My "dirtbike" I ran for two summers around the age of 13. Stored after allowing the cam chain to wear a hole in the head. Pulled back out to restore 10 years later. The engine was in a pile of parts in my parents basement. Today
Yep, but it was only $350 and it came with a nice set of Krausers! It had been sitting for a couple years in an open sided garage in Puna. Somebody had taken the time to at least drain the bowls. New oil, new gas, new filters and a battery and it started right up! No smoke, no rattles and it settled into a good idle. The clutch was stuck, but a couple bumps freed it up. The bad; transmission had water and copius swarf in it. It's still running though!
Few years ago, I was offered an R65 mono shock bike on the Oregon Coast. It had been under blue tarp for ten years outside. There were things growing out of the alloy. Shuddered to think how it looked on the inside. Guy wanted 2,000.00. I laughed and said 500.00 was too much. I walked away sadly shaking my head.
This ural looks neglected... This is its sidecar. I tried to buy this. Price was negotiable, but still too much...
Here's a neglected Can-Am that I found and restored: Before After: And a write up on what it took to bring it back: http://webhost.allcom.net/~zig06/Can-Am_Restoration.html
Ok I have the mother of all neglected bikes!! This is the famous Harley that washed up on our shores here a couple of years ago from Japan.
I have no photo's of my own sins, but I once bumped into a salesman who'd sold me the bike I was riding at the time. He says "Brian you don't wash your bike very often do you?". My reply: "Ziggy, like all salesman you use too many words. You would be corrent to say You don't wash your bike". Keep the pictures coming.... Cheers Brian L
So what finally happen with this bike?? I heard two stores, one was that someone restored it and send it back and another one went something along the lines of HD just giving the guy in Japan a new Harley.
From what I've read, the bike was being stored (in Japan) in the box that was removed from a delivery truck when the tsunami hit. The box was washed out to sea and bobbed about until it came ashore on one of the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. The registration tracked down the owner in Japan. The owner refused to take the bike back as it would be too expensive to ship back to Japan, the bike was trash anyway. Harley Davidson gave the old owner a brand new bike in exchange for the rusted hulk. Harley then displayed the bike just to show how it survived.
To every one of my friends who refer to my V Strom as The Boat Anchor, I'm going to refer them to your post.
I think Harley was going to restore it for him but knew it would not work so they offered him a new one, which he refused because it would bring up to many bad memories. And yes. it is currently in Milwaukie.
