The bike I bought

The Bike I bought...

This summer I searched craigslist for a bike that would be cheap to purchase yet still ran because I didn't want to take on an impossible project. I came across this little beauty

For those of you who can't pick out a Yamaha XS 250 simply from a picture, this is a 1981 Yamaha SR 185 (wait for it...) EXCITER! yes, this bad boy literally has "exciter" in the name. My reference to XS 250 is because I was so blinded by excitement (and the fuzzy pictures on craigslist) I didn't think to question the title of the craigslist posting.

THIS IS A LESSON KIDS: make sure the bike you are buying is actually the bike

Anyhow, I have learned to love my little SR 185. She is a pain to find parts for, but I was able to buy her for $250. The motor runs great, the transmission works well through 3rd gear (lets be real, this bike is held together with duct tape and prayer. I am not chancing anything past 3rd gear), and to get moving I only had to buy a chain. for less than $300 I had a little bike that ran.

I want to be clear. My intention with this bike was not to buy it, modify it, and sell it for a profit. Like college or any other education you receive after high school, you have to pay to learn. I will most likely have $1,000 in a bike that I can sell for $500 on a good day, but I will learn how to build a bike.

Links

Links:

This will be updated all the time, not only am I learning how to build a bike, I am also learning how to write a blog. I will keep the links here to some great sites.

Dan's Motorcycle Repair

 All of you should know this link. If not, it is how I got bit by the bike building bug (either this or the Teutel's). Anyhow, this is the link that made me believe that I could do it.

How to build a seat out of fiberglass

Herm Narciso, Dime City Cycles - Makes a Fiberglass Cafe Racer Seat! - Part 1

Herm Narciso, Dime City Cycles - Makes a Fiberglass Cafe Racer Seat! - Part 2

This is a great how to video. Start here, but don't end here. Read the other posts and my notes. Trust me, this is going to take you a few hours and the extra 20 minutes spent reading will save you hours or anger.

Let me be clear about Herm, he is a badass and unless you have been working with fiberglass for the past 5 years of your life.. YOU AREN'T!

Just wanted to clear that up because I was confused about that when I started this project. I am not saying that you can't make one, I am just saying that if you think you are going to knock this out in 2 hours you are INSANE! I did, I knocked this out in about 3-4 hours. It looked like shit. There are pictures posted, you can make your own determination. I will post more here, but I am just putting the skeleton of this blog together right now so, just understand that this isn't complete yet.

Fiberglass Seat Pan

Just additional information.

Introduction

Hey Guys,


The purpose of my blog is to help the novice do-it-yourselfer build a custom motorcycle. I am in the process of building my first bike, and learning through the school of hard knocks. I have some great links and a little bit of insight on the links. I am one of those people who is ready, shoot, aim. That mentality is burning my time and my money because I have to keep doing things over because I do it wrong the first time. What I am trying to point out in this blog is the subtitles that these GREAT links are glossing over so that hopefully I can help you save some time and cash and you can do it right the first time. I will try to tell you the year in which I am writing and the prices that I paid for everything along the way so that you can decide if you would rather pay someone to do the work for you.