HL500

[Nathan S]

Firko/Marc, its more about the number of bikes that don’t get rebuilt because the seat/tank have gone, and are so expensive (relative to the rest of the bike).

The old YZ style plastic tanks aren't what I was talking about - nobody is going to fit daggy old deal like that onto a bike that they've lovingly built ( or rebuilt, if we're talking about YZ125s).

Complete bikes are regularly dismantled and listed on ebay as parts, i don't think they just sell the seat and tank and then say shit what are we gonna do with the rest of this thing

My point entirely. Many of those YZs would have been rebuilt rather than wrecked, if the demand for the tanks (and the price) wasn't greatly increased by the HL builders.

[HL500]

I brought my tank for $80 on ebay???

[Nathan S]

Cool. I'll take as many good tanks as you can supply, for $160 each...

[mx250]

...because you can 

Viva la difference 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksdBSVAM6g&feature=player_embedded#at=166

[firko]

My mate bought one for $30 at the Goulburn swap meet a couple of years ago so they're not that expensive or rare. Picking on maybe 10 or 12 HL owners for destroying the whole YZ125 C/X restoration industry is a bit of a stretch. For every HL built a tank must have been sourced so let's say hypothetically that GMC has sold 30 HL's for local consumption and assuming that 10 of those owners bought their tanks from eBay USA that leaves 20 tanks bought locally. Compare that to the number of YZ125 C/X's sold new and you'll see that the HL industry hasn't put as much a dent in the YZ's survival rate as natural attrition and the metal recyclers.
You could say the same about the number of XT Yamahas that lost their engines to the cause or the number of Triumph Bonnevilles that donated their engines to a Metisse or Cheney. How many of us have dismantled a parts bike to create our resto? A good many including you I bet Nathan. It's the way the system works, for the strong to survive, the weak must often be sacrificed. A much bigger and more annoying extreme is the perfectly good and restorable bikes our friends in the USA dismantle to sell off as parts? It's sad but it also lets us have access to parts we'd otherwise never be able to find.

[Marc.com]

Yeah i have generally paid $80 and had 6 or 7 over the years.

I am still convinced you could do HL rep at a reasonable price with a bit of luck. I scored almost zero hour SR miotor for $150 ..... exhaust and carb were about $200 each, I got Husky frame for $80, I still believe in the sub $5000 HL 500 rep

Wheres Ola when I need him

[Freakshow]

Its still only a 4 banger..................

The HP to weight ratio for the 1970 YZ Yamaha at 40 HP and 189 lbs = 1 HP for every 4.75 lbs.
In comparison the 2007 Yamaha YZF 450 at 220 lbs and 50 HP = 1 HP for every 4.4 lbs.
Matching size to size the 2007 Yamaha YZ 250F at 204 lbs and 30 HP = 1 HP for every 6.8 lbs.

So after almost 40 years hardly any improvement even with an engine almost twice the size in the go fast kick in the pants category.

end post  :O)

[firko]

Chris my mate that's building an HL originally started the project using a '76 Husky CR360 frame. He adapted '78 KX Kawasaki 38mm forks, a Suzuki RM/C alloy swingarm and the wheels from the donor Kawasaki. He wasn't so much building an HL as a TT500 powered Husky. He's since had a change of direction and bought a GMC frame and is building a circa '77 era HL. The Husky roller was offered to me the other week and I initially said I'd take it but I've since realised I can't keep building these things...I've got no more room, so he's passed it on to his bro who is toying with building a replica of that original Aberg test mule. That'll make two in the family....cool.

[mx250]

So after almost 40 years hardly any improvement even with an engine almost twice the size in the go fast kick in the pants category.

All that proves is the numbers lie

[Marc.com]

Can we have a photo tour of your garage/museum/warehouse Marc! It must rival the Smithsonian  .

Unfortunately the Smithsonian is scattered over about 6 different institutes, but will rectify that next year.

[JohnnyO]

Complete bikes are regularly dismantled and listed on ebay as parts, i don't think they just sell the seat and tank and then say shit what are we gonna do with the rest of this thing

My point entirely. Many of those YZs would have been rebuilt rather than wrecked, if the demand for the tanks (and the price) wasn't greatly increased by the HL builders.

The demand for parts for all old bikes is big enough that they strip anything and everything in the US. Get on Ebay and have a look, it has nothing to do with building HL's or any other special.
Anytime i need parts for my bikes i go shopping on US Ebay and usually find what i need and in good condition because it came from a good running bike.

[TM BILL]

Chris my mate that's building an HL originally started the project using a '76 Husky CR360 frame. He adapted '78 KX Kawasaki 38mm forks, a Suzuki RM/C alloy swingarm and the wheels from the donor Kawasaki. He wasn't so much building an HL as a TT500 powered Husky. He's since had a change of direction and bought a GMC frame and is building a circa '77 era HL. The Husky roller was offered to me the other week and I initially said I'd take it but I've since realised I can't keep building these things...I've got no more room, so he's passed it on to his bro who is toying with building a replica of that original Aberg test mule. That'll make two in the family....cool.

Firko tell me your mate didn't carve up an A4 KX to build whatever hes building 

[crash n bern]

Yeah i have generally paid $80 and had 6 or 7 over the years.

I am still convinced you could do HL rep at a reasonable price with a bit of luck. I scored almost zero hour SR miotor for $150 ..... exhaust and carb were about $200 each, I got Husky frame for $80, I still believe in the sub $5000 HL 500 rep

I'm all about building bikes with the lowest dollar being the challenge.  I built a '96 S&S stroker Pan/shovel chopper once for $7,500.  Most of the parts came out of the scrap metal bin at the local Harley shop.  Built a '80 Harley Sturgis up for $4,500 sold it for $9,000 and built a 5 car brick garage (ex 4th generation brikie) on my land for the $9,000 that included all permits, water tanks, power earth works the lot. In reality it cost me $4,500. I measured a Cadillac and built it big enough to take 5 with room to walk around each one plus 9 foot ceilings.  The young family that bought it off me converted it into a comfortable house.  They had a building inspection done before they bought it and their building inspector said he doesn't come across too many place built this strong.
But I'm getting off topic, the point is a sub $5,000 replica HL replica should be easy. You need to do it to balance out the bikes that blow the budget. You need to always keep the build under the market value of the bike, labour not include because it's love and you'll only be watching TV instead.

[Marc.com]

I'm all about building bikes with the lowest dollar being the challenge.  I built a '96 S&S stroker Pan/shovel chopper once for $7,500.  Most of the parts came out of the scrap metal bin at the local Harley shop.  But I'm getting off topic, the point is a sub $5,000 replica HL replica should be easy. You need to do it to balance out the bikes that blow the budget.

Me too, did my twin cam bike off ebay for about NZD 8k .... it features 100 cube Axtel barrels and ported heads etc etc, it is built tough like an HL.

[firko]

Firko tell me your mate didn't carve up an A4 KX to build whatever hes building

I got it wrong Bill..Ijust got off the phone with him, it was a rough old KX125, the first of the Uni-Trak bikes, possibly '79? The bike was a shagged old rolling frame but the forks and wheels were pretty good.