Need help deciding what to do with my bikes

Since we decided to move six months ago, I've been struggling with what to do with the bikes that I started to restore, never really got anywhere, are disassembled and prolly 99% complete. Divorce, moving, and remarriage and moving set the stage. Now that we're gonna be moving from NY to GA, I have to decide to I really wanna get back to that. At least part of my problem is that we've been too busy getting the house ready, looking and buying a house, and slowly getting ready for the move that I can't seem to just sit down and figure this out.

I have one vintage bike, and one /2 conversion in pieces. I have a /5 all together just needing to be brought back online and some new parts sourced. These are the main ones I'm wondering about. The '05 ST that's meant to be mated to a Hannigan will prolly make the cut. I'm just not sure how to decide about the others. I'm not sure I see myself spending so much time getting them back on the road again. I guess things change over 20 years.

Any ways of looking at this will be mucho apreciado.

Thanks,
phil #09135

Ready - Set - Go

psikora said:

Since we decided to move six months ago, I've been struggling with what to do with the bikes that I started to restore, never really got anywhere, are disassembled and prolly 99% complete. Divorce, moving, and remarriage and moving set the stage. Now that we're gonna be moving from NY to GA, I have to decide to I really wanna get back to that. At least part of my problem is that we've been too busy getting the house ready, looking and buying a house, and slowly getting ready for the move that I can't seem to just sit down and figure this out.

I have one vintage bike, and one /2 conversion in pieces. I have a /5 all together just needing to be brought back online and some new parts sourced. These are the main ones I'm wondering about. The '05 ST that's meant to be mated to a Hannigan will prolly make the cut. I'm just not sure how to decide about the others. I'm not sure I see myself spending so much time getting them back on the road again. I guess things change over 20 years.

Any ways of looking at this will be mucho apreciado.

Thanks,
phil #09135

Click to expand...

1. If you have room in Georgia consider one of your options to move your projects south with a big truck doing a recruit a buddy, or rent a husky kid, and drive and drop and return. The moving of everything will probably cause you to reorganize the projects. Use translucent tubs to pack and label the various parts for each bike.

2. Another option is have a used bike sale extravaganza. Advertise in ON and Craigslist and pack everything up for each bike as above. Got to have ready to go prices.

3. Call Ted Moyer and ask him if he is looking for anything special for a future raffle and make a donation and build on your karma. Note: need to pack up parts as in 1 and 2.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI
#71,449

Get some boxes for the parts and rent a trailer...take them with you. Maybe get it all done for under $1,000...rent F-250 from Enterprise, rent big enough trailer, gas, food, two long days and one night in motel. You can do it.

wkoppa said:

1. If you have room in Georgia consider one of your options to move your projects south with a big truck doing a recruit a buddy, or rent a husky kid, and drive and drop and return. The moving of everything will probably cause you to reorganize the projects. Use translucent tubs to pack and label the various parts for each bike.

2. Another option is have a used bike sale extravaganza. Advertise in ON and Craigslist and pack everything up for each bike as above. Got to have ready to go prices.

3. Call Ted Moyer and ask him if he is looking for anything special for a future raffle and make a donation and build on your karma. Note: need to pack up parts as in 1 and 2.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI
#71,449

Click to expand...

Thanks, Wayne. I DID see two of those choice and thanks for the third. I guess my dilema is figuring out how to think about it to get to those choices. Time to cogitate a bit.

A monumental task. Separate each project into different piles. Decide what you really want to be doing in the motorcycle community for the rest of your life. Eliminate what doesn't fit into that picture. Simplify it all so that you have the fewest projects. Sell what you don't see as being used in the future but be careful not to sell anything that you might want to buy back later.
This has been my solution to moving across several states to my final retirement location. It was a tough decision for a bike hoarder like myself. But I'm down to two bikes that will probably last the rest of my life with only the spare parts that I might need for each. Of course, if I happen to win a raffle bike, I MAY be able to find space in the garage.

1074 said:

A monumental task. Separate each project into different piles. Decide what you really want to be doing in the motorcycle community for the rest of your life. Eliminate what doesn't fit into that picture. Simplify it all so that you have the fewest projects. Sell what you don't see as being used in the future but be careful not to sell anything that you might want to buy back later.
This has been my solution to moving across several states to my final retirement location. It was a tough decision for a bike hoarder like myself. But I'm down to two bikes that will probably last the rest of my life with only the spare parts that I might need for each. Of course, if I happen to win a raffle bike, I MAY be able to find space in the garage.

Click to expand...

Thanks, BB. Yeah, these are the things I need to hear. I know it's not the provervial rocket science but more related to being hard letting go. Maybe another question I should ask myself is if those bikes were on the road, do I see myself riding them, like my '59 R69. I'm not sure. Or how many things do I want to be maintaining. A car, a truck, a 5th wheel, and my '94 R1100RS is enough right now. What do I add to the list? Then there are the big, heavy tools. Sigh.

