Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Another thing to consider that I know I'm guilty of is thinking about money in terms of the '70s and '80s. Money is worth about 1/3 of what is was then.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

This whole thread has been an interesting read. As for me I couldn't be happier about
Ebay, this forum, closing my successful business and the internet. In 1978 when my oil pinion bolt shot thru my side case, I knew that life was about to get in the way and I wouldn't be riding my 500 for many years. Now, 34 years later. the stars have lined up and I am accumulating parts as needed to start the rebuild. Regardless of price, I'm estactic when I locate a difficult piece to replace. As bizarre as this sounds, I made a promise to my busted bike back in 78'. Now I'm keeping that promise....

I have nothing to add. just wanted to post in this EPIC thread!

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1972 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV (Candytone Blue), 1976 Suzuki GT750 (Maui Blue)
1984 Yamaha RZ350 (KRR- Yellow/Black).

“Jeff and Chris are THE MEN!”
RIP John E. Evans

Isn't it great that we all can make choices. It is also great that Triples are still around.

I have my triples because i love them. Run or not. profitable or failure. but i do have bad days, lots of them. I am currently losing my buttocks on a KZ1000 i am parting. whats next.

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Collecting All Vintage High Performance Japanese Street bikes. Parts bought and sold. www.cyclebusters.com

Why part it at all then? If you are doing it as a money making venture surely you research the value of components before you break a bike?

Or are you just using tools in an unconventional manner causing your problem.

You would think that parting the bikes you seem to get for free or next to nothing would be he best way to increase your profit.... why not part the goldwings you talked about?

I paid $400 for a very clean 19k 78 KZ1000 with a bad oil leak. It had no title. what ya gonna do with it? I had to buy a bunch of parts to fix my old 78 KZ1000, and they were very expensive. they always are until i try to sell one. It seems the price drops the day before i list mine every time.
I have indeed considered parting out these goldwings. seriously considered it. there is likely 10-15,000 worth of nice stuff here. But getting it is the issue. So many times i have parted out a bike, only to sell the seat, tank, covers, and carbs and then been stuck with a plucked turkey and nobody wants the iron.
I dont just buy nice restoration projects and kill them, like you all think. Any bike i pick up thats got a glimmer of hope, I still have, and slowly buy parts for it till i can fix it.
I am very close to hiring a few people and parting everything. i have 15 bikes here that are pictured in every classic bike book printed, and they are all worth much more in peices then together.
I have no problem keeping my Rocket 3 and peicing out everything anymore.
Last year I built a very clean low mileage 78 SR500. I used all the nicest parts from 3 clean bikes. Since i have built it, they are bringing squat. If i paid myself $5 per hour to build it, and fair market value of these peices I am upside down about 1000 bucks. I can take a junkyard CB750, saw the frame off, put a bicycle seat on it, spray it black, and saw the pipes off, and get more money faster off a descrated turd then this sweet SR will bring.
Its a strange market. I dont ask to get rich, just live. The fact is if I got $10 for every part i have, all my problems would be over.
I have a 4k 87 Yamaha XV535 Virago here in peices, no title. I did compression tests, and it had 95 psi in the rear jug so it got parted. I still have almost all of it. I watched someone pay $125 ea for cylinder heads. I listed 2 cylinder heads in as near mint condition as you can imagine, at $9.99 ea. No bids. Same bike, starter, ring gear, intermediate gears, selling for over $100, all day long. mine brought $35, and the guy tried to show me some burned up junk, his old crap, and wanted a refund. same with the master cylinder. I flushed it, and bench tested it, the thing looked and worked like new. For 9.99, the guy "couldnt get it to bleed", and wanted a refund... of course he would keep the "garbage" 4000 miles, had clean fluid in it and worked perfect, this is the joy I get from doing this.
You would think somewhere in the USA someone would have an XV535 that has a nasty engine cover, rusty wheels, bent forks, or any one of the hundred or so nice peices on my shelves. Its all going for scrap when the prices go back up.
The 4k speedometer didnt even sell. I am going to take particular joy in smashing that thing to bits for the scrap man. and make sure they run the crane tracks over the pile too.

So i assume that you all think i am some evil creature that exists to destroy bikes, whatever. I am betting many of you have bought a part that fixed your bike from me. I have been selling vintage bike parts for 15 years.

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Collecting All Vintage High Performance Japanese Street bikes. Parts bought and sold. www.cyclebusters.com