Motivation.

[DR]

bloody hell!..it takes me 2 years to get the parts together before I even start doing anything..how bout we add a 0 to that Loz and make it 20 years!..more realistic for slow workers like me

[Marc.com]

I must admit Firko the bikes you are attempting are hell time consuming, I can whip up the RM125C in 3 or 4 days in the shop but these 'specials' burn through time like hell.

So 2010 for me is the year of finishing the bikes I have in bits off.

[firko]

I must admit Firko the bikes you are attempting are hell time consuming

And therein lies both the attraction and the problem.  Specials are indeed difficult to build as many of the parts need to be modified or made from scratch which appeals to the hot rodder/boilermaker-welder living inside of me. The finished result is often unlike any other bike and reflects the builders own ideas and individuality while still remaining faithful to history and the rule book. I find it far more satisfying than building a factory correct concourse restoration. I've done a number of them and found the job far more tedious and frustrating because of the anal perfection needed to do it correctly, only to find that once it's finished it's identical to any number of other cookie cutter bikes.  I admire those who have the patience to do it just as the factory intended and appreciate that what they are doing is a good thing. These days however I prefer the individuality and 'artistic' freedom the special offers.

The time problem can't be avoided however. When I retired I figured that I'd enter into a life of shed bliss, creating bike after bike from my spotless and well appointed shed. In reality, the shed has become a cluttered hell hole and my lifestyle has become almost equally as cluttered.  I thought I'd be able to rattle off two or three bikes per year but in reality it's turned to a more realistic one and a half per year. The quicky rebuild on the Cheney has stretched to three years because the interest factor keeps coming and going due to new projects popping up all the time.  As I said earlier, I'll see how I feel about the whole deal at the end of the year and whether I've still got the fire in the belly.  The cull need to happen but what actually goes is the big question.

The list of projects in my previous post is actually only the bikes that have a game plan mapped out for their future. There are a few more that are tucked away in the garden shed or down on the farm that are also awaiting a new life...Most of these will go to new homes....eventually
*Honda XL500S (Was to be a donor bike to a '79 Husky evo bike racer but the project didn't happen)
*Yamaha TY250 (Ex Dave Pinkerton show trick bike, should be on the first list ready for a sympathetic resto)
*Honda XL350 roller (420 Yoshimura equipped engine donated to a mate for a project but never used, I'll get it back
*DT2 Yamaha (bought on a whim for the Bassani pipe and MX250 wheels. Never even touched)
*Jawa 894 4v speedway bike (Should also be on the 1st list, was destined to hang on the rumpus room wall but couldn't obtain permission from management.
*

Ironically, I've got a big admiration of Harry Hindalls creations, owning two. Just last week Bob Neilson offered me first dibs on Harrys personal DT1 Hindall and I've agreed to buy it, although no money has changed hands as yet.

[TT]

Maybe you should invite Doc around for a weekend......... 

btw You can't turn down Hindall's DT1.............. surely.............. 

[090]

I have been into it for coming up to four years. I certainly jumped into the deep end and bought heaps of 'potentials'. Lately I have resisted the temptation to buy more as there are still quite a few in line for resto's , not to mention all of the prep needed for the large amount I actually ride. When I have had a gut full (end of last year and taking a month to wash the bikes from the last outing), eventually the fire comes back and I'm into it again. During the chrissy break I have made some good ground and feel all warm and fuzzy. For me the race prep is the hardest to cope with as after the next time you ride it, you have to start all over. But its a price I am willing to pay for the fun factor!
I only hope that it takes me another 40 years or so like some, before I start questioning my enthusiasm !

[paul]

its 40 something degrees ive got no motivation either .walked into the garage and walked back inside to the air con ,i wish winter would hury up then i can go to the garage put the heater on and potter about on maico stuff

[Marc.com]

its 40 something degrees ive got no motivation either .walked into the garage and walked back inside to the air con ,i wish winter would hury up then i can go to the garage put the heater on and potter about on maico stuff

Its about 8 degrees here today, had a day in shop with the heater on.  with global warming I think you would be better off in Tassie.

