'12-'13 Harley Single on e-bay

[Earl]

Originally posted by Earl
THERE WAS A BARE 1910 CYLINDER THAT WENT FOR $6,600 NOT TOO LONG AGO.

SO $30K FOR A WHOLE MOTOR SEEMS LIKE A DEAL!!!

WHEN I SAID IT WAS A DEAL, IT WAS A TOTAL SARCASTIC REMARK. TO ME, THESE ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLES ARE JUST A HOBBY. NOTHING MORE. MAYBE THAT'S WHY IT TAKES ME SO LONG TO FINISH MY PROJECTS.

FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A HOBBY PROJECT, YOU NEED TIME, A PLACE, AND MONEY. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN MISSING ONE OF THOSE KEY INGREDIENTS.

AT THE END OF MY LIFE, I BELIEVE I'LL BE JUDGED AT HOW WELL I LIVED MY LIFE, NOT AT HOW MUCH I SPENT ON MY HOBBIES.

[Tommo]

I strongly feel a person shouldn't be openly derided like this and although I wouldn't pay anything like that sort of money for this motor someone thought it was worth that sort of money to him.
Good luck to him, it was purchased fair and square on the open market, for a price that at least two people, thought it was worth.
Give the man a break

Tommo

[Smarty]

I agree a buyer shouldn't be ridiculed because they bought a motor/bike/piece at a certain price. The price is determined by the market (supply and demand), its been reported in the vintage/classic/antique motorcycling press in the last couple of years that the early original parts are are becoming very scarce on the ground, therefore if the supply of parts/bikes is low and the demand is high the market prices will reflect this.

Other considerations should be borne in mind, such as early American parts aren't as abundant in other parts of the world as in the US, and for someone like me living in the UK, I'll willingly pay a premium price on ebay instead of having to to buy a plane ticket to the US to search fruitlessly at one of the well known swapmeets (we call them autojumbles here in the UK) for wanted parts.

Instead of deriding the buyers, perhaps they should be applauded, after all how many of us are willing to pay this sort of money to preserve (and hopefully display/ride) the very early machines in public ?

[c.o.]

Point taken fellas. It's just hard for some of us to adjust to our hobby not being for the average "joe" anymore. I for instance have a real passion for the real early american iron. But with prices like these it leaves the passion at just a dream........ But I guess circumstances change and the world keeps turning whether some of us like it or not............ I do hope that engine ends up in a complete running machine for others to enjoy!!!

[INLINE4NUT]

Steve,
If you wish you can justify it any way you like,Im sorry i cannt and wont!

[Tommo]

Hey Guys! The deals are still there,you just have to go and look for them.
I just recently helped a mate make a deal on 2 to 3 tons, "YES TONS",of HD parts that yielded enough bits, to piece together about 80% of the following four bikes.1917 J, 1918 J, 1923 F, 1926 J and a mass of parts left over for spares or trading.
All this for $6000.00 NZD. (About $4000.00 USD)
While in rural Minniesota in 2003 an elderly local came up to me and pointed out that Howard Sims 1927 had an incorrect fitting on it. I replied that Howard was aware of that fact but had been unable to locate the correct bit. "Come to my place and I'll give you the right one" he replied.
This gentleman has a shed full of veteran and vintage American iron that we are negotiating to buy at a very reasonable price.
Seek and you will find.
Follow every lead no matter how small.
Even the most far fetched story most likely has some truth in it somewhere.
I've worn out a few motor vehicles following dead ends and false trails but I also have had some tremendous finds and these finds make it all worth while.
Get out there and look you may be surprised what you find.

Tommo

[INLINE4NUT]

If I have offended anyone...sorry the stated point of view is just that a point of view! First off we really dont know if indeed it sold for that,second I really dont care and GOOD LUCK and Imhappy for the lucky winner!
Tommo,
I agree look and yea shall find! So I guess we cannt complain what someone else pays,like the Hobby i guess we have all gotten toooooo serious!

[Smarty]

Tommo,

In amongst that NZ haul, there wasn't an ignition switch/buzer/fusebox for a '25 JE was there ??

Like you said, follow up any lead

Best Regards,

Martin

PS, Why are they still called swapmeets in the US, as it seems the only things that are swapped are grumblings of how expensive the parts are to buy ???

[Tommo]

Smarty
E-mail me direct on p.j.thomson@actrix.co.nz
There wasn't a spare one in that stuff but I'm pretty sure I can help with one from my spares.
Tommo