What to Save vs Pitch

[fabercycle]

I had an original condition, unrestored teens bike, that I saved the dirt, crud, and grease off it when I cleaned it up. (from under the fenders, and engine cases etc). Then when I had to put new white tires on it, I made a slurry of "original bike crud" , and re-applied (some history) to the new tires, so they didn't look so out of place.

Now I can sleep better at night, knowing I didn't waste anything off it.

[INLINE4NUT]

I keep everything I remember my Dad saying why are you throwing that away!! then he would follow with what you dont need today you may not have to pay for tomorrow !!!Nothing much gets thrown out here MC or otherwise!!

[Paps]

I can't take credit for the bike. Cotten put it up. Wish I had thought of it though. Paps

[Snakeoil]

Paps, I can only imagine how many people looked at that bike and wanted to either steal it some night or thought you were a fool to put a valuable old machine like that up there.

Therer is a shop in Central NY that has an old rigid BSA out front. I actually stopped to take a look at it as it is at eye level. Part of the mailbox arrangement. It's made from pieces as well.

[Paps]

Yep !! That sounds like an yea to me ! Paps

[T. Cotten]

Forgive me if I have posted this pic before (attached below).
(Special thanks to Mssrs. Breeding and Glasgow who donated the bulk of the Chief drum sprockets.)

As I mentioned in another thread, history is preserved by displaying the incredible abuse that these sprockets endured when motorcycles were utility machines and not vanity icons.

(And they live on by serving the purpose of slowing down any unwanted intruders.)

Previously posted is my shop's sign: http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/bbo...6&d=1226108912

Absolutely nothing went up on the roof that would ever be worth taking down, except the whole of it, perhaps.

Waste nothing, ever.

...Cotten
PS: Snakeoil!
Saving that vintage bituminous may be more important than you think, as someday judging priceless un-restored machines may depend upon chemical analysis to determine if their history has been faked!

[Paps]

Cotten....You are a bad...or even a good....influence on me. I decided to keep my old junk parts. In the mindset you have with the spent sprockets, I figured i could weld together, just about every scrap part I have. The aluminum parts can be bolted to steel parts, then welded. Maybe a mailbox post ? Maybe a stairway handrail ? The art possibilities are endless. HEH ?? Paps

[Chris Haynes]

I use worn out wheel hubs as pen and pencil holders. Pa

I put new bearing races in worn out hubs and use them.

[Snakeoil]

Stumbled upon this thread and just had to comment. I'm new to the antique world and was brought into it when I stumbled upon a one-owner '47 EL with a broken rod. Bike is all apart for a good cleaning and spruce up. As maintenance items are replaced I cannot bring myself to toss anything in the trash. Only thing that made it so far was the long pogo springs that had broken into a dozen little pieces. In hindsight, I wished I had kept them as well. When I cleaned the fenders, I even saved the lumps of tar and dirt that I chipped off. The rear jug that was ruined in the rod failure sits on my desk as I type this along with the shifter gate.

I feel that all this stuff is part of the history of the bike. It really belongs to the bike not me. I was thinking about making some of the old parts into something like a lamp at some point. Maybe even making a little pile of road tar and stones at the base.

When you think about all the good stuff that has been thrown out over the years, it makes it all that much harder to toss the worn out stuff now.

[T. Cotten]

I found a Cycle Ray headlamp in the 'parking lot' the day after a farm auction. The tractor collectors had no interest in it. (And no, it wasn't for a Jeep, it was NOS military OD!)

Davenport is looming before us again, and again I offer my bounty on well-worn Chief and HD Bigtwin drum sprockets ($5), and their corresponding counter sprockets ($3).
Please, no other models (unless Scouts are the same as Chiefs?)... and chromed ones deserve a buck less.
(Booth W-2 by the race gate as always.)

...Cotten

[bmh]

The funny thing I've been noticing lately is that stuff we thought was junk 10 or 15 years back is looking pretty good these days, considering how lousy the aftermarket parts have gotten and all else. And as far as pistons go I guess that depends on exactly what make and model you need them for. It took me quite a while to find a correct set for my EL pan. It seems all the aftermarket EL pistons are for Knuckles and don't provide the correct compression.
Brian

[Lonnie]

Speaking of cleaning up the grounds after the Davenport meet, I was reminded on an incident that occurred maybe 15 years ago at the Charlotte (NC) Autofair. I vended there for many years, selling GM parts, and was there at the conclusion of the Spring meet on the last day, late afternoon on Sunday. I was waiting for my friend to come back after the test drive of a '70 GTO. I waited and waited, and the infield there at Charlotte Motor (Lowes) Speedway was almost empty. Like you suggested, many vendors left what they got tired of hauling around and I was near such a stack of several old mostly 40's auto fenders and hoods.

It was quite common for others to check out any discarded parts, so I was not suprised when a couple guys drove up, checking out the stack. Suddenly one of them exclaimed, "I can't believe it, there it is!" To which his friend replied, "There's what?" His buddy said, "I've been looking for that fender here all weekend and walked this place over 20 times and couldn't find one! And there one is! And it's free!" He and his buddy got out, loaded up the fender, lauging like a couple of kids and drove off.

So, like they say, one man's trash, another man's treasure.

[flthead]

i was raised on the motto of if ''it's free an it don't eat bring it home ''

[mmoore]

you know the minute you throw something away you will want/need it.

And don't throw away those worn-out sprockets!

Every year at Davenport, I offer a 'bounty' on Indian and HD drum and tranny sprockets so that I can preserve them as shown in the attachment.

I am planning to do the windows next.

.....Cotten
(Waste not! Want more!)