bike slipped right through my fingers...

sum1_special · 04-29-2005, 10:25 PM

this happened a long time ago, but since i cant get it out of my mind i might as well rant about it here.

so I have a friend who has a fairly large property, right. and he has a bad habit of turning the small grassy area behind a barn into a junk yard. he's got old bikes, car parts, boats, and everythink a redneck like him might come across

. well, he managed to get an old, broken down harley davidson for free from one of his friends looking to get rid of it. I drove up one day and showed great interest in the bike, i sat on its old ripped seat, looked it over, and was talking to him about it. when he saw i was interested he offered it to me for nothing. now, this thing looked great in my eyes; ripped leather, broken parts, rust; did not matter to me at all, i could easily fix it up myself for under 50 bucks. i immediately agreed to take it off his hands but seeing as the rear wheel has locked and it didnt run, i told him i'd bring the truck later. later became 2 weeks and when i finally brought the truck around the bike wasnt where it used to be. I asked him where it was and he didn't have a clue, so we went looking for it, spent the whole day looked through the barn, junk yard, dirt track, woods, it wasnt anywhere to be found. at around 6 pm his wife came home from god knows where. guess what? turns out she took it to the junk yard days ago. I explained my situation to the guy working there and.... he wanted $1000 for it

. i was about to strangle the inbred hick bast-ard!!! the guy got it for free from the woman who was with me and he had the nerve to try and rip me off. i wouldn't pay 1400 buicks on that POS if it would actually run! so after yelling at him for 15 minutes I came to the conclusion he was an ignorant prick and left...

man, i still cant believe a free harley just passed right through my fingers, if only i didnt wait so darn long to pick it up i could be riding it right now! now-a-days i cant pass by a motorcycle dealership with out cringing. i cant even stand thinking about it anymore!

anyone else have any similar stories?

rebel727 · 04-29-2005, 11:35 PM

You don't fix anything on a Harley for under 50 bucks LOL!!! I paid 2.000 for a 66 Electra Glide 15 years ago that would start up and run but that was about it. Spent another 900 getting it up and running and that was doing all the work myself. New brakes, carb kit, seat, paint etc. rode it for ten years always improving on it. new rims, spokes, paint etc. I dismantled it completely 3 times in ten years just because I got tired of the paint scheme and or colors and painted everything including color matching the frame. had it appraised at 12.000 ten years later. Got divorced and let it go for 5.000 to keep my ex from getting it. Also had a 48 panhead that sat in a hay field for 20 years or so and had dismantled it and had started back up on it and sold it for 1.000 about the same time. Harley's ain't cheap no matter what shape they're in.

sum1_special · 04-30-2005, 12:36 AM

i loved that motorcycle, but i did not plan on spending money on it. the motorcycle needed a good scrubdown and a new brake cable, and a few cheap parts you can get at a junk yard. total? under $50. my only concern was to get the bike running, i dont care about the ripped seats or rusted, pitted steel. frankly, i think it all adds to the charm.

it was a rat bike, and i planned to keep it that way. but the stupid hick probably sold it already, or crushed it or something. next time I wont let an opportunity like that slip away...

rebel727 · 04-30-2005, 12:38 AM

What model was it?

sum1_special · 04-30-2005, 12:46 AM

at the time, i had no idea. this was really long ago, but from what i recall it was a sportster. i would have rode this thing to hell.

Edit: http://www.ratbike.org/ ok, now i feel like going back to the yard and beating the hell out of that guy. maybe someone nicer works there now, you think the harley is still there somewhere? :lucky:

gunssb · 04-30-2005, 12:52 AM

sucks bro. I'm not much into Harleys but I prefer beat up rides to shiny ones that people buy to look good but won't ride

rebel727 · 04-30-2005, 12:56 AM

nah, it's long gone.

sum1_special · 04-30-2005, 01:06 AM

darn! well, as god as my witness i'm getting another one... a better one, like a softtail or dyna or something. i occasionally see hippies and homeless drifters riding them with what looks like everything they own attached to the bike.

this week i'm going down there to see whats goin' down, maybe find another bike. ever since i met that guy i've never gone down there again...

Gunnie Ed · 04-30-2005, 03:11 AM

make your own, and make it run on whisky.

Thrawn · 04-30-2005, 08:20 PM

Let a sweet Suzuki 1000 slip by, waited too long and someone else bought it.

Would have made a great rat bike.:nod:

sum1_special · 04-30-2005, 08:24 PM

speed demon are ya? :nod:

ah... whisky....

Habakkuk21 · 04-30-2005, 08:45 PM

I had nothing but ratbikes until I bought a new Honda CX500 Custom in 1980. It was great, but it was wierd to get it home and not have anything to fix on it. I was bikeless for about 10 years, then bought another ratbike that had been sitting since 1985. I kept it for 1 1/2 years, then gave it to my son in January. Current rat bike is a 1981 Honda CB 750, with ripped seat, rust, and spiderwebs.

