My Motorcycle History
This is a Live post. I will continue to update it as I buy more bikes.
This was an awesome find on craigslist. A 1998 Buell Thunderbolt halfway converted to a cafe racer. Bought it for $1200 off craigslist. Originally thought it wasn't a great deal until I saw it came with all the original parts. Got it home, spent a few hours checking the engine, put in a new battery and it fired right up. Finished the cafe racer mod and got it registered in CA for only a few hundred more. Still own it and its still awesome.
This was another craigslist find. Previous owner stripped out the exhaust studs too many times. Decided to fix it himself by replacing the head and had no idea how to get it back together. Got it for $700 with all the parts to fix it except some misc hardware. Got it running after a while and sold it for $1500. Was actually a nice bike and fun to work on.
My second XR250R. This time a 1996 model. It didn't run right when I bought it off craigslist. Did a simple carb cleaning and it ran perfectly for two summers. Always started, even after sitting for months at a time. Sold it to a friend when I moved or I would still own it.
Two Yamaha YSR50 bikes. Bought them both and few boxes of parts on a Lean sale at a local shop for around $800. Salvaged the best parts from both and sold one complete bike. Turned the bike I kept into a racebike for Bonneville Salt Flats. But I never finished the project. Decided to start over someday with a water cooled engine and much lighter base frame.
A 1977 Honda Mini Trail Z50. I bought this bike and a few boxes of parts off craigslist for $300. Went through the boxes and everything needed to get it running plus loads of spare parts. Worked on it for a few weeks and then traded the bike for a large gun safe. Kept the spare parts. Later sold the gun safe for $500. Overall it was an awesome project but just too small for me. Trail 70 is the perfect size.
Sold my trusty old Honda Hawk and bought a bike that I could not only finally afford but now had the riding experience to fully enjoy. A 2012 BMW R1200GS Adventure. (Wikipedia Link)If you don't know about this bike it is the dream bike of every long distance adventure touring motorcycle rider out there. (Bought ~$25000, Sell Maybe Someday)
My favorite bike is my 1974 Honda Trail 70. (Wikipedia Link)Also known as CT70 or Dax. Out of all my motorcycles so far I will be keeping this one for a long time. After having the Honda Spree for a summer I realized the need/desire for a small bike around town. This is a bike that constantly breaks down, burns as much oil as it does gas and I love every second of it. (Bought $600, Sell Never Ever)
My fourth bike was a 1988 Honda Hawk NT650GT. (Wikipedia link)I owned this bike for a little over a year. Its a great bike and most people don't believe it was built in 1988. It was truly ahead of its time. I did many trips up and down California on this bike and one long trip to the Grand Canyon. (Bought $2200, Sold 2 years later for $2200)
Not a real motorcycle but this was my third purchase. A 1987 Honda Spree. (Wikipedia Link)This little 49cc two stroke got up to a top speed of 28mph! Bought it in San Diego while I was living there for the summer. You can't beat riding a small scooter in a big city. (Bought $200, Sold at the end of summer for $400)
My second bike was a 1987 Honda XR250. (Wikipedia Link)Didn't get to ride it much as the engine seized a few days after I bought it. These bikes are know as being indestructible and dependable. This one burned off all the motor oil on a long ride and severely overheated. A common problem for dirt bikes that have a small oil capacity. Check your oil before, during and after every ride! (Bought $1400, Parted out $800)
Don't remember much about this motorcycle. It was a Suzuki TS 185 from the '70s. Only had it a few weeks. Got it for free, cleaned it up and then nearly gave it away. Only really posting it here to show this great picture of how I use to transport my old motorcycles. I was in bad need of a truck.
My first real motorcycle was a Yamaha Exciter, more specifically a 1980 Yamaha SR250G. (Wikipedia Link)This was a great beginner bike that I picked up for an even greater deal. Like most motorcycle guys, I wish I never sold it. This is the kind of bike everyone should get as their first bike. Lightweight, simple and dependable. (Bought $600, Sold one year later for $1200)
This was my first motorcycle. It was nothing special. A cheap Chinese knockoff with a 110cc 3 speed semi-auto transmission. I owned it for about a year before I upgraded it to a 125cc 4 speed manual. This was a bit tricky because originally both front and rear brakes were hand operated. So I welded on a rear brake assembly from a Honda 3 wheeler to finish the engine swap.