Thanks.

Ask yourself what you want to ride and what kind of a market there is if you finish any projects. If you don’t plan to ride & can’t sell finished projects, cut your losses and part out what you can then get rid of the remainder. It will ultimately be what happens so save the time, money and energy now.

I have been through this. I have seen others go through this. Yes, it is a big task. But shame on you--you said you decided to move 6 months ago and that time could have been spent getting ready. But now that we are here, you have received good advice. Triage process--decide the priorities, get rid of the junk, pack and organize the rest. Some people like to hold auctions, but in my mind, that is one step better than just getting a dumpster. Some people load their stuff into a semi trailer from ABF or similar truckers, but keep in mind that sort of shipping costs you $1/pound or so. The basket cases can be sold, but it takes the right venue, i.e. an ad in a specialty publication like BMWMOA classifieds or Walneck's. Use word of mouth to help find a fellow "collector". I did that when I sold my /2 last year.

I'll cut to the chase. Get rid of them all. Buy yourself a nice newer bike that you can ride whenever you want. Unless your are a paid, professional restorer, they won't get finished. There is also the fact that restoring BMW motorcycles is a money looser. A large percentage of people in this country have a "priceless" vintage car sitting in their garage, where it has been parked for twenty years. They are just waiting to get to it. It will never happen.

On the other hand, you can truck all those parts and pieces down to the new home. Then store them, or get right on restoring them, ordering expensive parts every week from Bob's BMW. In a year or two you will have a couple of very nice bikes that will not sell for what you have in them, and which are only useful for riding in parades and around town. It will be an interesting choice. Good luck.

jconway607 said:

I'll cut to the chase. Get rid of them all. Buy yourself a nice newer bike that you can ride whenever you want. Unless your are a paid, professional restorer, they won't get finished. There is also the fact that restoring BMW motorcycles is a money looser. A large percentage of people in this country have a "priceless" vintage car sitting in their garage, where it has been parked for twenty years. They are just waiting to get to it. It will never happen.

On the other hand, you can truck all those parts and pieces down to the new home. Then store them, or get right on restoring them, ordering expensive parts every week from Bob's BMW. In a year or two you will have a couple of very nice bikes that will not sell for what you have in them, and which are only useful for riding in parades and around town. It will be an interesting choice. Good luck.

Click to expand...

I would +1 here with a caveat...

Get rid of them all and start your new life. If, in the future once you're settled in the new life, you decide it would be fun to get a project bike, there are ALWAYS people wanting to get rid of something for a million different reasons (just like you are now). At that point, you will have learned from this experience and likely make a better decision on what the project or vintage bike will be.

Good luck!

psikora said:

Since we decided to move six months ago, I've been struggling with what to do with the bikes that I started to restore, never really got anywhere, are disassembled and prolly 99% complete.

Click to expand...

Hey Phil --- really long time and no talk... I think the last time was when I rode up to see the MX race in Unadilla. Where in GA will you be moving?

I am with the "sell them all and buy a good runner" crowd... you need a bike that you can ride *well* in those N. Georgia mountains!

Ian

Phil:

You've been through two complex phases of your life, and you may be ready for a simpler one. Decluttering your personal property is a good way to start, and you'll have more time to spend with your new lady.

The ST would be a good all rounder that you could keep.

Good luck, and with your move.

Thanks, all! I have been contemplating this for months and am comfortable having others enjoy parts of my collection. I will be keeping two bikes: my '94R1100RS (122K miles) and my '05 ST1200 that I acquired seven years ago intending to mate a Hannigan s/c I bought to it (have a nice leading link front end from the U.K. for it). The ST can be my project bike. Not enough time to sell everything so boxes things can be moved. Bikes and bigger, bulkier items hopefully will find happy homes. Next step would be to crawl up into the shed "attic" and catalogue what I have. But first...finished working on the 5th wheel for our six-week West trip coming up soon. Yeah, way too much going on. Doesn't feel like I'm retired...

To be fair (to myself), while I was thinking about what to do with all this five months ago, four of those months were spent in getting the house ready to be listed. A tremendous amount of effort had to be poured into that and eclipsed everything else. In a perfect world...

Prolly gonna buy a 24' or so trailer and do some moving to Darien ourselves. Trying to sell two houses complicates things.

Visian said:

Hey Phil --- really long time and no talk... I think the last time was when I rode up to see the MX race in Unadilla. Where in GA will you be moving?

I am with the "sell them all and buy a good runner" crowd... you need a bike that you can ride *well* in those N. Georgia mountains!

Ian

Click to expand...

Hey Ian,
That was awhile back. One house and one wife ago. (
Moving to Darien. Will hold onto a few things. See my other response.
You're in GA, correct?