Oem vs restomod?

[soonerbillz]

I see where this going!
Ok..lets pile on Mr. Straight laced Scott!
Fine ..come and bring it.. I can take all comers..
Ya'll ain't gonna take me down suckas!

[Czakky]

Ha!

[dgorms]

I gravitate towards good original examples and try to keep them stock appearing as much as possible. I do see a lot of resto mod/ cafe  P.O.S. that are cobbled together with a 2x6 for a seat and low bars!   YUCK, no thank you.................................D

[Brad-Man]

I'm of the opinion that if the bike is to be RIDDEN that when something breaks and there are newer/.ore reliable/better parts available to take their place - use them.

Examples:

Turn signal flasher - used one that will work with LED  bulbs.
Headlight - used an H4 replacement w/35w bulb.
Master cylinder - used a 13mm and got better feel.

[2 Smoker]

I love the fact that my recent purchase is what I consider a survivor and would love to ride it around as stock but in no way am I going for a museum bike. The bike will come out looking great as a rider and will be rid-in with the idea of upgrades along the way of Remake DG heads, flat bars, chambers, rear sets, swing arm, rebuilt crank, new lower seals, 1 over bore ( no stage anything on the cylinders) rebuilt stock carbs and probably go with pointless ignition and of course save the stock parts to be replaced on the bike if it was ever sold, in this way I will never sell my after market parts again because I would rather keep them they have become pretty pricey and less manufactured as we all die off. 

[m in sc]

my 70 is a survivor with redone seat and a dyna ignition. thats basically all the mods. my t500 is stock. so, i'm not against stock bikes.

however, stuff like this to restore was a HUGE pain int he ass. but was totally worth it. If you think yamaha parts can be expensive for a twin.. price some of this stuff out if you can find it.  yes, i restored it. was on the way to becoming a chopper when i rescued it. absolutely brilliant bike to ride.  i did have the stock airbox as well but ran way better w the k&ns

[e30 gangsta]

Sorry but I don't think my build is lazy at all. Fully rebuilt the motor and transmission, took the bike all the way down the frame, replaced all the wear items brakes, bearings, hardware etc. Yeah I chopped some unnecessary tabs off here and there. But overall the bike is much nicer, faster, and stronger with all of the upgrades/modifications I did to it. Personally a bone stock rd400 is cool, but it's boring to ride compared to a hopped up one. Just my 2 cents. 

[m in sc]

IMHO, when form outweighs function you have lost the plot.

example:

local guy with a big budget is doing an rd400. getting it done a local (albeit hack) 'boutique' bike shop.  Most of their stuff is pretty but def nothing great. Owner is a richard rawlings wannabe.

that being said, guy w the 400 was telling me at the other bike night hes going to put on a 4ls drum on an rd400 'better than the original (at a cost i cant even imagine.. and didnt ask). I just looked at him and was like 'what?' He 'was told' its better than the 'original rd400 drums'

I explained to him they never had a drum on the front. ever.  he started to disagree with me  and i looked him straight int he eye and said 'i'll bet you 1000 bucks in cash, right now, no rd400 ever came from the factory with a drum on the front stock'.

I would be willing to bet the owner got one reasonably and saw a payday opportunity. I LOATHE that shop with a passion.

I also told the guy w the 400 that when he took that bike to a show, anyone who was familiar with rds would just ask him wtf was wrong with him.

but, his choice.

I also know the 'lead mechanic' (15 dollar an hour kid. great guy but..) just quit. 

so, while i agree with the 'hacked up board seat bike' comment, when you pay somebody thousands of dollars for the same thing by a 'pro' shop.. its even worse no matter how shiny it is. ie: how about 12K in a cb550 cafe? i mean. wtf. (yes... 12k im not making that up).

[scully]

I'll bet the Cafe'd CB550 was freaking nice though man  lol

[m in sc]

its pretty. I'll give it that.

stock motor with CR racing carbs. 

[pdxjim]

I'll use my LC as an example.

Initially, when I bought it, it was in very good complete condition, but quite neglected.

I planned on doing a proper stock resto since all the stuff that usually gets hacked or tossed was all there:  center stand, signals, perfect stock pipes, airbox, long rear mudgurard ... etc.

As went along, I found a lot of the stock stuff was neglected beyond repair.  Stock carbs were gummed beyond repair:  PWK's are cheaper and perform way better.  Brake calipers and master were shot: R1 calipers and master are cheaper and perform way better.  ETC.

So, my resto morphed into a restomod, because no way was I willing to spend twice as much on parts that perform half was well.

What I ended up with is "stage 2" motor, modern brakes, modern pipes, all with stock looks.

Best of both worlds.

[scully]

its pretty. I'll give it that.

stock motor with CR racing carbs. 

I was joking mostly...

I like to keep the paint work looking original, the rest of the bike can be modded.

[1976RD400C]

When I found this bike about 6 years ago it was a no brainer to restore to all original. It was all there except it had chambers. I used the chambers on my hot rod and bought some oem pipes. If I told you how much I have into it you wouldn't believe me (not much  )

[85RZwade]

I am so glad that there are people with the time, money and determination to restore bikes to original condition, because I have no interest. I have changed every bike I've ever had to please myself, and I plan to continue. Do whatever makes you happy.

[Ws76133]

In addition to the RD350 I'm rebuilding, I have an '84 BMW R100RS that I bought new.  When i crashed it years ago, I rebuilt it as I wished, non-stock paint and striping in my school colors, aftermarket exhaust, instruments, engine internals etc.  It's my bike...  I've been lectured about the changes and the fact that it's still my daily driver (303K miles so far).  I tell the critics that it's not a museum piece because I can't afford to build a museum, and besides, it's too much fun to ride...