First project bike

[Winter]

Hey yall.

My current mechanical knowlege consits leaves something to be desired, and I'd like that to change.

I changed the brake pads in my car once, but thats about it.

I've been thinking of getting a project bike to pull apart and see how they tinker, and have a go at putting them back together.

I've spied this on trademe, and I quite like the idea of fixing it up etc..

Is this a good choice for a first project?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=116479516

Cheers

[Squiggles]

get a Single or a Twin at most i reckon...

GN's are good value and i've picked up both mine for >$400 with their Reg on hold in "not running but turning over" condition :)

Get one cheap, do a bit of work and tinkering, sell up and move on to something more complex perhaps?

[Paul in NZ]

Get something with the rego on hold and all in one piece so you know whats missing on day 1.

[Winter]

Allright, I'll keep looking. I like the sound of passing it on once its done to (hopefully) recover any costs..

[Squiggles]

I've gotten attached to the gn's i've got, perfect commuters too, but their resale value is twice what i paid so there could be a wee bit of money to be made

Solid Advice from Paul, those last few wee bits that it needs to complete could be very expensive!

[xwhatsit]

I'll add to the chorus of `single or twin'. You only have to look at Paul's FZR400 efforts to know that four cylinders equals four times as many valves/pistons/rings to buy, which can cost some serious dough (although a GS550 wouldn't be quite so pricey, I'd imagine).

A 250cc bike would be a great option, as we all know the market is mental for them right now. Although you might end up (through the act of rebuilding it) getting too attached to it to sell it. You wouldn't be the first ;).

Something like a Honda Wet Dream or Spada (easy parts, the Super Dream has a practically unkillable motor, perfect for amateur tinkering), or perhaps a GPX250 (fairings to worry about though, more expensive parts) would go down a treat.

Lots of fun to be had fiddling around with stuff like that, especially when it's not your main and only ride, so you can take your time and not have to piss about in buses and cars.

[JMemonic]

And remember it might look, good even feel reasonable to ride but it will be the little things that will catch you scratching your head, ie unlubed bearings in the wheels. or the steering, actually anywhere you cant easily put fluid into it with some kind of visible indicator of it level, and even then don't take it as read the these will be correct.

I am not trying to put you off a project, in fact I believe you will learn a lot about your main ride if you do work on one but done expect to buy a bike for $500 and be able to resell it for $1500 making a huge profit, easiest question to ask yourself in this process is, if I was riding this bike knowing what I know would I really want to?

As has been said a single or twin is a good starting point, look around and be sure that anything you buy does not have a common fault that is expensive to fix ie heads crack between cylinders etc and never assume that even basic maintenance has been done.

[Coyote]

Expect when coming to sell it you'd be lucky to break even :p

My Dad got a TF185 Mudbug off a farmer mate of his for $200. It was running, just it had been neglected over the years. He spent a lot of time, effort and especially money into making it nice again and he got $600 for it. Sold it to a kid in Tauranga as his first bike which was kinda neat

And I got a crash damaged RG150 off Jamezo on here for $800. Only needed a few things to be road legal again like handlebars and such, but I decided to go the whole hog and tear it apart to paint the frame black and everything else black. I did pull it apart, I did paint the frame black, but then I took the motor out after my A to B RG150 seized and I got a girlfriend which meant no time in the weekends to actually work on it (and weekdays I was too stuffed from school/work). I'm now selling both of them to a mate for $1500 so I can afford getting new disk brakes for my VFR. I lost a fair bit of money on them unfortunatly, but at least my mate is going to get into racing on them so they're going to be used at least.

Don't let this put you off, just let these be an example to how projects bikes are money pits that demand a lot of time and effort. You're not going to make an easy buck so you should only have a project for the fun of it. I'll get a project bike someday, or another road bike and customise the VFR

[fergie]

my 2 cents worth, look for the most complete bike you can find, then you know what you have to work with right from the get go.
take pics or drawings before you tear anything down,
don't be scared to ask here for advice, lots of clever buggers here.
don't look on the project as a money making exercise as often you will be dissapointed.
most off all have a go and have fun. good luck:2thumbsup

[Conquiztador]

Depends on what you want the outcome to be.

- If you just want to learn to tinker and se if it is for you but it does not need to become your daily bike. Then I recommend a small 2 stroke dirt bike that there is no need/want to get a rego for. 100 - 250cc will do fine. They are simple and easy to tinker with. You will pick up one that has a working motor for $50 - $300. Then you will have the stuff like cables, perhaps some wiring, chain, sprocket, clean out of carbi and some nuts and bolts. Use some spray can finish and she looks ok and will be heaps of fun on the beach/ in the forest. They sell for $400 - $700 when in decent nick.

- If you want something that keeps you in the garage away from the missus then get a 20 - 40 yo four stroke 500cc +. More tinkering, more $$'s. But the end result will give you more satisfaction. But perhaps as a second project?

I still at times grab a small 2 stroke, spend a couple of weeks getting her sorted, use her for a month or two and then sell her. Just to keep my self happy. I like to see quick results. And I do get satisfaction from paying $50 for a poor thing that someone has badly neglected and then getting her back to a tidy workable condition and selling her to some young chap as first bike. And another thing that I like about them is that nobody will ever come and tell me " That muffler does not belong on the 84 model, it is from the 87 XTP export model"

The one here I bought for $50. She was black and not running. After some tinkering, a can of red, some black, and a chain, a sprocket and some wiring and a cable or two she became a neat little fun thing.

Good luck.

[xwhatsit]

Conquiztador, would you say it's possible to make money doing such a thing? I'm yet to get my greasy hands inside a two-stroke as of yet, and over the summer holidays it would be a spot of fun to do like you say, especially if I can make a hundred notes or so.