Thrawn · 04-30-2005, 09:06 PM

The Suzuki was a '78 model cruiser. I also had a Honda CB 650 for a little while that I was gonna turn into a chopper, but I ended up selling it to my neighbor.

Snakebite · 04-30-2005, 09:41 PM

Just sold my 79 Suzuki 750 GSE. It was perfect and I did a lot of work on it.
I am selling my street bikes. I love to go fast and accelerate to 60MPH in a few seconds but my brain tells me to stick with 4 wheels.
I wont sell my Honda 200XR but I have a Honda Magna for sale and a 69 CT 90
I love riding!!!!

sum1_special · 05-01-2005, 10:20 PM

hehe, check this bike out! i wonder if it can ride with all that stuff on... :nod:

looks like a military bike...

rebel727 · 05-01-2005, 10:42 PM

Looks like a 40's model Triumph

a_jeepfreak · 05-02-2008, 11:18 PM

i wouldn't let that chance slip by... i just scooped up an ironhead sportster. it looks like someone tried to make it a project bike along the way, and it didn't have a title.... that's about the only improvement i've made is to license the p.o.s.! it's a great time, barely runs, doesn't have 4th gear, seat's torn, paint is nearly there, and if you were to scrape the frame you would see 4 or 5 rebuilds on it. it's a ratbike dream...

toolman · 05-02-2008, 11:51 PM

A friend of mine had a shot at an erly 40's Harley that was given to a teenager in exchange for a bunch of home\yard work. He went to look at the bike and it was hanging up in the rafters of a garage, complete. He offered the kid $100 with the excuse that the front end was bent up (he told me it was just the fender and wheel). Needless to say, the kid wasn't as stupid as my friend thought he was and put it up for sale on eBay. I never heard the final price, but it had reached almost $8000 the last time I saw it in Jan 2001. The dipsh** probably could've offered him $500 and walked away with it, but he got greedy because it was a kid.

rondog · 05-03-2008, 12:52 AM

My first Harley, a '56 panhead that I bought as a basket case in 1975 for $700. This is in '77, in it's second incarnation.

Capt'n Mil Coll · 05-03-2008, 06:59 AM

Isnt that Capt'n America from Easy Rider?

04-29-2005, 10:25 PM	#1
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	bike slipped right through my fingers... this happened a long time ago, but since i cant get it out of my mind i might as well rant about it here. so I have a friend who has a fairly large property, right. and he has a bad habit of turning the small grassy area behind a barn into a junk yard. he's got old bikes, car parts, boats, and everythink a redneck like him might come across . well, he managed to get an old, broken down harley davidson for free from one of his friends looking to get rid of it. I drove up one day and showed great interest in the bike, i sat on its old ripped seat, looked it over, and was talking to him about it. when he saw i was interested he offered it to me for nothing. now, this thing looked great in my eyes; ripped leather, broken parts, rust; did not matter to me at all, i could easily fix it up myself for under 50 bucks. i immediately agreed to take it off his hands but seeing as the rear wheel has locked and it didnt run, i told him i'd bring the truck later. later became 2 weeks and when i finally brought the truck around the bike wasnt where it used to be. I asked him where it was and he didn't have a clue, so we went looking for it, spent the whole day looked through the barn, junk yard, dirt track, woods, it wasnt anywhere to be found. at around 6 pm his wife came home from god knows where. guess what? turns out she took it to the junk yard days ago. I explained my situation to the guy working there and.... he wanted $1000 for it . i was about to strangle the inbred hick bast-ard!!! the guy got it for free from the woman who was with me and he had the nerve to try and rip me off. i wouldn't pay 1400 buicks on that POS if it would actually run! so after yelling at him for 15 minutes I came to the conclusion he was an ignorant prick and left... man, i still cant believe a free harley just passed right through my fingers, if only i didnt wait so darn long to pick it up i could be riding it right now! now-a-days i cant pass by a motorcycle dealership with out cringing. i cant even stand thinking about it anymore! anyone else have any similar stories?

04-29-2005, 11:35 PM	#2
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	You don't fix anything on a Harley for under 50 bucks LOL!!! I paid 2.000 for a 66 Electra Glide 15 years ago that would start up and run but that was about it. Spent another 900 getting it up and running and that was doing all the work myself. New brakes, carb kit, seat, paint etc. rode it for ten years always improving on it. new rims, spokes, paint etc. I dismantled it completely 3 times in ten years just because I got tired of the paint scheme and or colors and painted everything including color matching the frame. had it appraised at 12.000 ten years later. Got divorced and let it go for 5.000 to keep my ex from getting it. Also had a 48 panhead that sat in a hay field for 20 years or so and had dismantled it and had started back up on it and sold it for 1.000 about the same time. Harley's ain't cheap no matter what shape they're in. __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

04-30-2005, 12:38 AM	#4
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	What model was it? __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

04-30-2005, 12:46 AM	#5
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	at the time, i had no idea. this was really long ago, but from what i recall it was a sportster. i would have rode this thing to hell. Edit: http://www.ratbike.org/ ok, now i feel like going back to the yard and beating the hell out of that guy. maybe someone nicer works there now, you think the harley is still there somewhere? :lucky: Last edited by sum1_special; 04-30-2005 at 12:53 AM.