This was an awesome find on craigslist. A 1998 Buell Thunderbolt halfway converted to a cafe racer. Bought it for $1200 off craigslist. Originally thought it wasn't a great deal until I saw it came with all the original parts. Got it home, spent a few hours checking the engine, put in a new battery and it fired right up. Finished the cafe racer mod and got it registered in CA for only a few hundred more. Still own it and its still awesome.
 |
| 1998 Buell Thunderbolt with cafe racer mods. |
This was another craigslist find. Previous owner stripped out the exhaust studs too many times. Decided to fix it himself by replacing the head and had no idea how to get it back together. Got it for $700 with all the parts to fix it except some misc hardware. Got it running after a while and sold it for $1500. Was actually a nice bike and fun to work on.
 |
| 1999 Honda Rebel 250 |
My second XR250R. This time a 1996 model. It didn't run right when I bought it off craigslist. Did a simple carb cleaning and it ran perfectly for two summers. Always started, even after sitting for months at a time. Sold it to a friend when I moved or I would still own it.
 |
| 1996 Honda XR250R with California street legal mods. |
Two Yamaha YSR50 bikes. Bought them both and few boxes of parts on a Lean sale at a local shop for around $800. Salvaged the best parts from both and sold one complete bike. Turned the bike I kept into a racebike for Bonneville Salt Flats. But I never finished the project. Decided to start over someday with a water cooled engine and much lighter base frame.
 |
| The YSR50 bikes when I bought them. Never finished the bikes so didn't look much better than whats shown here. |
A 1977 Honda Mini Trail Z50. I bought this bike and a few boxes of parts off craigslist for $300. Went through the boxes and everything needed to get it running plus loads of spare parts. Worked on it for a few weeks and then traded the bike for a large gun safe. Kept the spare parts. Later sold the gun safe for $500. Overall it was an awesome project but just too small for me. Trail 70 is the perfect size.
 |
| 1977 Honda Mini Trail Z50. In front of my Trail 70 for size comparison. |
Sold my trusty old Honda Hawk and bought a bike that I could not only finally afford but now had the riding experience to fully enjoy. A 2012 BMW R1200GS Adventure. (Wikipedia Link)If you don't know about this bike it is the dream bike of every long distance adventure touring motorcycle rider out there. (Bought ~$25000, Sell Maybe Someday)
 |
| 2012 BMW R1200GS Adventure Pic is of day after I bought it. And yes, that is my mountain bike strapped to the back seat. |
My favorite bike is my 1974 Honda Trail 70. (Wikipedia Link)Also known as CT70 or Dax. Out of all my motorcycles so far I will be keeping this one for a long time. After having the Honda Spree for a summer I realized the need/desire for a small bike around town. This is a bike that constantly breaks down, burns as much oil as it does gas and I love every second of it. (Bought $600, Sell Never Ever)
 |
| 1974 Honda CT70 "Trail 70" |
My fourth bike was a 1988 Honda Hawk NT650GT. (Wikipedia link)I owned this bike for a little over a year. Its a great bike and most people don't believe it was built in 1988. It was truly ahead of its time. I did many trips up and down California on this bike and one long trip to the Grand Canyon. (Bought $2200, Sold 2 years later for $2200)
 |
| 1988 Honda NT650GT Hawk |
Not a real motorcycle but this was my third purchase. A 1987 Honda Spree. (Wikipedia Link)This little 49cc two stroke got up to a top speed of 28mph! Bought it in San Diego while I was living there for the summer. You can't beat riding a small scooter in a big city. (Bought $200, Sold at the end of summer for $400)
 |
| 1987 Honda Spree |
My second bike was a 1987 Honda XR250. (Wikipedia Link)Didn't get to ride it much as the engine seized a few days after I bought it. These bikes are know as being indestructible and dependable. This one burned off all the motor oil on a long ride and severely overheated. A common problem for dirt bikes that have a small oil capacity. Check your oil before, during and after every ride! (Bought $1400, Parted out $800)
 |
| 1987 Honda XR250. Its the only picture I have of it before the engine blew. |
Don't remember much about this motorcycle. It was a Suzuki TS 185 from the '70s. Only had it a few weeks. Got it for free, cleaned it up and then nearly gave it away. Only really posting it here to show this great picture of how I use to transport my old motorcycles. I was in bad need of a truck.
 |
| A Suzuki TS185 |
My first real motorcycle was a Yamaha Exciter, more specifically a 1980 Yamaha SR250G. (Wikipedia Link)This was a great beginner bike that I picked up for an even greater deal. Like most motorcycle guys, I wish I never sold it. This is the kind of bike everyone should get as their first bike. Lightweight, simple and dependable. (Bought $600, Sold one year later for $1200)
 |
| 1980 Yamaha SR250G Exciter |
This was my first motorcycle. It was nothing special. A cheap Chinese knockoff with a 110cc 3 speed semi-auto transmission. I owned it for about a year before I upgraded it to a 125cc 4 speed manual. This was a bit tricky because originally both front and rear brakes were hand operated. So I welded on a rear brake assembly from a Honda 3 wheeler to finish the engine swap.
 |
| Year unknown Chinese pitbike shown with a 125cc engine and rear brake mod. |
Comments
Post a Comment
Write a comment here. Let me know what you think...