Topic: Do you ever want to just throw in the towel and buy a new bike....

[Soos]

Yeah re-building a older bike can be a PITA....
BUT, how many people do you know that know how to fix everything on their ride?
Imagine the bill having a bike shop do the work a lot on this board do?
I was quoted $50.00 PER carb to rebuild them, and that didn't include the rebuild kits.
And thats only the tip of the iceberg most of have to do.


I Enjoy making/repairing things for myself, especially when I know the $$ saved in the long run.
The first 2 years of my 650's life were SPENDY, but after selling the spares and parts that got replaced, i'm only into it(minus tires, oil, the things that are meant to wear out) about 1400 now.


I could make the total $$ out of pocket well under 1000 if I sold all those parts on my shelf, and thats only the spares for that bike.

What dealer did you go to mate? EVERY Japanese manufacturer makes a range of inline four cylinder bikes, as do BMW and MV Agusta, if you'd prefer European. Cheers, Terry.

The only problem with that is, without a crotch rocket design, what models do they offer....In the US?
None that rivals the classic look of the '70's CB bikes.

V-twins DOMINATE most showroom floors I have seen in the past year.
And i'm no fan of those in general. Now gimme a 20's to 40's v twin, and I'm game though.


l8r

[Trav-i]

Obviously you have not seen the first picture in my thread here in the project section (My First Rigid Build) .  From the minute I unloaded it I thought about just selling what I could and scraping the rest.  But now the good part is I can just barely see the light at the end of the tunnel.  After a lot of time and DOLLARS my bike is begining to take shape nicely, and should be rolling out of the shop by the end of next month.

Good luck with the rest of your project.  Just stick with it before you know it, it's all done and you get to take that awesome first ride on something you put together yourself and that's a payoff worth waiting for.

[Terry in Australia]

The only problem with that is, without a crotch rocket design, what models do they offer....In the US?
None that rivals the classic look of the '70's CB bikes.

V-twins DOMINATE most showroom floors I have seen in the past year.
And i'm no fan of those in general. Now gimme a 20's to 40's v twin, and I'm game though.


l8r

Mate, that's just called progress, we'd all be pisssed off if motorcycle design hadn't changed in 40 years since the mighty CB750 made it's debut, just look at all the crap you American's hang on HD because they stayed true to their original design principles. God, if the Japanese did that they'd end up like Norton, BSA, and (the old) Triumph, they'd all go the way of the Dodo.

Having said that, all the Japanese manufacturers still make "Old Fart friendly" (or at least, friendlier) bikes with a more comfortable riding position than the "crotch rockets" that everyone whines about, while delivering incredible performance compared to our old dinosaurs.

My "Long distance bike" is my BMW K1100LT, it does everything much better than any of my old bikes, it's 17 years old this year and with 100,000 miles under it's tires, it's still totally reliable, everything still works, it constantly returns 50+ MPG fully laden, and should be good for another 150,000-200,000 miles before it'll need a rebuild.

Oh, and I only paid $3K for it, about half of what it cost me to restore my 1977 CB750F2. Old bikes rock, but there's nothing wrong with newer bikes, either. Cheers, Terry.

[Frankenkit]

Pffff, Terry, c'mon. you just took a bunch of wind out of our old-people cane-shaking sails.
I, for one, will continue to decry new bikes and new technology, yell at kids for walking on my lawn, and get upset when my bike doesn't get her senior citizen discount.

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, me too Kit, sitting here tapping away on this new-fangled compuker is making me fat and crotchity, hell, I remember when I used to write a letter, find a mail box and post it, and wait a week or so for a reply, if I was lucky! And don't get me going on these damn cell-phones! What a waste of time they are!

What was ever wrong with trudging 5 miles to the nearest gas station to call the auto club when the (new) ignition point arm on my K2 actually broke off?

Actually, that's not true, my mate who'd just installed a Dyna S, loaned me his old points plate that he was carrying as a spare, when some old farts ganged up on him telling him how unreliable electronic ignitions were, compared to good old points, like they've been putting in bikes since Bob Hope was wearing short pants..............  