04-30-2005, 12:56 AM	#7
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	nah, it's long gone. __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

04-30-2005, 12:36 AM	#3
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	i loved that motorcycle, but i did not plan on spending money on it. the motorcycle needed a good scrubdown and a new brake cable, and a few cheap parts you can get at a junk yard. total? under $50. my only concern was to get the bike running, i dont care about the ripped seats or rusted, pitted steel. frankly, i think it all adds to the charm. it was a rat bike, and i planned to keep it that way. but the stupid hick probably sold it already, or crushed it or something. next time I wont let an opportunity like that slip away...

04-30-2005, 12:52 AM	#6
gunssb Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: socal Posts: 1,833	sucks bro. I'm not much into Harleys but I prefer beat up rides to shiny ones that people buy to look good but won't ride

04-30-2005, 01:06 AM	#8
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	darn! well, as god as my witness i'm getting another one... a better one, like a softtail or dyna or something. i occasionally see hippies and homeless drifters riding them with what looks like everything they own attached to the bike. this week i'm going down there to see whats goin' down, maybe find another bike. ever since i met that guy i've never gone down there again...

04-30-2005, 03:11 AM	#9
Gunnie Ed Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: three clicks left of center. Posts: 808	make your own, and make it run on whisky. __________________ http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95.../warinmine.gif

04-30-2005, 08:20 PM	#10
Thrawn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Okeefenokee Posts: 1,618 Images: 6	Let a sweet Suzuki 1000 slip by, waited too long and someone else bought it. Would have made a great rat bike.:nod:

04-30-2005, 08:24 PM	#11
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	speed demon are ya? :nod: ah... whisky....

04-30-2005, 08:45 PM	#12
Habakkuk21 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 173	I had nothing but ratbikes until I bought a new Honda CX500 Custom in 1980. It was great, but it was wierd to get it home and not have anything to fix on it. I was bikeless for about 10 years, then bought another ratbike that had been sitting since 1985. I kept it for 1 1/2 years, then gave it to my son in January. Current rat bike is a 1981 Honda CB 750, with ripped seat, rust, and spiderwebs. __________________ Greetings from Woodstock, GA, cultural center of the universe.

04-30-2005, 09:06 PM	#13
Thrawn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Okeefenokee Posts: 1,618 Images: 6	The Suzuki was a '78 model cruiser. I also had a Honda CB 650 for a little while that I was gonna turn into a chopper, but I ended up selling it to my neighbor.

04-30-2005, 09:41 PM	#14
Snakebite Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tucson, Mexico Posts: 1,839	Just sold my 79 Suzuki 750 GSE. It was perfect and I did a lot of work on it. I am selling my street bikes. I love to go fast and accelerate to 60MPH in a few seconds but my brain tells me to stick with 4 wheels. I wont sell my Honda 200XR but I have a Honda Magna for sale and a 69 CT 90 I love riding!!!!

05-01-2005, 10:20 PM	#15
sum1_special Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 165	hehe, check this bike out! i wonder if it can ride with all that stuff on... :nod: looks like a military bike...

05-01-2005, 10:42 PM	#16
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	Looks like a 40's model Triumph __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

05-02-2008, 11:18 PM	#17
a_jeepfreak Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1	old harley ratbike i wouldn't let that chance slip by... i just scooped up an ironhead sportster. it looks like someone tried to make it a project bike along the way, and it didn't have a title.... that's about the only improvement i've made is to license the p.o.s.! it's a great time, barely runs, doesn't have 4th gear, seat's torn, paint is nearly there, and if you were to scrape the frame you would see 4 or 5 rebuilds on it. it's a ratbike dream...

05-02-2008, 11:51 PM	#18
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,582 Blog Entries: 22	A friend of mine had a shot at an erly 40's Harley that was given to a teenager in exchange for a bunch of home\yard work. He went to look at the bike and it was hanging up in the rafters of a garage, complete. He offered the kid $100 with the excuse that the front end was bent up (he told me it was just the fender and wheel). Needless to say, the kid wasn't as stupid as my friend thought he was and put it up for sale on eBay. I never heard the final price, but it had reached almost $8000 the last time I saw it in Jan 2001. The dipsh** probably could've offered him $500 and walked away with it, but he got greedy because it was a kid. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

05-03-2008, 12:52 AM	#19
rondog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Parker, CO Posts: 1,345	My first Harley, a '56 panhead that I bought as a basket case in 1975 for $700. This is in '77, in it's second incarnation. __________________ What she doesn't know about, doesn't piss her off.....

05-03-2008, 06:59 AM	#20
Capt'n Mil Coll Military Rifle Collector Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Right behind you. -NRA Member- Posts: 2,311 Images: 15	Isnt that Capt'n America from Easy Rider? __________________ Let's light this fuse and see what happens!