How do you decide on your projects?

Or how did you decide on your last project?

As one who has yet to start a project, having just started riding this year on a newish bike, I'd be interested to hear the stories of how you happened to end up with what you're working on now. There's a great variety represented here, for sure.

Do you tend to come up with a concept first and then buy a bike to suit? Or find a bike in a barn and commence working on whatever fate gave you? or something else?

I've done projects both ways. If its going to be your first project, make it easier on yourself and plan around a bike that has alot of aftermarket support. XS650's are awesome that way.

A project is influenced by my vision of the end result. What other consideration can there be?

I found a titled cl350 frame for $30 and since I'm on a super tight budget right now I'll be building a bike from parts I have laying around with the vision of a board tracker inspired chopper. I just like board trackers and since they are pretty striped of everything it just seems the logical choice when it come to my $30 frame and no money. I already have a spare wheel set and engine so I pretty much just need to make a girder fork, get it together and start riding. Sounds simple but I'm sure it will take over a year.

My 1st project I wanted a minimal minimal slammed bike. After riding it for 2 years I'm sick of the shitty ride, so I started on a 68 cl450. I'm not cafe'ing it, just a cheap restore for a daily driver.

I want to build a bobber next. That and my buddy and I are thinking about building the ugliest bike in the world with all the goofy extra parts we have laying around.

Useful Idiot said:

My 1st project I wanted a minimal minimal slammed bike. After riding it for 2 years I'm sick of the shitty ride, so I started on a 68 cl450. I'm not cafe'ing it, just a cheap restore for a daily driver.

I want to build a bobber next. That and my buddy and I are thinking about building the ugliest bike in the world with all the goofy extra parts we have laying around.

Click to expand...

hey you have extra CL parts?! what you got?!

It just sort of started happening with mine. I wanted an old bike to wrench on so I found one. I started doing research and decided that I dug the cafe style. Then looked at more and more bikes and studied some more. Started buying parts, started working. I changed my mind quite a few times. Had to start over quite a few times. Decided that I needed to test my patience and in doing so realized that I'm a perfectionist. It's annoying... I do love it though.

I dont have any extra parts for the 450 brewtown, but if something changes by the time I'm done with it, I'll pm you.

It depends on your money situation/mechanical abilities. If you have neither, get a cheap single or twin of popular design, buy a manual, and have a go. I say 'popular' so you can find ideas, support groups, and parts readily. A simple bike can also keep the stress factor low, and if you screw it up you won't have lost too much. I'm not a mechanic, but I got tired of paying people who think they are, fraking my bike up. Hell, I can frak it up for free. I'm getting better tho and learning.
I won't own another (old) 4cyl no matter how much I pine for it. No more rare or complicated bikes. :'( Just ones I can easily purchase, modify, repair, maintain, insure, and ride. It took awhile but I've discovered my limitations. Passion fills in the rest.
As a new rider I'd recommend you keep your "newish" bike as your trusty rider, and get another for the project. Have fun!

Ya, like many, I started with a basic vision and then went with the deals and where my vision took me. I think for me it's important to be able to be somewhat flexible through the process.

I brought parts into the projects from different eras, so I took my time finding out what was compatible and what was available at a reasonable price. Sometimes I was in the right place at the right time and sometimes I was down right lucky to get the bits I needed. I would confess that other times I paid too much for what I wanted, but in the end I'm happy and that's what really counts! ;D ;D

My H2 "in process"





and the KZ1000 completed.

My Aprilia RS125 was a bit of an 'awesome price!' kinda find. About US$2500 for it to be on the road, including purchase, registration and insurance. It had been dropped at a roundabout and had 20,000km on the clock so no-one wanted it; sale value was rock bottom. Didn't take much to make it a hellava first bike! Fair bit of assing around, though.

My Suzuki GS850 started with a vision: Something big, brutish and bulletproof. Oh, and cheap. I scrounged around til I found it on eBay, then called the guy and struck a deal before a bid was placed. Despite people offering him twice what I did, he sold it to me because I was the one that got in first. Stand-up bloke, needs to be more people around like that.
Anyway, the bike got purchased for a song and will be on the road for under $2,000. Bargain in anyones book, especially seeing as these were long-lived bikes; this one has low km's.

Its the law of buying a bike: Right Now, Real Cheap, Exactly What I Want. You can pick any two...

Cheers - boingk

boingk said:

Its the law of buying a bike: Right Now, Real Cheap, Exactly What I Want. You can pick any two...

Click to expand...

truer words never spoken.

I started in the trad hot rod/custom scene and went to bikes when I got tired of politics. I learned on a Honda CBR and realized from reading chopper/bobber sites how much of a PITA Harleys and Triumphs end up being. I then read how cb750s are basically bulletproof and cheap to come by. I'd decided I wanted a cafe before I bought it, so I just started stripping it down from there. Time, ergonomics, and the desire to do a less "catalog built bike" made me switch directions to something more street tracker related. Influence-wise, I'd definately say Japanese shops like Matsumaru (http://www.geocities.jp/qcyqq122/matsumaru_store/html/custom_nnew.html) and this board.

I wanted a classic British inspired twin. Availability of old bikes for parts/restoration was important as was cost and reliability. I also wanted to be able to buy performance engine components and have access to a good knowledge base.

Enter the XS650 - looks the part, they are a dime a dozen, good supply of stock and hop-up bits(thanks to the flat trackers), pretty bullet proof and they even came with aluminum shouldered rims

Me and a buddy were shooting around the idea of building something, a go cart, a bike, just something that went "vroooom." His former boss had a cafe classic and a former teacher of his was into vintage/cafe bikes. So he pitched that idea. I did some research and fell in love with cafe bikes. My budget is and always has been fairly nonexistent, just money trickling in randomly to keep me going. So buying an already running bike for 1000+ was not gonna happen. Also I knew I wanted to get my hands dirty and knew it would make the whole process all the more rewarding. So I found a deal for 3 non running 500cc suzukis (I forget the model name now, maybe TX?), the guy only wanted like $500 or something but the deal fell through. Then I stumbled upon the exact same deal except they were cb350s. At first I was a bit worried about the bikes being too small, but then again originally we were considering building a go-kart, so Id be plenty happy with a small cc bike too. Now after reading a ton Im pretty confident this is the perfect bike for me as it is my first one.