[Rusty1]

Well,

First came the ice storm in Western KY meaning no power for three days with real cold temps in the single digit.  Then the wind gust these last two days 50mph.  Anyway, got the battery mounted.  The engine did turn over!!! Its not stuck...



Next step I guess will be cleaning the tank.

[billybobobrain]

No, I want to keep building my bike. A new one would add to my collection though.

[Hush]

Damn it makes me wish I had taken some "before" shots of my 79 before I gave it some love.
Leaking engine in a box, seat, tank and anything else the idiot PO could unscrew (and lose) scattered about the shed.
Bet he wouldn't recognise his old bike now.

[captaincrash80]

I was about to throw in the towel on my chopper resto till I heard it run last night  . Now I can't wait to finish it and build me another one 

[volkswagendan]

any chump can go out and buy a new bike.   but it takes skill, devotion, bloody knuckles, beer, and this forum to ride the awesome bikes that we ride.    dont be a chump.

[billybobobrain]

any chump can go out and buy a new bike.   but it takes skill, devotion, bloody knuckles, beer, and this forum to ride the awesome bikes that we ride.    dont be a chump.

Word!

[754]

I might be getting a new one in the next few days..

71 CB750

over 130,00 miles on it, bottom end never been touched..

823cc, Yosh Stage 1 cam, 77F forks. Gnarly header (like in mcriders avatar)

no tank, no seat,,been sitting around.

 but 1 owner bike AND its from a guy I spent many many days on the road with.... how cool is that?

[Frankenkit]

I dunno that I mentioned it...
somewhere on here, there's a thread from when I first got my bike in 2006, and at the time it was for my (now) ex.  I did EVERYTHING wrong.  Looking back, it was obvious the carbs were clogged.  Were it not for that, the bike probably would've run great on all 4.

What do I do?
I take the carbs off and put them in a million pieces (all 4) and have no idea, real or general, how they go back together.

I pull the valve adjustment cover, then the valve cover (thinking that's somehow the head?)  and attempted to find TDC (of which cylinder,  I have no idea) then maladjusted the valves accordingly.

Surprise, it didn't run when I got the carbs back on.  I learned that ether + wrongly adjusted valves = backfires = air filter on fire. 

Then I took the bike to a local mechanic (Raven) and I traded my "Shop #$%*" skills (cleaning, oil changing, spark plugs, taking seats off and other light duty easy stuff required en masse) he helped me with the advanced stuff, where my build thread starts off.

When my bike started on fire, I was ready to give up.

...when I got it all buttoned back up, only to find I had two bent valves, I was ready to give up.

When the float height was making it so it just mysteriously wouldn't run, I was ready to give up.
When I had it home and it ran great until the battery ran down and wouldn't start (and doesn't charge right) I was ready to give up.
By the millionth time (or so it feels) the carbs jammed themselves up, and I had to clean them (now I know how to do it quickly) I was ready to give up.
Sometimes I look at my shiny, pretty, #$%*y bike and feel like giving up when she doesn't feel like recharging her battery on rides, or starting when hot.

What can I say, we have a rough relationship.

[754]

We know you love it..

 Anyone can just go get a new bike, and blend in with the mASSES....

[detdrbuzzard]

that one reason why i have so many bikes. there is never a rush to get one fixed. i have more time to fix it right and can still go riding when i get flustered working on the other bike

[Terry in Australia]

I'm sorry, but I can't go along with the "Anybody can buy a new bike, we're special because we have a super-power, the power to restore an old neglected bike back to it's former glory so we have something that stands out from the masses" crap.

If you're just restoring/riding an old bike to "stand out", then you've entirely missed the point. You've gotta love that bike, and you've gotta want to do it because you want to own and ride that bike into your old age.

