bikes is great but it presents plenty of headaches, not to mention I get a lot of the fabricated parts made in the USA and some in the UK, because it's so much cheaper, it would be awesome if i could get it all done here but unfortunately its far to expensive...

For 10K it's hardly worth the time and effort RR. By your estimation, you've invested 16 years collecting parts and planning the right way to build these bikes to sell them off to fund the Big Daddy. Add a couple more years to it and you've lost two decades and a LOT of prime saddle time. At that rate, petro might not even be readily available when the last of the three roll out of the shop. Amp it up and enjoy the fruity of your labour Mate.

Nah, its not that bad Jim, I've had a garage littered with bike parts all my life, and rode every day until i went into hospital for a year, I was recovering from a major operation when i started buying parts again, its therapy..   I had a mates GSX750 ESD for a couple of years and have ridden plenty of bikes in between, I live on the coast and enjoy fishing, I'm fixing a boat up at the moment, play guitar every day, and still played sport regularly up until the sun cancers put a stop to that, My two kids play a lot of sport at a high level too, I definitely have plenty to keep me busy, I'll just enjoy it more once its finished, and i'll ride each one for a bit to make sure they are well sorted... PN there's also another saying " he must have 2 dicks, cant be that silly just playing with one"....   10K will do fine Jim, I got a lot of stuff early on very cheap...

[pn2501]

he must have 2 dicks, cant be that silly just playing with one"....

HAHAHAHA love it.

[Bodi]

"Bear in mind, Amateurs built the Ark, Experts built the Titanic"

Sure, but only one was real.

To quote Frank Zappa:
"Imaginary solos only exist in the imagination of the imaginer"

[Retro Rocket]

"Bear in mind, Amateurs built the Ark, Experts built the Titanic"

Sure, but only one was real.

To quote Frank Zappa:
"Imaginary solos only exist in the imagination of the imaginer"

Terribly relieved that you happened along to clear that up with an anecdote from a musician. Phew! Was worried I had mistakenly hitched my wagon to the wrong star.

An extremely intelligent musician that had a senate inquiry committee tied in knots, far smarter than most....actually he was a genius...

[SOHC]

Anything is only worth what some idiot will pay for it. I say idiot because every person has that one item that makes them go full stupid, and they become willing to spend way to much on it just to have it.
No matter if its the latest phone, old motorcycle, or supercar, everyone has their weakness. I got some flack for saying some CB wasnt worth over $1k to me, and no matter how rare that bike was, it simply would NEVER be worth anything over the $1k dollar mark to me, because its not my "stupid" item.

Your question regarding "are custom bike builders destroying historical artifacts?"
They are destroying them, just as you are by riding them, those original nos parts are wearing out with every mile, and every mile that ticks by, brings up your chance to lose your life or the bike in a split second.
If you want a historical artifact, you better seal that baby up in a bubble, and just look at it in your humidity controlled environment.

[BPellerine]

+1 on zappa,ever try to play one of his solos!like trying to build the perfect bike ,very hard!bill

[Retro Rocket]

+1 on zappa,ever try to play one of his solos!like trying to build the perfect bike ,very hard!bill

Actually Bill, No, I've never tried to play a Zappa solo, recommend one and i'll have a try...

[FunJimmy]

Nah, its not that bad Jim, I've had a garage littered with bike parts all my life, and rode every day until i went into hospital for a year, I was recovering from a major operation when i started buying parts again, its therapy..   I had a mates GSX750 ESD for a couple of years and have ridden plenty of bikes in between, I live on the coast and enjoy fishing, I'm fixing a boat up at the moment, play guitar every day, and still played sport regularly up until the sun cancers put a stop to that, My two kids play a lot of sport at a high level too, I definitely have plenty to keep me busy, I'll just enjoy it more once its finished, and i'll ride each one for a bit to make sure they are well sorted... PN there's also another saying " he must have 2 dicks, cant be that silly just playing with one"....   10K will do fine Jim, I got a lot of stuff early on very cheap...

I had to lie down and have a nap after reading this, Mick. Maybe the solution is finding a way to slow the earths rotation so you have more daytime to work with. I don't typically make New Years resolutions but this year I resolve to reduce the clutter. Not the clutter you see on someone's kitchen counter. The "to do" clutter that robs a person of freedoms. This year I want to have the freedom to relax with a book or ride if I choose, maybe learn a tune on the guitar. Kind of a one dick, retire persons pace. 

