Topic: Before I blow $8K on Chopper off Ebay, advice needed

[coolcat2002]

Dear fellow SOHC'er:

I am a huge fan of cafes.  A polished aluminum BSA tank on a CB. Cool.  But mine is going to take forever.
I'm into these type now:





Here's the bike that I'm bidding on:



What do yall think?

I was thinking also of buying a W650 or a Thruxton off eBay but I dunno, the above bike is just something I'm into now while the CB is under construction...

[UnCrash]

Looks pretty badass to me 

[andy750]

Personally Id buy a Thruxton. Much easier to ride in all weathers.
cheers
Andy

[nickjtc]

Personally Id buy a Thruxton. Much easier to ride in all weathers.
cheers
Andy

Ditto. And it's got the cachet that it's not powered by a V-twin.

[my78k]

Sorry dude...can't talk you out of that one...I like it!

[Chris Schneiter]

Oh, Man! I've got a weakness for these too! Bomber types! I think my favorite builder is Zero.

[coolcat2002]

In case yall don't know Zero, it's http://www.zerochop.com/pictureview1.html



I saw one where it was in different colors and I still liked it.  Normall my bikes are Black & Chrome, no other colors man, but he'll make something and it's just different. I think he's way cool but Japanese Harley lovers tend to have an inferiority complex.  I mean, the first thing that comes to my mind is, what's wrong with a Japanese engine?

I'm asian, and my first bike was a crotch rocket and people would always say "rice burner" or Jap bike or something that I think is kinda derogatory and yeah I do care what people think because I seen Easy Rider, I know what happens when people dislike riders.

It's like a cigar, Scotch or something but our tastes develop eventually.  Like the other forum about how young kids don't appreciate older bikes or hand crafted machines or whatever.  Not that I like working with Whitworth tools but the newer bikes are so spiritless.

The vintage engines like the Vincents are so nice, I wish we would replicate it but with better reliablility. 

[Chris Schneiter]

The first Zero Bike I saw was made from a Yamaha 650...bobbed like the one above...the pipes ran along high on the bike and he bent them so they looked fluid, like they were blowing in the wind!

[Uncle Ernie]

Wellll, I've done both, and I find the W650 to be a terrific all-round bike.  A couple of years ago, Motorcycle Consumer news, CW, and I liked it better than the Triumph.  There are (obviously) various places to get parts for it, too.
On the other hand, scaring yourself with brute force is fun, too.  ( I just got tired of it on a day-to-day basis).

I'd say go for the Harley and get it out of your system.  Sounds like that's what you really want, anyway.  Just make sure you won't have any unpleasant surprises...

[Dusthawk]

I hear those Buell mills are pretty torquey so watch how hard you hit it. Plenty of power for most applications.

Nice, though I would never be caught on one.

JMHO

[dusterdude]

very torquey,thats why they are so much fun in the city,stoplite to stoplite,you cant beat the thrill.

[fuzzybutt]

the vincent motors ARE being built today, all original tooling with modern materials and tech. you'll have to have between 40 and 50k to have one of your own though.

[coolcat2002]

I hear those Buell mills are pretty torquey so watch how hard you hit it. Plenty of power for most applications.

Nice, though I would never be caught on one.

JMHO

Why wouldn't you be caught on one?

Is it because it's a "girlie bike"?
Is it because it's not a big twin?
Is it because there's a NOS canister in the botom where if you crash, you'd blow up?

Apparently Discovery Channel did a shootout of Zero Engineering vs. Joe Martin


Martin's bike are cookie cutter.  Lotsa color and bling but maybe that's your thing.