So I parted a SWB /5 a while back, and all the good stuff is gone. Leftover is the frame(no subframe), swing arm, engine block, timing cover, and some other partly screwed up engine parts. I'm getting sick of moving them around to get them out of the way. First, does anybody want any of this stuff? Second, please give me permission to throw this shit away with a clear conscience. Oh, and I've got a bunch of junk Guzzi chrome bore cylinders I want to get out of my life.
I got the bike cheap because it had seized from running out of oil. It spun a rod bearing, which ruined that rod. The crank doesn't look too bad, still smooth, but has some heat marks. I don't think I'd use it.
Doorstop, paper weight, change dish, pencil jar, ash tray, or desk lamp. If they aren't usable as motorcycle parts and you can't make one of the aforementioned items with them, then what you're looking at is garbage. Example ripped off from snobum's site:
I've given some of the Aluminum to my neighbor who recycles metals. I also give him copper, brass and bronze from boats. If it is still usable I hang onto it.
I've got three R75/5 carcass engines--and a mess of cylinders, pistons, covers, etc--pretty much complete but look like junk (bought the parts stash of another airhead). I'd get rid of them but too many times I have had an airhead stop by who needs a little part and I have a used one that gets another airhead on down the road. I have to admit to an inordinate amount of satisfaction when I go to my parts stash and have just is needed. That said, I think carrying all this airhead stuff around is a real burden, especially the parts that aren't suitable for reuse. I was going to toss an untitled frame until I read the thread of the guy in Africa who cut up and welded a used junk frame to get him back on the road. Good metal in those airhead frames apparently.
I've got a shed full of unlikely to use parts...and I'm adding to it all the time. When I needed some pannier frames a couple of years ago, I dragged some out that I'd had for over 30 years....glad I kept them. I wish I'd kept some of the stuff I tossed out on the road side in the '70's, guys restoring bikes pay serious money for that now hard to find stuff. Mind you in years to come when we are riding electric bikes a /5 will have no more value than a week old pizza.
I generally save everything I can possibly imagine ever using. Now and then, I get into a purging mood, when I feel like I'm just tripping over shit all the time. My shop is just a fucking disaster right now, with my Guzzi torn down to its elements, woodworking/boatbuilding projects, and the ongoing disaster of living with a 200 year old house. Add to that my 4 and 7 year old kids working on their "projects", and our free-range chickens getting in there and shitting here and there (Oh look, I found an egg!) I've also got a fair bit of crap leftover from an RD350 project. That said, it is immensely satisfying to have on hand what I need to help a friend, or myself.
I haven't had my air head long enough to aquire spare parts. Just give me a little time & I'll build it up. My basement is a mess with spare car parts. I've driven a BMW 635 CSi for around 10 years & will take almost any part I can find. Only 80K were built over 13 yrs & some parts are hard to find. It's basically a 5 series car, but exterior & interior are unique only to the 6. And all the other stuff needed. I like being able to have the part I need without going out to find it. Car parts just take up too much space. I need spares for my R80. And I have had to throw some parts out over the years just because they'd be too much trouble to ship. That's hard to do knowing someone might be able to use it. It's been a couple years since I threw any out because of that. I can't wait until I have spares for my air head. I do all my own work & to me spares are invaluable. I'm able to drive my bimmer & Volvo wagons because of my stash. No one else touchs my machines.
I've been involved with airheads for over 25 years, and have acquired a reasonable stash of spares (which family and a few friends unkindly refer to occasionally as junk) including several spare crankcases, frames, gearboxes etc. This stuff has helped to keep my bikes and those of several friends on the road for a long time now. Ya gotta have "stuff" . . . Also, I have a weakness for BMW E3 cars, known in the USA as a BMW Bavaria. The one in the shed is rustfree and very tidy, patiently awaiting an engine and gearbox swap before returning to service. There's some spares for the E3 sitting on the shelves too. And outside are a pair of rolling E3 bodyshells which are both rotten but with useful bits still attached. Ya gotta have "stuff" . . .
Amen. You're preaching to the wrong choir here. I've got my /5 collection and I'm still lugging parts around for a 43 year old fling with BMW 02 cars. I do need to find a good home for the BMW car parts. Such is life in the Niche World. If you're getting tired of hauling Junque around, find a good home for those babies.... :) --Bill
