How do you fund your motorcycle build(s)?

shawnkva

XS650 Addict
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Just curious. Here's how I fund mine. I make these and sell them. The proceeds buy the parts that I need. I try not to use money from my paycheck as that is household/family monies. I sell them for $35.00 and they cost me $11.00 to make. It takes a little while to save up for parts but I get there. I used some of my profit yesterday to purchase a scroll saw so I can make more projects to sell.

What do some you do for "play" money?

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What do some you do for "play" money?
I buy/sell/fix up motorcycle parts and aircraft parts here and on Ebay. So far it's fully funded my SG resto. Just started doing rewound alt. rotors.... that will help even more for the next build.
 
Wife and I have, over the years, developed an arrangement. We have "house money" which consists of her Social Security, my Social Security and my Navy Pension. This covers all the usual expenses of being alive: gas, groceries, utilities, insurance, oh shit fund, savings, etc. etc.

Then she has "Her" money which is the token rent her brother pays us to live here, egg money and can recycling money.

And I have "My" money which is anything I make on the side doing tractor work, welding, mechanical work on small engines, odd jobs and running errands for the local builder.

Takes a while for either of us to save up any significant amount of mad money, but when and how we spend it is unrestricted.

Occasionally, one or the other of us will want/need something that we can't quite cover out of our individual cookie jars, and we'll discuss and come to an agreement on how the deficit is funded.

It works for us.
 
My wife says I have too much junk in my garage and doghole, so every so often I have a splurge and cull some stuff I know I’ll never need again. The money goes towards whatever project I’m doing at the time.
You can guarantee the parts/stuff I sold last month will be needed this month.
 
The trick is to buy buy buy motorcycle parts, and worry about funding and budgeting everything else!

If I did that, my wife would sell my bikes. And everything else I own . I'm pretty fortunate right now in being mortgage free. My house is paid for. In wanting to keep that, I tend not to rock the boat too much. Sometime I get a little rambunctious though and test the limits. She wasn't very impressed when I rolled into the driveway with my Virago....
 
What is left of the GI check after paying bills and recycle cans and other metals. It's never enough though. Now if I won PCH sweeps or the lottery....
 
My motorcycle budget is an ongoing turn over of prior motorcycle investment in sorts. Most members who have or do follow my occasional projects which are now on the 4th XS650 standard in about 5 years time,(you all only have seen 3) by now see my motorcycle expense habits.
Being a working "middle class" American in a difficult time to splurge, my own motorcycle habit continues, but is not a priority in my lifestyle. Just good entertainment and personal reward.
That said, I share that there is no real need to have a large budget to enjoy a XS650 project !!
Bikes can be hunted for and purchased for not much money. My own last 79F cost $1300 loaded. After the purchase depending on condition, the choices of parts purchased becomes just that, How much do you choose to invest to get the desired end result ?
Anybody can see that I keep it very simple and low in cost and therefore keep my expectations realistic. A good running hopefully somewhat dependable XS toy to ride and work on is a very realistic end goal on a low budget.
To help with the funding I source used parts almost all locally. To me this is part "of the hunt" which is the most rewarding. I occasionally find extra parts to sell or store until they are used to improve the next XS650. Ive done some of this on my current project XS. That is a strategy ! Keep your parts stash building cheaply when you can. Use your knowledge to find and obtain what you may need. Try to move your unwanted parts on in trade or for some cash too.
I honestly have very little invested in my current 79F project and that is a good enjoyable thing ! As this XS is just part of the ongoing investment in my XS650 habit and there will be some profit soon which will help fund my next XS650 in waiting .
My goal would be to have what I call a "profitable hobby" which is possible with these XS650s !
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I’m an engineering prof but I do Engineerïng consulting on the side and that money funds my hobbies (and my vices).
 
These are all great ideas! It just goes to show, if you get creative (uh, why haven't we been doing this all our lives?), you can do it without using your regular budgeted monies. I used to call it "old money". That is, if I sold something I've had for years, it was purchased with "old money", and I could use it for whatever I wanted. That'll only get you so far... I need to come up with some "new money" quick! :banghead:
 
As long as I'm healthy my normal job pays the bills and the habits. I pick up scrap copper and stainless here and there but that's just for hidey-hole stash lol. I'm very fortunate to work for a company that pays me a year end bonus that's quite generous. this year I bought an Ultra. I figured why just buy one part when I could get the whole thing...
 
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