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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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Bhud |
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Bhud World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Oct 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 11:19 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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No. I always expect bike projects to be expensive (total loss), but I have a fixed figure set in stone beyond which I won't cross, and I never consider them to be investments. They are learning experiences which I take on because I really like them, and I don't have an engineering background so I need to get some knowledge somehow, and also because I don't want to be held back and forced to buy whatever BMW or Yamaha dictates that I have to have in terms of aids and features. I want to be able to pick any old bike in any condition and say, yes, I'll give that a try for a bit.
My last project was to be a hybrid 550 LTD with 550 GPZ engine, 550 GT running parts and custom fabricated battery hanger, side panels, mudguards, etc. I had to let that one go because my donor GT was caught up in a lengthy and uncertain insurance wrangle when someone drove into it, so I had to make a decision as to whether I wanted to repair it, or repair and then cannibalise it for the project. I decided the first option made more sense, so I went for that and sold the LTD and GPZ stuff. It was bought by some rich kid who came along with his dad. He was polite, but he obviously thought that I was getting rid of it because it was too much for me as a project. This was false.
About the gear thing - no, absolutely not. I think this is because I don't fit the mold, really. The expected cycle: buy a middleweight road bike, run it around for a little while, do a track day, buy a sports bike, take it to track days, etc. before losing your taste for it because you have a family and a mortgage and it's a a lot of trouble organising it and getting there? All I see in that is £££ down the drain, because money has been shelled out on one-piece leathers, expensive helmets, etc. |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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pepperami |
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pepperami Super Spammer
Joined: 17 Jan 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 12:34 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: Re: Rabbit holes and expensive regrets. |
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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Posted: 12:57 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: Re: Rabbit holes and expensive regrets. |
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pepperami wrote: |
Yes, and yes.
Oh boy! Project Scrapper Hyosung , I should have remembered that as it is a 125, it has suffered all the L-plate/new rider abuse most 125’s suffer.
Still worth putting a bit more money into it, I think? Possibly?
Luckily I am a bit wiser and a little bit more adept at bodging things back together these days.
In the dim and distant past, I’ve payed way to much for kit because of the label, not anymore . |
Yep - this type of experience seems to be the exclusive route to getting 'wiser and more adept' |
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 13:29 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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I bought a house...
But yes, I shudder to think what I've spent on the 612 bullet compared to what it's worth but I did go into that with both eyes open. It's NOTHING compared to what a mate has sunk into his harris GSXR. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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ThunderGuts |
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ThunderGuts World Chat Champion
Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 13:43 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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Not really a project per se; bought a written off ER5 a few years back (cosmetic write off). It was running and seemed straight; because of the status I couldn't test ride it and got it for £800 so was happy enough. Got it delivered to a garage, passed MOT and I was all smiles. Rode it home and the first cracks appeared (literally) - the tyres were perished, but it took a few miles of riding before the cracks appeared. £150 straight away. Then the carb turned out to be mucked up plus a knackered petcock; cost around £40 to sort but took many many hours of my time to take it apart and rebuild. Brake line, hugger, home-made fender extender, heated grips, fairing etc. and ended up spending an awful lot of time on that bike and probably close to £500 ultimately. Then sold the bike for less than I bought it for as nobody wanted a bike with a write-off history. I had bought it originally planning to keep it as a hack but my circumstances changed.
However, every cloud and all that, I learnt a lot about bikes during my ownership of it as I did every job myself, it was a solid bike and although hardly exhilarating, it was satisfying having a great day out on a cheap and basic bike. ____________________ TG. |
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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Posted: 13:55 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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ThunderGuts wrote: | Not really a project per se; bought a written off ER5 a few years back (cosmetic write off). It was running and seemed straight; because of the status I couldn't test ride it and got it for £800 so was happy enough. Got it delivered to a garage, passed MOT and I was all smiles. Rode it home and the first cracks appeared (literally) - the tyres were perished, but it took a few miles of riding before the cracks appeared. £150 straight away. Then the carb turned out to be mucked up plus a knackered petcock; cost around £40 to sort but took many many hours of my time to take it apart and rebuild. Brake line, hugger, home-made fender extender, heated grips, fairing etc. and ended up spending an awful lot of time on that bike and probably close to £500 ultimately. Then sold the bike for less than I bought it for as nobody wanted a bike with a write-off history. I had bought it originally planning to keep it as a hack but my circumstances changed.
However, every cloud and all that, I learnt a lot about bikes during my ownership of it as I did every job myself, it was a solid bike and although hardly exhilarating, it was satisfying having a great day out on a cheap and basic bike. |
Yeah - I had a similar experience with my first bike - a 600 Bandit - I was a rookie back then and knew jack all about bikes and didn't even realise it had been crashed until my mechanic mate took the front wheel off and showed me the bent spindle . . .
But ah well - we both learned something
Last edited by droog on 13:57 - 16 Sep 2020; edited 1 time in total |
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chickenstrip |
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chickenstrip Super Spammer
Joined: 06 Dec 2013 Karma :
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Posted: 13:56 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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MarJay wrote: |
Anything I've spent on bikes and ended up wasting I've not been too bothered by because I've had fun. |
Amen. ____________________ Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE! |
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Easy-X |
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Easy-X Super Spammer
Joined: 08 Mar 2019 Karma :
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Posted: 14:40 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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Salvaged Superlight: very straightforward, got it roadworthy in a few months.
Salvaged Fazer: thought I could fix it, turned out the back engine mount had shattered, gave up sharpish and took the loss.
Good decisions come from experience, experience comes from [learning from] bad decisions ____________________ Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter |
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droog |
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droog Spanner Monkey
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Fisty |
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Fisty Super Spammer
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
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Fisty |
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Fisty Super Spammer
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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Posted: 21:25 - 16 Sep 2020 Post subject: |
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I have only made a profit on one bike, a GL1800 Goldwing. And that's only a profit from buying and selling because the dealer didn't know he had a very rare model. Saying that I would have spent more on servicing and stuff than I made so really I didn't make a profit overall.
Anyway, if you want to pour money away, buy a boat. ____________________ Triumph Trophy Launch Edition |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 3 years, 224 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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