Is there a beater thread?

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cafe14

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I have seen many super pictures of beautiful bikes that look better than when they came off the showroom floor. Anyone out there that is very happy with their beater?

Mine is an '81 given to me maybe 35 years ago by a friend. He pissed his wife off one day and she took a hammer to it and put sand in the fuel tank. Also, his son was turning 16 and he didn't feel comfortable with him having it.

I absolutely love the bike. It starts well, runs well, and has a great transmission and clutch. I converted it to be somewhat cafe-like, with no mirrors or directionals and a cafe styled seat. The conversion was based on my first bike, a '67 Bonneville.

It has 14k on the clock. I don't wash it, polish it, or otherwise keep up with what used to be it's good looks. I usually change the oil each year, but not always. Winterization is very consistent and thorough, which probably has resulted in the bike being very reliable.

Did I say I really love the bike?:p

Any other similar stories?

Peter

Peter
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cafe14 said:
I have seen many super pictures of beautiful bikes that look better than when they came off the showroom floor. Anyone out there that is very happy with their beater?

Mine is an '81 given to me maybe 35 years ago by a friend. He pissed his wife off one day and she took a hammer to it and put sand in the fuel tank. Also, his son was turning 16 and he didn't feel comfortable with him having it.

I absolutely love the bike. It starts well, runs well, and has a great transmission and clutch. I converted it to be somewhat cafe-like, with no mirrors or directionals and a cafe styled seat. The conversion was based on my first bike, a '67 Bonneville.

It has 14k on the clock. I don't wash it, polish it, or otherwise keep up with what used to be it's good looks. I usually change the oil each year, but not always. Winterization is very consistent and thorough, which probably has resulted in the bike being very reliable.

Did I say I really love the bike?:p

Any other similar stories?

Peter

PeterView attachment 248635View attachment 248636View attachment 248637View attachment 248638View attachment 248639View attachment 248640
Click to expand...
Welcome aboard. There are plenty of people here with bikes similar to yours. We ain't snobs.
 
Understood, Marty.

I was riding my dirtbike on the road one day, and a police officer was unhappy that I was using hand signals. He suggested that I used the blinkers instead. The blinkers on my KXF 250 are about the size of the face of a wrist watch. My 6'5" arms must not have been as good as the blinkers!

I'll continue using my arms.
 
cafe14 said:
Understood, Marty.

I was riding my dirtbike on the road one day, and a police officer was unhappy that I was using hand signals. He suggested that I used the blinkers instead. The blinkers on my KXF 250 are about the size of the face of a wrist watch. My 6'5" arms must not have been as good as the blinkers!

I'll continue using my arms.
Click to expand...
I generally support LEO's, but some of them should be working as poop shoveler's at the zoo.
 
Regarding looks.....
A wise man once posted "we don't care if you ride a toilet, post some pics." , of which you've done without prompting.
Pretty is as pretty does. I must say that seat is sure stylin' for an '81 Special.
Like Mikey said above, a survivor.
Welcome aboard!
 
nj1639 said:
I must say that seat is sure stylin' for an '81 Special.
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Special fans here have to stay on the defensive. There's precious little respect for them. This is my '81 Special. I don't really consider it a beater, but it's no show bike. I'm riding it every chance I get.
1691439987166.png
 
Nearly All my XS were beaters when they got here. Some were when they left too.
I don't have show bikes but have run the full range from pigs ear to silk purse.
this one was dug out of a field. Literally had to dig the tires out of the dirt.
KIMG0040.JPG
My judgement; it was too far gone, motor stuck, parts only.
 
cafe14 said:
I have seen many super pictures of beautiful bikes that look better than when they came off the showroom floor. Anyone out there that is very happy with their beater?

Mine is an '81 given to me maybe 35 years ago by a friend. He pissed his wife off one day and she took a hammer to it and put sand in the fuel tank. Also, his son was turning 16 and he didn't feel comfortable with him having it.

I absolutely love the bike. It starts well, runs well, and has a great transmission and clutch. I converted it to be somewhat cafe-like, with no mirrors or directionals and a cafe styled seat. The conversion was based on my first bike, a '67 Bonneville.

It has 14k on the clock. I don't wash it, polish it, or otherwise keep up with what used to be it's good looks. I usually change the oil each year, but not always. Winterization is very consistent and thorough, which probably has resulted in the bike being very reliable.

Did I say I really love the bike?:p

Any other similar stories?

Peter

PeterView attachment 248635View attachment 248636View attachment 248637View attachment 248638View attachment 248639View attachment 248640
Click to expand...
Lovely!
I don't suppose you have a square & level, side-on photo of the bike do you? I'd love to see the profile of your seat. It looks exactly like the shape I'm aiming for.
 
Sheesh... while there are quite a few extraordinarily well finished bikes on this forum, the ones posted above are hardly beaters, in my estimation! All of you have every reason to be proud of what you have. From this perspective, my 77D is definitely a beater!

As a barn find after 27 years in storage:

IMG_20171024_222339765.jpg

After resuscitation:

005 (2).jpg
 
The dent that was easiest to see was in the front fender. Taking the pics I didn't highlight it. Not sure what kind of hammer. We never really talked about the actual inciDENT much.

When taking the pics tomorrow for robtattoo I will try to zero in on the dents. My friend found out about the sand before he tried starting it so he musta got it all out. The inside of the tank was a mess so I put in some sort of plastic sealer a LONG time ago and it's now falling apart. I should probably try to remove it when winterizing it this fall.
 
cafe14 said:
Marty in Mississippi, so that's what it looked like when new, SWEET!
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It was totaled when it had just 13 miles on it. A friend of mine bought it and fixed it. He bought a genuine Yamaha replacement frame. He put 6000 miles on it, brought it to Georgia from Minnesota and took it apart to build a chopper. Somewhere in there he got the H-D bug and let the Yamaha languish as a pile of parts in the basement. 15 years ago, he gave it to me. It was a father daughter project. She took it home almost done five years ago. Since then, it was in the shed in her backyard in Atlanta. She sent it to me in March. I finished it up.
It may have been a Frost Silver bike. It is now black with purple glass in the paint. The bar is Triumph T140, the seat and side cover badges are 1980 replicas from MikesXS. There is patina on it, but pretty much how it looked in 1981.
 
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