how much do you think it cost roughly
I can tell you the exact, to the penny, amount I spent on the donor bike,
all the parts and the service I outsourced. I paid $2195 for the bike,
$3166.87 for parts (The NOS side panels cost $1000 alone), and $512
for Cadmium plating service.
With that said, I have around 250 hours over 14 months, spent restoring
all the parts (most), that weren't replaced.
How much would it cost somebody else to do the same, that depends on
how much of the work that person can do themselves. I do my own media
blasting, welding, powder coating, painting, polishing, metal work and all the
mechanical work. If any of that has to be farmed out, the price can go
North in a hurry. Also, remember the price of NOS parts is always going
up as the supply runs out.
One thing I CAN tell you, if you're considering a project like this, try to
find the best, most complete donor bike you can (even if you have to
pay extra). That alone will save you big in money and time over the
course of the restoration. Restoration work is a real challenge, but it's
also a lot of fun - I highly recommend it.
I started restoring a vintage race car a while back. The project is infinitely
more complex, costly and difficult, but the skills and confidence I gained
restoring bikes has really made a difference. I wouldn't have even made
the attempt before.
dogger