BTW, always knew you had bike to swing a leg over. Would be crazy to think otherwise.

Cheers

[Retro Rocket]

Nah, its not that bad Jim, I've had a garage littered with bike parts all my life, and rode every day until i went into hospital for a year, I was recovering from a major operation when i started buying parts again, its therapy..   I had a mates GSX750 ESD for a couple of years and have ridden plenty of bikes in between, I live on the coast and enjoy fishing, I'm fixing a boat up at the moment, play guitar every day, and still played sport regularly up until the sun cancers put a stop to that, My two kids play a lot of sport at a high level too, I definitely have plenty to keep me busy, I'll just enjoy it more once its finished, and i'll ride each one for a bit to make sure they are well sorted... PN there's also another saying " he must have 2 dicks, cant be that silly just playing with one"....   10K will do fine Jim, I got a lot of stuff early on very cheap...

I had to lie down and have a nap after reading this, Mick. Maybe the solution is finding a way to slow the earths rotation so you have more daytime to work with. I don't typically make New Years resolutions but this year I resolve to reduce the clutter. Not the clutter you see on someone's kitchen counter. The "to do" clutter that robs a person of freedoms. This year I want to have the freedom to relax with a book or ride if I choose, maybe learn a tune on the guitar. Kind of a one dick, retire persons pace. 

BTW, always knew you had bike to swing a leg over. Would be crazy to think otherwise.

Cheers

I'm with you 100%...

[seanbarney41]

...guess I have more in common with old Adolf than I thought...

[pn2501]

...guess I have more in common with old Adolf than I thought...

Was good until he started pluging himself at the end.

[Retro Rocket]

...guess I have more in common with old Adolf than I thought...

Was good until he started pluging himself at the end.

He's a forum member, he also mentioned other members....

[ekpent]

That was a good morning laugh   

[Stev-o]

Yes, pretty funny.   Thanks Sean.

[Lostboy Steve]

+1 on zappa,ever try to play one of his solos!like trying to build the perfect bike ,very hard!bill

Thats why he picked up a young Steve Vai.

[BPellerine]

yeah young steve transcribed all of Franks solos note for note!bill

[BeSeeingYou]

The Declaration of Independence is a historical artifact, the Spirit of St Louis is a historical artifact,  Apollo 11 is a historical artifact, T E Lawrence's Brough Superior is a historical artifact,  A Harley Davidson WLA or a Zundapp KS750 from WWII would be historical artifacts.....a Honda CB built in the 100's of thousands...

That said it's always a bummer to see any vintage bike butchered up  half assed or never finished.  As long as you do a good job knock yourself out but I bet for every nicely done project there are more half assed unfinished or never finished bikes that eventually get junked or parted out.

[NobleHops]

There are plenty of junk old Honda's and other Jap bikes out there that can get a new lease on life by being built into a nice quality custom of some kind and with low entry price points can bring some younger folks into the fold. Once they reach a certain point its not really cost effective for a total resto anyways. Plus really not my business what somebody wants to do with their machine and money.  Plenty of bikes are getting restored at the same time the junkers are getting turned back into riders so it balances out.

IMO this is the truth right here, and well said.

Personally I throw up in my mouth sometimes at some of the unridable "paint-by-numbers" cafe bikes littering Craigslist and even here, but I've managed to mostly keep my personal opinion to myself and not dump on another person's pride and joy.

In fact there's not a true shortage of cool old bikes to tinker with, the only thing that really chafes me is the temporary inflation in the marketplace for old Hondas that's happening while this fad runs its course. But I expect that will pass too.

[Killer Canary]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?159159-Craigslist-quot-funnies-quot

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

6 pages in 8 days. Jimmy, you definitely got the conversation started!

I tend to buy snotty bikes for more drastic rebuilds, but even my stockish bike has some resto-mod touches.

[drkush]

I'm more or less new to this site, and am having a time figuring out how to start a conversation , can anybody lead me in the right direction?


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[drkush]

Where you go to start a new thread?


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[mihai.i]

My way!

[70CB750]

My way!

Of course 

[Vicman]

how many model t fords got made?how many you see around now?

This was the exact thought that ran through my mind the first night I put my K1 on the lift to start working on it. I bought it with the intent of making a track/roadster type but got looking at it and saw the whole thing was there, intact, and original. Down to the 341 pipes and old skool Avon tires.