So you wanna build a bike, but ain’t got no scratch?

building a bike on limited funds: the long way down

I’ve been thinking about writing this article for a while now. I planned to release it during the winter months, figuring that most people would be too busy riding during the spring and summer to want to build a bike. Also, most of the bike shows are during the warmer months, meaning that you should have your build done well before then instead of procrastinating until a few weeks before a deadline.

Photo/Creative Riding

What I discovered is that for most people, in the USA & Canada at least, the winter months are very costly due to the multitude of spendy holidays like Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, Heritage Day, Islander Day, etc.
Lots of bike budgets are put on hold to divert funds to the corresponding family feasts, spendy presents, and Air BnB fees for hosting your alcohol-fueled bacon-covered taco parties to ring in the New Year.

Turns out it’s also cold as hell during the winter the further north you are. Even too cold for some people to work in their garages, let alone go searching for parts at swap meets. I spoke to a few people this winter who were firing up the propane heaters just to get the garage up to 40° F (4.4° C).

I concluded that there’s no time like the present to start a bike build, or an article on the topic for that matter. So here we go. Keep in mind that I’m not a professional builder, or even a multiple bike builder for that matter.
I’ve built a few bikes, years apart, with limited funds. That’s the audience that I’m hoping to find here. If you’re a man or woman who puts a new bike out every month or even every quarter, then you can help me write an article on how to accomplish that pipe dream. In the meantime here’s my advice and some commentary on advice culled from others.

Photo/Creative Riding

a short speculation on customization

People have been making custom bikes since right after the first bikes hit the road. Most inventions fill a need in the world, but don’t necessarily do it the best for every person or situation. Thus, since the advent of mass production there has also been some level of customization.
Price points and efficiency simply dictate that a “one size fits most” approach must be taken to some degree when pumping out the same machine that is going to be ridden by men & women, racers & commuters, and tall & short riders.

I’m guessing that some of the first components to be customized were seats, handlebars, and springs. Before ergonomic studies, I’m assume that the “volunteers” at the factory dictated the sizing and shape of the motorcycles and bicycles being pumped out.
Seats designed for big flabby asses and the pull back and width of the handlebars may have been some of the reasons for the first customizers to take matters into their own hands – literally (I’m also guessing that most customizers hand-made their replacement parts). The lack of suspension and poor quality of the first roads meant that springs under the seat were probably replaced and customized like today’s shocks and forks. Aerodynamics and the rider triangle would play a part in customization decades later.

diving in head first

Other things that you’ll need besides time, patience, and a cheesy history lesson from someone who just made it up is a bike. Before the tools and workspace, you need your muse. Your calling.
You need to find a bike that fits your budget, and since you ain’t got one, the freer the better. It’s either take that cheesy hunker from your friend’s uncle’s woodpile, or save up for a few months to earn enough dough to start the incessant craigslist stalking.

It’s important to start with something that will ultimately meet your aesthetic and riding needs. So don’t waste time and hard-earned paychecks on a partially-running Honda CL150 for that sweet chopper build that you’re planning on rolling out to Daytona Bike Week. If it’s a cafe racer that you’re going for, you might want to push that XT500 basket case back into the wood pile that you pulled it from… then light it on fire.
On the other hand, if you have a clear vision and determination, you might just be the one to pull of that sweet hybrid that people can’t believe is a such and such from a so and so.

read some articles on the ‘nets

https://axleaddict.com/motorcycles/Build-A-Motorcycle-From-Salvaged-And-Used-Parts

http://www.cycleworld.com/tags/hand-built

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/five-reasons-you-should-build-a-motorcycle