[Conquiztador]

Conquiztador, would you say it's possible to make money doing such a thing? I'm yet to get my greasy hands inside a two-stroke as of yet, and over the summer holidays it would be a spot of fun to do like you say, especially if I can make a hundred notes or so.

Buy her for less then $100. Spend $100 in bits (you can get two wrecks for that and you will have all the bits you need) and if she is tidy and running you can get your money back and some change. But don't quit your day job as you most probably spend 20 hours + on her. But yes, you should have $100 - $200 above your costs left over as a "profit".

If you are looking to fix up things to make a $ or two then I recommend the kids 50cc ones. Xmas coming up and many dad's are on the look for a tidy little thing for their Johnny. But the problem is finding cheap ones. Even in poor condition the japanese ones keep their price. And I recommend not to touch any broken chinese ones.

Good luck

This one here I purchased for $80 and sold for $595. She started her life as a Mud Bug. When I got her the motor was running but rest was worth nothing. Bits cost me about $150. That included two cheap tyres, a s/h chain, a tank and seat, grips, pod filter, cables, some spray paint, oil, and some other bobs and bits. And then hours of fixing up.

[Animal]

I'm going to join the chorus here... For a first project, that's far too complex - and no insult or offense intended. First prize: Any single, preferably four stroke. Second prize: Any twin, preferably four stroke. Avoid anything rare or old because parts are either going to be prohibitively expensive, or unobtainable. Suzuki GN 250, Yamaha SR 250 or Suzuki FXR 150s would be my recommendation. V-Twin Hondas are great, but as I'm discovering right now, parts are pricy compared to the others I've mentioned. However, get stuck into it. There's no better way to learn, and if you do hit the wall, there are heaps of people on this site that will steer you in the right direction - after a bit of obligatory abuse! Also, when you've chosen and bought your project, post a request here for a manual. You'd be amazed how fast people will rush in to give you a copy and tons of advice and tips. Good luck!

[skidMark]

i have a vfr400r nc21 project bike u could buy...needs brakes bled an revin then shes done lol, i'm too lazy lol

[autobatch]

I have to agree with what Paul said. Get a bike that is all together. If you buy a bunch of pieces, you don't know what is missing. Not only that, it is very difficult to figure out how things go together if you are not the person who took them apart. For a first project, get a bike that the seller claims has nothing missing but that has been sitting around gathering dust for years. You will still have pleanty to do to get it running.

[Sketchy_Racer]

i have a vfr400r nc21 project bike u could buy...needs brakes bled an revin then shes done lol, i'm too lazy lol

Don't buy this bike, It's a lemon. just like everything else mark has sold

[inlinefour]

Get something with the rego on hold and all in one piece so you know whats missing on day 1.

The concept of a single cylinder bike is a good idea, but another is to get a 2-stroke single cylinder motorcycle as it has far less moving parts. If you decide you want to move on from there, goto a single 4-stroke and then add cylinders. However that is assuming you will enjoy tinkering with bikes and want to continue, or at least, thats the way that I did it. With the odd twin 2-stroke put in the mix, just because they was the type of bike I preferred to ride as a younger fellow. If its something you think you'll enjoy doing as a hobby, go for it. If done well, it also can bring a finacial bebefit also. Although it took quite a few years tinkering and asking alot of questions and a few fuck ups before I got anywhere close to doing that. :argh:

Just looked at the link you provided. I would personally be wary of picking up an unfinished project as not only do you not quite know where to start, but how well the prior work has been done. Although it looks like it has plenty of parts and could potentially make two bikes. But I recommend you start with something easier. Otherwise you might be biting off more than you can chew.

[Conquiztador]

Reading all the advise here, it is all valid.

But I still recon a 2 stroke 100 - 250 single cylinder that is not for the road is the best start.

My reasoning:
- She will be cheap. $50 to $200
- There will be heaps of parts around if you go for a common one.
- You will not have to worry about making her road legal.
- A 2 stroke motor will run even if it is phucked. Yes, you will have some smoke, but so what?
- Simple. Very few moving parts.
- You can rip off all the wiring and re-wire her so that she goes with 2 wires. Honestly!!
- No need to make her original. Use what you have around. She be happy just to be back up running.
- If you find this tinkering is not for you or you recon you got a dud you will easily get your $$'s back. (Hey, I might even buy her..)
- Once she is running and you tidied her up you will get a few hundreds more for her when you sell her.
- The 2 stroke dirt bikes are fun. Heaps of grunt and light. (When she is up and running you probably don't want to get rid of her...)
- If you crash her she will take it. A few smacks with the hammer and she be right.
- If she gets stolen, then shead a tear. But you have not lost a fortune.

As I mentioned before, I still do a few a year. Just for fun. There is something in seeing a heap of crap put back in circulation. I still remember all the ones I done. They all had a personality... Sheit, how sad is this. I am getting all sentimental over some japanese 2 stroke dirt bikes!!!

Here another. Kawa 100cc motor squeezed in to a trial frame.

Just go for it, there is nothing to loose!!

[Winter]

Thanks for all the great replies guys, I've read em all and taken it all in (I think).

I like the sound of a dirty two smoker, anything is fine really.
Where is the best place to look? Trademe? Anyone here have anything to sell me?

Cheers for the help!

[Lion]

look at the link in my sig. needs new clutch, would be a good easy project.

[vagrant]

Heres one for you, Sounds like a set of three KR250s, one going but battered, one partially built and one with a dead engine.
Perfect setup to build one decent bike from the lot.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=119674934&key=628160
pretty cheap too.