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The proverbial barn full of old bikes fable?
- Thread starter gggGary
- Start date
Loosetrucks
XS650 Enthusiast
I don't want to hijack this thread but i just saw an online ad for this lot of bikes for sale near Montreal, no idea about the price though.
tonyc
XS650 Guru
I owned a gt550 like the blue one only I out Strader exhaust system on it. Very, very fast.
it's because they are so ugly, nobody can get rid of them.
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
Like selling a cross-eyed goat. Something just don't look right.
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
Yeah, somebody at Honda's styling department was into a combination of wacky tabaccy and Lucy in the Sky back then. Damn good bikes but so weird looking...
The Com Star wheels were a good idea but again just odd looking.
Add to that the whole 'pushrod Harley engine turned 90 degrees' thing and it's no wonder people looked at them askance.
The Com Star wheels were a good idea but again just odd looking.
Add to that the whole 'pushrod Harley engine turned 90 degrees' thing and it's no wonder people looked at them askance.
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
Somebody mentioned the Suzuki Titan. A girl I dated back high-school-ish had one just like this.
Had a titan back in the day. Hit it hard through the first three gears one night, I'm sure I was over 80 in a 45 zone, then the gum balls came on behind me. Cop had the book out ready to write, then asked how big it was, when I said it's a 500 he kinda lost interest and wandered off. Guess he thought a 500 couldn't be all that fast. 
FB71
Expert Turd Polisher
If anyone would care to donate a CX500 or 650 to me, I'll gladly accept. 
Co-worker has a '72 Suzuki t250 Hustler, mostly restored. Wicked little bike to ride!
Co-worker has a '72 Suzuki t250 Hustler, mostly restored. Wicked little bike to ride!
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
Had a blue Titan like that for a while as a teenager. Smoked more than a Lawn Boy. Didn't know squat about bikes back then. It ended up holding up a poplar tree until it got buried in a private dump.
Cardplayer
XS650 Member
In about 1996, I was 19 and got my endorsement I had about $350 to buy a bike so I was just asking everyone I knew, I just wanted a bike, any bike. I really didn't know shit about bikes and mostly just fantasized about either a brand new Fat Boy or a ZX-7. First bike i tried was a $300 CX and even though it was in great shape and ran smooth and I would have ridden a scooter, for some reason I just couldn't do it, fucker was so ugly. Didn't help that is had a Windjammer fairing the size of a shed. Next bike I tried was a clapped out $375 XS with no mufflers and a broken front brake lever that you could only just get one finger on. Bought that one!
@gggGary , this thread popped up at the bottom of the page while I was reading something else ( I kinda enjoy these random suggestions ) anyways, this was before I ever showed up and the story was left hanging. Did you ever connect with this guy? Did he have anything worth selling? Color me curious.
WOW talk about blast from the past!@gggGary , this thread popped up at the bottom of the page while I was reading something else ( I kinda enjoy these random suggestions ) anyways, this was before I ever showed up and the story was left hanging. Did you ever connect with this guy? Did he have anything worth selling? Color me curious.
Hmm
the KZ1300 guy; I finally found him again, actually tracked down, went to, his place, it was a hoarder situation, the barn was packed FULL, wouldn't have been able to crawl in it. Crap everywhere, dozen's of cats going in out of a hole in the house wall, guy would NOT come to the door, knew he was in there, I even called him while there. Checked up on the place several times over the years while out on rides. Now looks like he's gone, place cleaned up.
The "barn of bikes" I DID get ahold of the owner of that one, it was a MEH, not much of interest, just old rough abandoned street cruisers, sounded both ugly and the guy thought he had gold.
Lotta old bikes have wandered through here since then
I sometimes wonder about the guy I bought "weathervane" my current XS1 from, he had an old inline 4 Indian motor/tranny powering a garden tractor sitting in the weeds.
He had a LOT of stuff sitting in the weeds.
But located out in bumphuk Ia. Too much stuff that's close to me, I have to work (often unsuccessfully) at keeping out of the shed.
Was at an interesting place 20 miles from home YESTERDAY! Pics are only a small sampling of his work.
Known Dave for 30 years, first time I'd been to his place. He's an awesome guy, sculptor, inventor.
Wish I had some pics from inside his workshop! there were well over 100 "iron birds" 'round the place
I may never throw anything away again!
