this is SOOOO true
i had the exact thing happen to me...
i had the exact thing happen to me...
How true!
If one begins an Airhead project with the idea of making money or recouping their investment, the owner had better be very knowledgeable and handy, because resale prices are about 2/3 of the restoration costs at absolute best and frequently below 50%.
I know that when I was building my /6 hot rod, I was bleeding cash for a while and in the end shelled a pile of $$$. I mentally added up all the bills and came up with about $8K before I quit counting. I've never told my SO ("Significant Other") how much the bike actually cost, though I think she has a pretty good idea!
Once you get into one of these projects, the bills accumulate very, very quickly and you won't want to do things half way. In most cases, 2K or more for paint and pinstripes, a transmission rebuild by a known shop can/will cost another 1K, $800 for a complete first class head rebuild, $1,500+ for new jugs and pistons, etc, etc, not including the hundreds of hours that you'll spend in the shop, chasing down parts and on the computer.
Funny thing... Once my bike was finished and on the road, I was contacted by two different guys who own beautiful, mint condition R100S bikes that weren't for sale when I began my project but are are now seriously on the market. I coulda saved a mint and almost three years work! Oh well...
In the end the important thing isn't the cost or length of the project but to end up with the bike you really want, cause if you shell out for a resto, you're going to have to keep it!