Thinning the Vintage herd.....

[Gham]

I just pulled a 1979 Yamaha XS650 out of my shed and into the garage to dust off and sell.
It took a little work but once I got it fired up and running smooth it all came back to me what I loved about this bike.I'm not so sure I can part with it now.

[Bloodweiser]

I have to sell bikes.
Still never had a garage.

I can fit 3 in various parts of my house;
so whenever I get the itch,
something has to go.

[Wirespokes]

Originally Posted by Gham

I just pulled a 1979 Yamaha XS650 out of my shed and into the garage to dust off and sell.
It took a little work but once I got it fired up and running smooth it all came back to me what I loved about this bike.I'm not so sure I can part with it now.

EXACTLY!

The ones that don't jerk my chain, move on. But the future projects, the ones I've ridden or have history with and love, that's a whole different story!

I don't see myself making much money fixing them up and selling, so the monetary aspect isn't it. But the space is. The big difficulty is there are a couple bikes I really want, but don't have the space, or the cash. Good thing is I could sell a couple bikes to make room and the cash, but can't decide which I'd be willing to let go. And then it's making the time to spiff them all up to make them saleable, at which time - I fall in love all over again...

It's a vicious cycle!

[Mista Vern]

Originally Posted by harry backer

i sell them from time to time. Life is to short for just one bike. I am going to ride as many diferent ones as i can before i die.

+1

[Rightshiftrick]

I've sold a number of them over the years. Each one hurts a bit to let go at first, but was the right move in the end.

The Norton and BMW would be the hardest, and it would have to be for something major that I would let them go. My Commando was my first bike, and still a favorite to ride. The BMW I brought back after it sat for 10 years. I've had it for about 8 years now and It has taken me on many long trips. I've finally got it set up how I want it as a runner. To think I almost sold it instead of my Ducati a few years ago.

[dorkpunch]

I thin the heard every now and then... When I hit 40 bikes stuffed in the garage my wife convinced me that it was time. I managed to get it down and keep it between 5 and 10 bikes now, with maybe a couple of parts bikes kicking around. Not that I can even afford to work on all my bikes... Current "plan" is two riders, one project, and I think i have 4 projects in waiting...

[drhach]

I'm going through the same thing. It's like picking which kid to give up for adoption; not really, but it's still a hard choice. I have a one car garage and three bikes competing for space with all of life's other acessories. I had four at one time. I have conceded that 3 is the upper limit, but I so want other bikes, I just don't want to let these go. I have had the conversation with myself and I think I know which one would go if I had to "do the deed", still, it wouldn't be easy. When I sold my DR650 I didn't miss it all that much, but now sometimes I find myself thinking how cool it would be to have a DR650, the same goes for the panhead, not so much for some of the others (yet). That's just the bikes I've already owned. Then there're the ones I've yet to own. I have ot put it all in perspective, somewhere there's a guy wishing he had one bike and he would kill for my problems.

[Gham]

Originally Posted by drhach

somewhere there's a guy wishing he had one bike and he would kill for my problems.

Boy ain't that the damn truth!!!!

I remember those days well

[vintagetour]

When your restorations are riders you find yourself telling your buddies " I'd like to go ride but I have oil to change, valves to set, tires to change......" Then I know it may be time to thin out the stable. If I sell one now, then 3 years from now that will be the one that doubled in price. And when a good deal on a project comes along I know they don't go on sale every year like K-Mart so I make room for one more. What to do, What to do! I'm just gonna sell the wife's Ducati. She'll never miss it

[El Duque]

I wasn't going to sell my 75 goldwing (first year). I was going to sell the other 3 and keep it.

classic bike

but I didn't really warm up to it. So, when I saw a guy on one of the GL forums looking to buy a 75 or 76 I clicked on the thread.

I thought.....probably on the east coast. Nope.

About 1/2hr ride apart.

I decided on a fair price... He came / looked at it and handed me a cashiers check - made out to my screen name ! Doh!

He couldn't get $ yesterday or today so It ain't sold yet!

[jcf]

Originally Posted by drhach

I'm going through the same thing . I have a one car garage and three bikes competing for space with all of life's other acessories. I had four at one time. I have conceded that 3 is the upper limit. I have ot put it all in perspective, somewhere there's a guy wishing he had one bike and he would kill for my problems.

Three, plus one being put back together , oh, and an old car, and a bunch of surfboards.....

The thing that brings me to the edge of letting something go is having to re arrange the garage every time I want to use one or another of them.
- and then there was the time the BMW started to lean into the car as I was re-arranging the toys and never have I appreciated the design of the /2 motor more as when the head bumped into the tire of the car.

[earlyWiz]

The surprise one can experience when change bursts onto the scene is disquieting. It won't matter to one individual that another has possibly forfeited much more.I am now in the grumpy stage of realizing that I have reached a "burned-out" point of my life since falling over in the shop. For the several weeks now, I have wrestled with what I am going to part with, as opposed to just what I am even interested in working on further. For the greater part, my problem, whilst irritating, is not the same as of those whose lives are altered by serious personal catastrophy. Nevertheless, it irritates me most when I go out to the shop.
This morning the choices are clearer. Everything goes, Aermacchi, sidecar, UNISPORT, Yamaha 750, MGB; and I go land-sailing, or gardening, or anything that doesn't make me feel like I am experiencing self-pity. I am still irritated however.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...ight=aermacchi