I fell in love with the mighty CB750 (the only SOHC4, and probably the only Honda that I have any interest in apart from the CB1100R) the first time I saw one, in 1969 or 1970. I still think that aesthetically, the CB750 engine is the best looking motorcycle engine that I've ever seen, and I still love the sound, and even the odd smell that the CB750 engine emits, that is unique to that engine.

I bought one new in 1978 (a discontinued F0 at a discount price, because they were just so ugly that the dealers couldn't move my 1975 model bike for 3 years, and only at a heavily discounted price) but I just couldn't love it, it still had that incredible engine, but the rest of it was so bland, it almost ruined my love of the marque.

In 1980 I bought my first "non runner" K1 from an old school mate, for 200 bucks, with a complete spare bike in bits (crash victim) for another 100. I spent a couple of years restoring it as the money, and my Army service, and my new wife permitted, and by then I realised that just about anybody can restore a bike if they really want to. Since then I've restored another half a dozen or so bikes, with a couple of projects on the go as I type this.

My point I guess, is that while we should be proud of our achievements, we're no "better" than those folk who just go out and buy a new bike, and enjoy riding it. Restoring and riding old bikes is not a just a hobby for me, it's an obsession, and that's why I do it, but I certainly don't think less of people who just buy a good bike in the first place and enjoy it, sometimes I even envy them. Cheers, Terry.  

[754]

OK, I lied.. not everyone can get a new bike, I sure cant.. .. but then I can think of one I yearn for either..

 I am not saying anyone owning an old one is better.. just some people have so little knowledge or trust in an old machine, that they are not going to set out on it and use it like it could be used.. they probably will buy another for touring..

 I never restored one, just kept starting it up and using it once in a while when I was able to go riding.. but then I have no doubts about its capability or being able to fix it.

 There is a difference between being convinced an old bike will do the job, and being told it will, and not yet experiencing/believing it..

 If you want to dick around with new stuff, go for it,, but its not mainly what this forum is about. My post was answering do I ever feel like getting a new one and I dont..

[Frankenkit]

I'm sorry, but I can't go along with the "Anybody can buy a new bike, we're special because we have a super-power, the power to restore an old neglected bike back to it's former glory so we have something that stands out from the masses" crap.
...
My point I guess, is that while we should be proud of our achievements, we're no "better" than those folk who just go out and buy a new bike, and enjoy riding it. Restoring and riding old bikes is not a just a hobby for me, it's an obsession, and that's why I do it, but I certainly don't think less of people who just buy a good bike in the first place and enjoy it, sometimes I even envy them. Cheers, Terry.  

Hey Terry, I'm gonna pick on you.  just because you reminded me of something that I thought was of value.
I'm a member of another, chick oriented forum, and it seems like most (at least a slight majority) own new BMW bikes, few know how to do any "real" maintenance (aside from checking tire pressure, gassing up, maybe oil levels) and that frustrates the crap out of the few riders on that forum who HAVE done real work.  They act like their bikes are complete mysteries inside.  The majority of their 'wrenching' section is about adding bolt-on shiny sparklies: "Farkles".

So...
I do feel "better" than some folk.  They could ride circles around me, but when their machine starts acting up (or "acting out") I can probably tell them what it is.
FWIW, if or when I get a 'new' bike, unless Honda gets its act together and starts making some bikes that look decent again, I'll probably go with a used BMW or Triumph.

[snowfighter2]

yeah I do want to throw in the towel, but just to buy something to ride while I'm working on the 75 cb750k. Like a lot of us, money is not falling out of my butt. I have no desire to ever get rid of my 750. If I had the money for a spare bike, I would probably be dumping it into the 750 anyway.
Patience and pennies. It's about all I have right now. Both are running thin

[ev0lve]

Hmmm, no towel throwing for me except in the areas I couldn't (can't) master (and by master I mean "not be dangerous").

Money has in fact fallen out of my butt to do this. At this point the most massively frustrating thing is getting the right parts and discovering WHERE to get the right parts and making sure the right parts are actually what I have in hand before trekking to work on the machine.