Yeah I hit the wall mostly fitting steering heads and swingarms, my resources are limited to a lathe. Getting things like powder coating done in Japan is crazy expensive and complicated.

[firko]

its 40 something degrees ive got no motivation either .walked into the garage and walked back inside to the air con

One of the smartest things I've done is install air conditioning in my garage. My Aunty Judith had fitted ducted air to her house and donated her old Panasonic air conditioning unit to my shed. The cool working conditions prompted a mate to do the same and he picked up a beut Mitsubishi unit on eBay for the cost of a carton of piss. The beauty is that they double as a heater in winter, a win win situation.

Has this thread swayed sideways just a little bit? 

[TM BILL]

Quite a stock list you have there, Firko, and indeed Paul, but if other posters are worried about the future of vmx, and yet have 60-odd bikes in the shed, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM !! Get rid of them to prospective vmxers, and we can all go riding... Sheesh...

Shit too easy  why didn't i think of that    send a cheque and an address where you want your container dropped off 

[bigk]

OK, I seem to be suffering from some serious lack of motivation although not from VMX. Having a seriously ill family member has definately impacted on my psyche. I no longer want to do the mundane, boring everyday things that we need to do, and actual work (the work that pays the bills) has become a real bugbear chore for me, (other than the VMX work). I find myself asking the question why an awful lot, and I certainly can no longer suffer fools.I've become selfish in a non selfish sort of way if that makes any sense. I only want to do fun things and live life as fast and full as I possibly can. I'm up at 6.00am and not in bed till after 12.00pm most days. The "rules" at our house have become very lax (there are too many "rules" in life). I've placed myself on a tough fitness regime, (lost 15kg, maybe gone too far), and have been looking at getting back to the things of my youth, SCUBA etc. VMX is a part of that and I'm looking forward to a fun season ahead without any politics or BS. Part of this has seen me decide to sell of a few of the collectable bikes and concentrate on the one's I want to ride and those I just like. Building trick bikes for clients is probably the only work I enjoy at the moment. If I could I'd abandon the ratrace, but alas like most I'm a prisoner. The old bikes and VMX fun is my respite. Long live VMX.
Cheers,
K

[Lozza]

Learning something new like CAD/CNC can take some of the mundane work away. I recenlty converted from cutting cones by hand to laser cuttting, which just requires some new skills.This just replaces the former mundane task, that lets me do something else which,I find is more mentaly stimulating.

Jeez 20yrs Doc no wonder used Suzuki bits are so expensive

[Marc.com]

The old bikes and VMX fun is my respite. Long live VMX.
Cheers,
K

Nice going on the 15kgs Michael, that shows a great deal of motivation....Best regards Marc

[firko]

Listen to you all, the trouble is that you have too many bikes that need repairing, at the end of the day, one or two bikes is all you need, vintage scrambler so you can race with and mix it up with your mates and be part of it, the second choice is a trials bike or enduro bike, road racer for etc, or may be a fishing boat just to do something different. I have be an owner lots of bikes and the shed was full, only own two, the dot, and the other being sold, l will replace it with a enduro or trials bike so that l can enjoy other area and meet new poeple, Clean your shed out and you will feel better, and have cash in your pocket. then with one bike you won`t hesitate in spending money on it, once it completed enjoy the ride. Help someone else out with a bike, so he can grow with the sport, who knows he may end up being a good mate. 

Two bikes? I don't think so.

[paul]

mmmm me either

[frostype400]

I hear what your saying with two bikes. I have had more than two since I was 8 years old and I don't look at it as a greedy thing that is my hobby and I enjoy every part of owning motorbikes.

I sometimes think if I sell this and that and I could do this but I really just like the whole owning restoring and riding if I find one bike that I dont enjoy I will sell it straight away.

I haven't found the one I don't like yet I wish I was born earlier then my collection would be huge and I could own some bikes I can't afford to at the moment like the elusive TM400 and I would love a RM500 but you never know.

There is a difference between needs and wants I would like a lot of stuff and becuase I am prepared to work I can eventually get things but you could say I don't need every thing in my shed but I use it all and enjoy all the fun of owning the bikes.