Ha! Well thanks for the recap! I love that guys metal sculptures.
It’s funny, properties like that just don’t seem very common out here in the West. You see a lot of those in the mid West and back East, especially old properties that have been in a family for generations and have acres of land…..and an old barn.
30 years ago I met this smarmy kid who reckoned that he'd talked an old farmer into selling him a '47 Knucklehead for £20.
Bike was hidden away in the proverbial barn on a farm/campsite.
Apparently the old guy asked for £50, but as there were parts missing, the kid told him that he would only offer £20.
And he didn't have the £20 on him either, so he would pay up a week later when he returned with a van.
And that casual unconcerned attitude is probably what got him the bike for £20.
TBH I had him down as being the pub liar, and dismissed the whole story as bull.
Later on I found out he was telling the truth.
That kid is probably a millionaire by now
Bike was hidden away in the proverbial barn on a farm/campsite.
Apparently the old guy asked for £50, but as there were parts missing, the kid told him that he would only offer £20.
And he didn't have the £20 on him either, so he would pay up a week later when he returned with a van.
And that casual unconcerned attitude is probably what got him the bike for £20.
TBH I had him down as being the pub liar, and dismissed the whole story as bull.
Later on I found out he was telling the truth.
That kid is probably a millionaire by now
Splodge
XS650 Enthusiast
I had a Suzuki GT550 about 26 years ago, it was my first big bike after passing my test.
It was a 3 cylinder 2 stroke, I bought it from an advert in a publication called UBG, (Used Bike guide), that we used to get on the newsagents shelves over here in the UK.
It was quite quite an old bike even back then, I bought it as a project, no MOT, tank painted in Cammo needed lots of cosmetic TLC. and new tyres ect. but the engine was a pearl, I repainted it black and gold, it took me about 3 or four weeks to get it buffed up, MOT'd and road legal.
An interesting thing I remember about the oil system was that it had clear plastic pipes with little banjo connectors which carried the 2 stroke oil from the oil pump to the inlets and also through oilways in the crankcase straight to each of the main bearings.
About 1996 I rode it to a Classic bike show at Stanford hall and parked it up with the other Suzuki two strokes, (and an RE5), one of the guys there who came on a GT750, (Kettle), proudly told me the reason that these motors are so smooth is that the Suzuki tripple fires the same amount of times per revoloution as a Honda CBX.
That engine was sublime, turbine like, the bike had previously been fitted with J&R expansion chambers which made an addictive eerie howl when in the powerband, the motor was far too much for the capabilities of the chassis and brakes, it frightend me a couple of times but back then I probably rode her a lot differently to how I would these days.
Shortly after that I got an RD, (RZ), 350 which at the time I thought was better than the Suzuki in every way but today I wish I still had my old Suzy three.
By the way the blue Suzuki in the above picture is I'm pretty sure a Suzuki T500, (2 stroke 500 twin), which is a different beast altogether.
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All of us know of " barn " gems in the rough. I know a retired schoolteacher with nearly 90.... includes his first motorcycle and the only known V twin Thiem. He bought Indian Chiefs back in the day for $200.oo. Barns, garden sheds, garages across the country have buried two-wheel treasure. I put out the word I wanted a military Wla. A buddy of a buddy had one. So, another buddy and I went and eyeballed it. It was " military " at one time... and it hasn't run in years, has many issues.... but it's cool as hell. I passed.. but my buddy scored it.
Problem with " Barn " it has the old man syndrome ..... " I'm a old man with a barn stuffed with motorcycle(s).."... without them... " I'm just a old man with a empty barn.... ".... then there's " I'm going to restore it someday... ".... as for my " barn ".... I gave the other half a list..with the current values .... that way when I get the dirt side view of the grass and all my " friends " visit her... she's prepared... I know of many widows who got taken advantage....
the hunt for the Wla continues....
Problem with " Barn " it has the old man syndrome ..... " I'm a old man with a barn stuffed with motorcycle(s).."... without them... " I'm just a old man with a empty barn.... ".... then there's " I'm going to restore it someday... ".... as for my " barn ".... I gave the other half a list..with the current values .... that way when I get the dirt side view of the grass and all my " friends " visit her... she's prepared... I know of many widows who got taken advantage....
the hunt for the Wla continues....
