| The existance of Dave's bike is quite amazing. Heres the story. A large motorcycle dealership went bankrupt. This place (the late Daytona Motorsports) sold all of the four japanese makes, and various used bikes. They had a bit of everything, from dirt and street bikes to jet skis. Anyway they went out of business and everything was on sale. The accesories, like jackets and gloves etc sold first and very fast. A month later at a friends house, Dave was talking about how he wanted a bike. I told him that Daytona was going out of business and that you might be able to build a bike. What we did not know about Daytona before was that there were about 6 huge tents and trailers full of used parts, mostly from wrecked bikes. You could have made about fifty cruisers for about $300 canadian each. Dave does not want a cruiser though, he wants a super bike. So the next day we go to daytona, after being there already and seeing all of the parts, we decide that the easiest bike to build would be a honda cbr600 f2, because there were the most parts for that bike. After looking around for a bit, we find two frames. Both have been outside for who knows how long and both a little rusty and dirty. We drop them off the scafolding that they were on and take a look. NOt bad. Right beside them is a cbr 900 fireblade frame which catches Dave's eye. NOt only is there a frame but the motor is mounted also. Dave really wants the fireblade but the engine is almost certainly seized, being that the cylinder heads are exposed, covered in rust and full of leaves and dirt. After whinning for about half an hour we convince him that we will never get that thing running, and Dave gives the go-ahead on the cbr600. After spending 8 hours rumaging through bike parts, we leave with a really great pile of shit, and the prices were amazing. We could not have had better luck. There was ONE cbr600 engine in the whole place ($100), full titanium exhaust system (i think it was $40), side fairings, full tail assembly, forks from an old hurricane, a front rim from a VFR, and the rear rim was on the frame. That night some major cleaning took place, since all the parts had been sitting for god knows how long. The frame was quikly freed of all debris and the motor went in that night. Shitty bolts that did not fit were used to hold the engine in place. As we gazed upon our new friend we were in desbelief. Over the next few days more trips were made to daytona as we were discovering what parts we needed. A radiator from an old hurricane should work, ignition, carbs etc... The carbs were found in a box labeled f2 and were brand fuckin new ($10) ya thats right $10. Things were really starting to come together, we got a battery and some new tires, $80 for rear and $60 for fronts. Just five days from when we started the bike itself was turned on for the first time. Everyones eyes bigger than ever, could there be anything better to build than a super bike, I DONT THINK SO. It was a complete shock to see the engine turn on, from garbage to gold in five days. There was still no throttle or proper front forks. So were took the stuff that didn't work to another wrecker and were able to trade for the right ones (after paying a bit more). After rushing back to the garage, the new parts were mounted and it looked like a real bike for the first time. The look on Dave's face as he rode for the first time was one of pure enjoyment. A smile from ear to ear was on everyone there. Even though it was running the engine seemed bogged down, and had almost no power. We did not know if it was because the carbs were not synced or the valve timing or whatever else , (none of us have ever built a bike before).. After switching the leads on the distributer, Dave found himself with enough power to wheelie, which he does all the time now. You'd think a junkyard bike would look like a piece of shit, but no way. Its fuckin, thats right fucking amazing how fucking good this bike looks. Now a couple of months later the only concerns are the front fairing and head light assembly, as well as a paint job. After riding this bike many times I think its safe to say that this thing is damn fast, as fast as it would be had we bought a '92 cbr in the buy&sell.The total cost so far $1300.00 If Dave was ever dumb enough to sell this thing it would be worth at least $3500.00. But this home built will never leave my grasp for the rest of my life. |
