Bobbers? are there gonna be any old bikes left in original condition?

[rocketman1]

Just been reading alot about guys and girls turning bikes into bobbers.
Its seems a huge fad in Europe and the states at the mo.
Wondering, surely one would not do this to an old bike on good condition?
Seems a huge amount of ol bmws and old honda's have met this fate.

I must say some of them look really cool, but just dont think I could attack a nice ol bike
Probably not so bad starting with bomb.

[Mike.Gayner]

The bigger problem is people treating mass-produced bikes as precious. There's no good reason to keep most of these bikes in good condition - they were made in extreme abundance and for the most part were not special. Personally I don't give a shit what someone wants to do to their bike.

[ellipsis]

...and there is both sides of this debate...1 all, I reckon...it's a draw...

[BMWST?]

The bigger problem is people treating mass-produced bikes as precious. There's no good reason to keep most of these bikes in good condition - they were made in extreme abundance and for the most part were not special. Personally I don't give a shit what someone wants to do to their bike.

agrred to a certain extent,nice ones should be left as stock as possible i reckon,but as you say,its your bike do what you will

[mossy1200]

If it makes you feel better most sell the cosmetic parts to others who use them to keep their bike looking good.
Its a bit like donating organs when you die.

[AllanB]

Funny really if you think about it. Lots of nothing old bikes being revived due to modern fashion. They get a second life instead of rotting away in some garage corner.

Stock is boring - never kept one stock, always done some mods to personalise the bike. A stock bike is designed as a mass-produced ride to fit all.

[Motu]

As someone who has destroyed many bikes over the years and tossed now extremely hard to find parts in the rubbish, making them almost impossible to restore - I don't care if someone makes a bobber, cafe, tracker or chop, but please keep the parts you take off, and don't cut anything up that can't be undone. My current bike can be made back into a stock bike in 30 mins.

[mossy1200]

As someone who has destroyed many bikes over the years and tossed now extremely hard to find parts in the rubbish, making them almost impossible to restore - I don't care if someone makes a bobber, cafe, tracker or chop, but please keep the parts you take off, and don't cut anything up that can't be undone. My current bike can be made back into a stock bike in 30 mins.

Unless your doing a k100 and theres so many still about its easier to buy another bike and have an original also.

Not sure cutting up a collectable is a good idea if they are rare.

[Voltaire]

Hack away, makes the remaining ones more valuable, better than having money in the bank getting 4.3% and the fecking IRD taking 33%.
Even POS deregistered ones are getting good coin.
http://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/351326868.jpg
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=820369754

I sold a daily rider one 2 years ago and struggled to get $2500.

[rocketman1]

As someone who has destroyed many bikes over the years and tossed now extremely hard to find parts in the rubbish, making them almost impossible to restore - I don't care if someone makes a bobber, cafe, tracker or chop, but please keep the parts you take off, and don't cut anything up that can't be undone. My current bike can be made back into a stock bike in 30 mins.

Some interesting comments, Yes I agree, I think I could bobber a good bike if I could swap out the parts and put it back to original if I chose, however would probably require a spare donor bike to make things easier.

[Motu]

Some (most) of the bikes and cars I've owned weren't even remotely interesting back when I had them, now some value has been attached to them, makes me a bit puzzled. Even something pumped out in high volume (Morris Minor, Mini) that was everywhere on our roads have become scarce, and parts more so. As a reformed abuser, I still like to indulge in my fantasies, but I would now like to pass on my former playthings to others with no signs of my malicious handywork visible.

[mossy1200]

Now we have bike so easy to ride at the speed limit they are a bit boring and penalty tax for having fun is extreme if you want to ride the bike potential a lot of people want something that's a challenge to ride at the posted limit.

[FJRider]

Now we have bike so easy to ride at the speed limit they are a bit boring and penalty tax for having fun is extreme if you want to ride the bike potential a lot of people want something that's a challenge to ride at the posted limit.


To ride a slow bike fast ... rather than a fast bike slow ... :devil2:

[Motu]

Or to just get around some corners on a bad handling bike, which most of these bobbers end up being. I enjoy working around handling flaws, but to create them seems a bit masochistic. Modifications to my bike have been to enhance the handling to my weird tastes...not everyones taste, but it works for me, and easily reversible.

[mossy1200]

Or to just get around some corners on a bad handling bike, which most of these bobbers end up being. I enjoy working around handling flaws, but to create them seems a bit masochistic. Modifications to my bike have been to enhance the handling to my weird tastes...not everyones taste, but it works for me, and easily reversible.

Agree. Bobbers seem to be made harder to ride.
Im more café racer than bobber.
Idd do a bobber maybe also (likely means next). I think idd be likely to not ride it a lot or long distance.

[neels]

I don't think id hack up an old bike if it was original, but something that's already been buggered about with no problem, probably no structural mods so someone who had the right bits could take it back to original later if it was worth the bother.

Mass produced things only become valuable when the numbers decrease enough that supply is reduced, and they gain rarity value. In this respect i have made my contribution to the current value of ford cortinas by either crashing or wrecking them for parts over the years

[Drew]

Chop it, fuck with it, do whatever.

Ownership by it's very definition means no one else can tell you what you can not do to it. Mate of a mate got a matching numbers GT500 Mustang. The real deal. Now it's blown with a huge hole in the bonnet and will torch the bags through the whole gearbox. Asked why he did it. "It's mine, I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it".

[ellipsis]

Ownership by it's very definition means no one else can tell you what you can not do to it. Mate of a mate got a matching numbers GT500 Mustang. The real deal. Now it's blown with a huge hole in the bonnet and will torch the bags through the whole gearbox. Asked why he did it. "It's mine, I'll do whatever the fuck I want with it".

...I thought that was what you were supposed to do with them...

[Drew]

...I thought that was what you were supposed to do with them...

Yep. Got heaps of grief at car meetings for it, from what I understand.