So close to having this thing on the road I can taste it (literally, after sawing down the speedo plate with the dremel I could taste it).

So, 7 months in - 4 of those waiting for the weather or parts. No towel just yet. But it better not explode or fall apart when I twist it open in March dammit. That might be demoralizing 

[Terry in Australia]

Hey Terry, I'm gonna pick on you.  just because you reminded me of something that I thought was of value.
I'm a member of another, chick oriented forum, and it seems like most (at least a slight majority) own new BMW bikes, few know how to do any "real" maintenance (aside from checking tire pressure, gassing up, maybe oil levels) and that frustrates the crap out of the few riders on that forum who HAVE done real work.  They act like their bikes are complete mysteries inside.  The majority of their 'wrenching' section is about adding bolt-on shiny sparklies: "Farkles".

So...
I do feel "better" than some folk.  They could ride circles around me, but when their machine starts acting up (or "acting out") I can probably tell them what it is.
FWIW, if or when I get a 'new' bike, unless Honda gets its act together and starts making some bikes that look decent again, I'll probably go with a used BMW or Triumph.

Ha ha, pick away Kit, at least your response to my post made some sense, to a point. While I can understand you feeling good about yourself for having attained the knowledge, I don't think you need to feel "better" than someone who doesn't.

While Frank thinks this site is just about old bikes, it's way more than that, it's about kindred spirits from just about every part of the world sharing experiences and knowledge, and teaching each other more in one post, than some might learn in a week of staring at something and wondering why the hell it just won't work.

I first became a member to this site a few years ago now, when it was the SOHC 750 site, and while I had a reasonable knowledge of motorcycle repair after having worked part time in my cousin's  motorcycle shop and having rebuilt a few of my own bikes, I learned very early that I could learn so much from some of the guys here, and what I appreciated was that no-one acted "superior" because they knew more than me, they were just happy to share their knowledge.

So while you should feel proud that you now have some of that knowledge that your friends on that other site don't, (yet) you should always remember that there was a time when you were the newbie, and maybe exercise a little compassion?

Oh, and the reason that your BMW riding friends don't do any major work on their bikes is more about the way BMW's are designed and put together. My 17 year old BMW K1100LT has done 100,000(+) miles as I type this, and has never had the head off, and I don't expect it to for another 100,000 or so. They're not the worlds greatest touring bikes for nothing............. 

[Hush]

SOHC bikes are just classic, they have a class all their own and if you can get past the temperamental stage where you need to remove your own hair in great clumps, you should have a ride to be proud of.
I dither around with older bikes simply because that's what I know!
They are what i learned to ride on, wrench on and occasionally fall off.
New technology does not really interest me, after doing work on my sons' and some friends new 'rice rockets" I am less than impressed with the workmanship of the products coming from the land of the rising dollar.
Not too many of these flash Harry's will be around in 30 years, not too many would be recoverable after being left for decades in swamps and under trees.
I've just sold my other CB650 Custom so I can concentrate on my PZ, I've decided that dividing my time between bikes wont work for me too well (apart from Jaffas' GSX of course) 
Love our bikes Terry? of bloody course we have to!

[volkswagendan]

i dont think old bike guys are better than new bike guys.   ...just cooler.

[Bouncer]

Yea just found out that I am having problems with the title of my bike. I am getting just about at my wits end with this bike. I bought the bike in wisc. which titles the bikes by the engine number. Well I checked the title and someone recorded it wrong by one number

IE: g674355567 opposed to g674356567


GREAT!! Now I don't have a clue what to do.

[volkswagendan]

dont give up over 1 number.  did you ask your DMV what to do?   
ive jumped through more dmv hoops here in jersey then i care to remember.  fact is when you ride that bike for the first time
you'll forget all about the sh!t you had  to work through on the paper end. 
worse case scenario, there are title companies in the south east states that can get a title in their state from a hand written bill of sale. they can do that with the 5 or 6 then send you a title to change into your name. might cost 100 or 200 but worth it.
google title service and see what you can find. good luck, and dont give up.