Topic: The garage queen

[eigenvector]

The trials and tribulations that I've had with this Nighthawk have got me thinking.

Have any of you had a garage queen?  The bike (or car) that spent more time being fixed than actually working?  Components that were way too delicate or rare so they constantly broke?

I'm definitely chalking the '84 to '86 700SC's up to that category - but I'd be curious if any one else has had something like that. 

At what point did you decide to just get rid of the thing and move on with your life - or do you still have it?

[strynboen]

i sold the cbx..it made all kriteries to be a garage queen.
.but sa long as i ride it often ,,it vas it all worth..but later vhen i repareied more then i drove..and in the end hvere it just sad and looked fine. (as i got bad Health)..it vas time to sell..the sohc  as i have 2 of..is just so simpel and easy to get ready..evet if they sits for longer periods..just push the buttom..and itr runs..3 days or 3 month..it dont care...

[Don R]

 I bought a K2 drag bike from a deceased friends estate because the he had installed the rolled rim off his best customers (now my) sandcast on it and I wanted that original rim back on the sandy. Anyway it's a mess, engine tight due to incorrect bearings, loose chewed up o rings inside the engine, it lived in the back of a bike shop and had been heavily parted out of small pieces, gas tank, carbs, wheelie bars, The ARD had issues and I still haven't found a picture of what it looked like. He never titled it and his racing partner may not still be around to sign the title, and I'm afraid to ask anyway.
  He was a good friend and it will run again in his Honor, in spite of how he left it. I hope to have a bar hop cruise with it and collect money for ALS research.
 

[Scott S]

 I picked up a '71 CL70 with the intention of doing a Lifan swap. When I found out that the CL70 engine was rare, I had it bored and stroked, etc. Long story short, I ended up getting taken to the cleaners by that shop/#$%*.
 I've since casually gathered up everything but a 12V battery and some bulbs to do the swap, but the magic is gone. Just don't feel like working on it anymore. It's a shame, as it's titled for street use, too.



 And THEN...when I was between projects, I picked up a (literal) basket case '67 CL90. I've basically done all the frame and suspension stuff and have a big pile of parts for this one, too. It, too, is titled (having a title for either of these is a big plus).
 Both are just a few days away from having a 125cc (or bigger) engine and being capable of 55-60 MPH or more. Perfect vacation bikes.  But.....they just sit. No real gumption to finish either. I'll probably sell them both at a loss soon.



 I *DO* know where a nice little S90 is though.... 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

My CB750 cafe had so many growing pains that I was constantly fixing/replacing old with newer components.  She had some serious gremlins.  My better half declared the bike cursed, so I finally moved her along.

[TwoTired]

My CB750 cafe had so many growing pains that I was constantly fixing/replacing old with newer components.  She had some serious gremlins.  My better half declared the bike cursed, so I finally moved her along.

You divorced over a bike?  Gotta go with what's important in life.

[MoMo]

I bought a 65 Triumph with all intentions to bring 'er black to the glory days.  Started working on it, bought a bunch of parts, lost interest and sold it after a year or so. Still have a brand new Wassel repro seat and Emgo mufflers.  Lost money BTW...Larry

[Geeto67]

this:



I bought this from a friend in 2006. It ran fine, but some of the parts on the bike were janky and it lived a hard life being parked outside year round on a street in brooklyn.

I rode it from 2006 to 2011, but there was a period that every time I took it out something broke on it. Nothing critical, it almost always got me home, but many times without lights or brakes. There are no signals on it, the kill switch doesn't work, none of the gauges worked, or the idiot lights. In 2011 NYC switched over to E10 only at the pumps and the fuel ate away at the fiberglass dunstall tank. this gummed up the carbs, something awful and I continued to ride the bike until the bike just wouldn't idle. Then I parked it. I rebuilt the carbs, and then Jaguar rebuilt them again as a favor to me, and right before I was to put them on the front brakes went bad. So I took them off, collected some parts and have a dual piston caliper setup ready to go on...then I moved and didn't take the bike with me. Last christmas, I picked up the bike and brought it with me to ohio, but now the rear brake has gone bad. I put a new battery in it two months ago, and a new ignition switch, and wouldn't you know it but last weekend the new ignition switch had broken and the new battery is dead flat. I am just waiting on the fork seals to blow to make it a full trifecta of maint. parts. Also I moved again so now everything is buried in boxes in the garage.

So it hasn't run in 6 years, I have all kinds of parts collected for it, but I can't seem to get time to work on it to bring it back to life.  I currently have a professional exam I am studying for so I won't even get the time to make it road worthy till august, maybe September. It's not that far from running, and currently the biggest job I have to do on it at the moment is put a Caswell kit in the tank.

The good news is I have many other bikes to ride (including a 75 cb750k) so I am not missing out on riding while working on it.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

My CB750 cafe had so many growing pains that I was constantly fixing/replacing old with newer components.  She had some serious gremlins.  My better half declared the bike cursed, so I finally moved her along.

You divorced over a bike?  Gotta go with what's important in life.

LOL!!