Cheap Old Bikes

[old_chopper]

I paid $300 for my '79 XS. It was parked in a buddy's back yard for 126 years in the sun, snow, and rain. I had to literally jerk the front wheel out of the ground to get it rolling. I've rebuilt the calipers, rear mc, new front mc, built new wiring harness, cleaned the carbs, new battery, tires, new seat, etc... I added up yesterday and I have just short of $2000 in it now. There are still several small things I will do and then paint. I've spent about $300 that could have been avoided but wasn't. Just curious how much you all have spent on these "cheap old bikes".

[jetmechmarty]

I bought a very nice one about 8 years ago. I have a few thousand in it, keeping it going.

I got a XS650 for free. I has 6K miles on it. I have $2K in it and it hasn't even been started. It's looking great though.

[natemoen]

Probably more than I want to know!

[DGXSER]

My first XS11 I bought for $900 as it is seen here...



I rebuilt the carbs for $100 and did the dremel repair for about $50. Rode it for almost two years before the wreck. Parted it out.

The other XS11 I have now, I bought as a fix it and sell it project for $250 as seen here....



I have a total of just under $950 in it now.....



But I am in the middle of an exhaust issue, going to try to get it rewelded today.

[FANNING507]

I seem to have lost track also. Everything was original except for the seat and the paint job on my MNS. Found another seat, another set of MNS carbs for backup, NOS brake kits, side cover emblems. More satisfaction in exterminating the gremlins than going somewhere. I find the wind resistance to be a physical challenge now. Can't just take off and go 300 miles and back without 2 days to recover.

[MrOzz]

I bought mine for $850. I have put about $1000 into her. Worth every penny!

DGXSER - whats that next to your tach? Is it a GPS or digital speedo?

Thanks

[DGXSER]

Ross. Its the mirror. The angle of the pic is kind of misleading. I've been asked if it is a TV before.

[crazy steve]

Funny you should ask...

I was updating my 'budget sheet' on the SG, and my grand total to date is about $800. Paid $250 for the bike (non-runner of course), sold enough unwanted touring bits and the front calipers off it to reduce the final cost to $25. With the stuff I've since bought to bring it back to life, I'm now into it for the above amount. Seeing how the most expensive items I bought was the tires, used exhaust, and carb kits (about $340 total), it's the nickle-and-dime stuff that adds up. I've got one last semi-big ticket item to buy (automotive paint for the tank/sidecovers), but hope to have it finished for under $1K...

It helped a lot that I have two parts bikes that I got for nothing (or close enough; traded some unwanted car parts for one, and swapped some free-to-me parts/labor for the other), but I do try to beat as much value out of a buck as I can.

[paulapalooza]

I paid $200 for my bike. After all was said an done I spent about $1200 including the cost of the bike.

[b.walker5]

I stopped counting, and recording it, a long time ago in case my wife ever found out...

[crazy steve]

I stopped counting, and recording it, a long time ago in case my wife ever found out...

....I never used to, but after being accused of spending excess money on my hobby, I proved with my budget sheets that the amount was far less than she thought, and sometimes I actually made a few bucks. No more complaints, and a lot easier to sneak the occasional higher-priced 'good deal' in....

[xs11lover]

$100 was the first payment for the field bomb. I sold the sissy bar and crash bars for $100, then spent the $ on some midnight forks and fork plate. $215 for tires, I had the rest of the parts needed on the shelf. Add a fresh painted tank, side covers and seat..owed to me by Ole's classic cycles. I picked up some midnight fenders $58 shippied. Polish, sand paper and oil. Total out of pocket..........$400 If Ole didn't owe me it would have been alot more.
I'm going to post some pics as soon as I finish purdying it up.

[BA80]

I got the okieSPECIAL for free from a buddy of mine who got frustrated trying to figure out why it wouldn't run. (pickup coils).

#2 I paid $250 for a SF parts bike w/title that RUNS GREAT from a guy on ebay. Still puting that one back together.

#3 $300 for a SG that's in fair shape. I ran across a guy here in Tulsa that has.........maybe.......150 bikes and he had this one stuck way back in a shed behind an unbelieveable collection of hot rods, race cars, and old bikes.

Said he had too many projects already...........well DUH!

[tcoop]

I got my 78E and 80LG by trading my 82 XJ750 and he PAID me $200. I had a total of $850 into the XJ. New tires new valves and head gasket add about $300 back into these bikes. And now with the hole in the #2 pistons it will go up. I have decided to try and bring both bikes back to life.

How I had the 78e setup.

This is how I got the 80LG.

My son got his 81SH by trading a 82 450 nighthawk and $100. I bought the nighthawk for $100 then put in about $450. Not bad for a pretty nice 81SH



My wife thinks I have spent thousands for each bike but it has not been that bad. I will need to keep a ledger to prove how much I am spending.

[cywelchjr]

I got brutus for $800, ok, well the PO got $800 for it, fully running ready to go, complete with Vetter III fairing and spare Vetter IV fairing. My cost at that point $0 cause it was my birthday and christmas present from my parents. Turned out that the headlight was wired weird, bypassing both the RLU and the headlight relay, because as it turns out the Reg/Rect was going out so the headlight relay wasn't activating so the PO has bypassed it.

$15 for a reg/rect off ebay fixed that, found washed out bearings on the first oil change, so junkyard motor for $99, Vetter bags for the frames already on the bike $35, Vetter trunk $40, and $40 for replacement tank when I found the original tank was patched with something kinda like chewing gum, paint and other stuff about $200, so my net somewhere around $400 not counting tires and stuff. Oh, and $4.26 to fix the 7v regulator for the fuel gauge.

So, even if I had paid the $800 myself, it would be just over $1200 out, which is less than some of the none runners are going for around here, and that's naked bikes.