Recommended Project bike........

[buck243]

I'm after some opinions from some experienced people......

What would be a good bike for a Garage rebuild/ customize 

I want to tinker but want to leave the new monster as is..

[Buckethead]

What sort of thing are you looking to build?

I'm partial to "cafe racers."

Old-school Hondas lend themselves to this. They're easy to work on, parts are readily available, and chances are you won't have to "trailblaze" a build as someone's likely done most of what you're looking to do.

I've seen some "cafe'd" BMW airheads that were really well done. Depending on how in-depth you want to get, and how much performance you're looking for, this route can range from "low-mid" to "small house" price.

Maybe a motard? Lots of parts available, easy to work on, ugly as hell, but fun to ride.

I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to help you out, but we need SOME kind of direction.

[The Don]

I don't have experience but, if i could I would have a Guzzi T3, beautiful Italian machinery. Though trying to get parts may be a problem.

[mattyvas]

That's a pretty open question Buck.

What budget
What brand
What style
What size
What do you want to do with it

Lots of things for people to suggest but they all might be something you don't like.
A cafe bike is nice thing to tuner with.
As is an old Guzzi as suggested.
You could do a Vinduro or  Vin motocross.
You could build an old single or a bevel.

I've just spent about 10k to $40k for you there on some of those
Or you could do it for $5k and about a million man hours depending on your skill etc.

If it was me I'd be building an old Guzzi and cursing finding parts for a zillion bucks that are a zillion year old.

[loony888]

i was looking at all sorts of stuff, i had in mind an old sportster, then i was going to buy a custom frame and build what i wanted, then it was going to be a late R6 crash resurection for a track bike, i thought very seriously about an aprilia RS250 or an RGV (Pepsi) then thought about a honda RS250, again for a track bike but couldn't find one. i eventually got a mates KTM superduke with a blown engine for 2k, it's been fun but if you think ducati spares are exorbitant???
usually if you're open minded about what's around you can find something cool for not much, if you have your heart set on a 750 GT for example you're going to pay! i looked for a 350/450 RT scrambler for a while too but people want silly money!
I think i'm going to do a CB250RS next, dunno why, just want to do one of those up.

paul.

[brad black]

you can get most parts for older guzzis no problem, except for things like distributor internals after you throw away the lucas and try to fit a dyna.  and bits can be expensive if you're not used to non jap stuff.  they can be painful to work on though - the clutch or a rear main is a few to several hours away.  similar to a bmw really, i'd go the old guzzi personally in that comparison.

pick a budget that you can afford, then triple it and add 10% for incidentals.  if that number doesn't scare you, go ahead.

if you want older stuff look for things that are well supported.  no point getting into bridgestone twins sort of thing.  lots of things to choose from, just need some sort of direction.  personally i'd like a collection of f/g/h model gsxr 750 and a red/white k or l model (forget which it is now), but i don't even have the time to work on the bikes i have and i never ride them anyway.

[buck243]

I suppose I was a tad open with the question.......Sorry about that.....

I was thinking Ducati.........Not sure what but don't want expensive fairing to play with so that will be a limit....

Dollars on initial buy would be $5k tops.

Work will be in house so time frame is open ended.

Size wise is open and usage would be for on road play.

Open for suggestions 

[Wells]

pick a budget that you can afford, then triple it and add 10% for incidentals.  if that number doesn't scare you, go ahead.

[Twizted]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Ducati-750-monster-/320685562021?pt=AU_Motorcycles&hash=item4aaa5958a5

[Nomad]

I have zero previous mechanical experience and have done everything except tear apart the engine on my 96 M900.  Everything I did, including changing the oil was a first time thing for me.  And I have managed to put it back together well enough that it has yet to kill me through mechanical failure.  You can easiy have an early model monster for under 5k, with money to spare.
Obviously I have nothing to compare the experience to, but for your price range and ease of work, couldn't go wrong with an M900.

[tricolore]

M900 or s4 (I prefer dry clutches) Cheaper plus heaps of parts. You will get some great inspiration here...
or Bevel, basket cases come up now and then, you'll pick up an old GT but will cost you more (trust me I know) to fix up.

[cabron]

Start with something partly/ half decent, otherwise you will spend all your time and money just getting back to scratch, unless of course you get something for absolutely nothing and are happy to spend the hours and $$..


If you actually want to ride it, and it's not a show-off 5 minute joyride to get breakfast on Saturday, once every month sort of bike, start with a bike that's got some class and attitude is my 2 cent..

Remember to post some pictures of the build.