A blog for us cold weather Upstate NY Cafe guys. Your not the only one crouched down working on your bike in February, with the smallest of electric heaters blowing on your frozen fingers! Join the group, bench race, find parts, get help and meet some new riding buddies.
Hey guys. I'm looking to Get into cafe's. I'm not opposed to buying a bike that's already built but I'd love to find something that I could build on my own. I just recently moved to Albany and I'm looking to meet some new people and make some friends. It seems like a good group of guys here so far. Let me know what you might have. I'm open to anything really, I'm just looking for Anglos base bike for a cafe. Any ideas or opinions/suggestions ate greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys,
-Dennis
I'm just looking for a good* base is what I meant. Not Anglos base. Stupid auto correct.
ReplyDeleteHey Dennis, I guess the first question would be how are you at fixing bikes? There are some good finds for a few hundred $$ if you can do the work. If not, the 80's Japanese bikes are really reasonable and you can find a runner fairly inexpensive.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up a 77 XS650... it needs a TONNE of help being brought back to life, then to the Cafe'...
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ReplyDeleteO yeah, I almost forgot, nothing wrong with that Anglos base comment, Lots of Britbikes in my stable ;)
ReplyDeleteWhere's the best place to buy tires?
ReplyDeleteDennis Kirk usually has some decent pricing, and I think Competition Accessories always has something on sale. personally I'm a big fan of Avons ;)
ReplyDeleteHey im just getting started in the world of cafe build myself i hit craigslist up daily looking for a bike i find alot without titles and i was wondering is there any advice on how to go about getting a title for a bike or is it near impossible? with a vin can I call the dmv and find out last owner and see if it matches the current seller?
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, welcome! Yes there are a bunch of great deals with no titles. Older bikes 71 and lower only require a transferable registration in NY. So if it's currently registered you're in luck. If it's newer you'll have to use a service online to obtain a title from another state. I know Alabama is one, Maine, and NH also I believe.
ReplyDeleteThere are also folks selling frames with titles on flea bay for about $150 - $200, that may be another route.
Or just keep your eyes open, every now and then one pops up and it's got all the legal goodies you need. Like my dream barge CSR 1000!
Thanks! can you link me the site that explains this outta state business? or shed some more light? I just feel really skeptical buying anything without a title
ReplyDeleteThese guys have been around for a while, I've never used them but have been tempted. Once you see the pricing you may want to wait until you find something with the proper papers
ReplyDeletehttp://www.broadwaytitle.com/
yea that price hurts..haha ill keep looking! Thanks again for the help ill post if i grab something.
ReplyDeleteI've used international title service in the past. I think it was about $75 for a bike title but that was a few years ago, prolly a bit more now.
ReplyDeletehey guys was think of picking this up for first cafe build think this would be a good one?
ReplyDeletehttp://syracuse.craigslist.org/mcy/2443052772.html
Looks good, check the paper work, gas tank innards, tires, etc. I may have a deal coming on a 1980 yamaha virago for about $400 but it's not definite how much of a hurry are you in to get a bike?
ReplyDeleteI misspoke it's a maxim 650
ReplyDeleteim not in to much of a hurry i want to get the right bike something i am pumped about
ReplyDeleteThis just in, I contacted a "scrapper" who gets bikes once in a while. He said he would let me know what he picked up. I'll pass the word around for those of you need odd parts.
ReplyDeleteHey Ian there is a guy in Salem Ny with a bunch of bikes cheap, one is a GS 550 for $600, he's on the vt craigslist
ReplyDeleteI cant find him any way to hit me with a link or two?
ReplyDeleteJust search for Salem ny on the vt cl
ReplyDeleteHey the folks, maybe you already know this but when looking on craigslist try searchtempest.com It will search all of craigslist within a radius of miles of whatever city or zipcode you enter.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are plenty of others that will work but this one works pretty good.
JN
Hey I bought a 1978 gs 550 took tank off and removed pet i see some very light surface rust new to bikes is this a huge deal or typical? also all the tanks i find on ebay are way worse than mine its not flaking off its very very light what should I do?
ReplyDeleteNICE shoot a pix of the tank inards, let us take a look
ReplyDeleteIf it's just surface rust and seems to wipe out with your finger it's no biggie. Just rinse the tank out and you'll be good to go. If it's a little heavier than than, drain the tank, tape off the openings, mix up some navel jelly and water and toss a short length of chain in there, cap on, and shake vigorously. Let it sit for an hour, shake a again, and repeat for 4 hours. Then dump out the mixture remove the chain (chains are easier to get out of a tank than nuts and bolts) rinse with water a few times, then you should be good to go.
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