I recently heard someone ask, “Is building a bike from scratch worth it?”
I decided to try to create my own low-budget, scratch-built motorcycle to find out.
Okay, so at this point it’s not anything that could even be called a “build.” It’s more like “holding spare parts up to each other,” seeing how they might someday be part of a functional motorcycle.
In this picture:
- Frame – 1977 Bultaco Pursang 370 Mk10 Model 193
- Swingarm – 1976 Yamaha YZ125
- Fuel Tank – Early ’60s Rex KL35
- 17″ Rear Wheel & Axle – 1981 Suzuki GS450T
- 19″ Front Wheel & Axle – 1980 Suzuki GS850
I also have a few more assorted smaller bits around the garage.
This all started almost six years ago with the swingarm. I saw it on eBay and I thought, “hmm, that would make for an easy monoshock conversion,” So I bought it for $23 shipped, without any sort of clear use for it other than for “something…someday.” I next got the matching Suzuki star-spoke wheels from two different guys locally, and they reminded me of an old concept drawing I’d briefly toyed with about 16 years ago for an old Pursang 360 parts donor…
My old Buls are long-gone, but I’ve been pining for another one. Once I stumbled on this late-model frame, enough of the ingredients were present for me to start envisioning a monoshock Bultaco streetbike.
Don’t expect lots of frequent updates, but I’ll post here as I slowly continue developing the project. Since this is strictly a toy, my cost-control strategy is to wait and slowly acquire suitable parts that show up on Craigslist or Ebay for remarkably cheap prices…but I’m already getting excited enough about this to become an impatient hunter. I currently have a line on a pretty 4-speed 250 Matador motor and a 175 Alpina 5-speed, but both are more than 200 miles away.
…patience, my boy. Patience…
