Is there such thing as too many motorbikes?

I pulled out my working motorcycles from my barn on the weekend and took them all for a spin, one after the other. I live on a gravel road in the country, so I don't worry about the fuzz being around the corner...no doughnut shop for miles and miles.

Started off with my little '81 Z50 that I bought for the kids a dozen years or so ago. It started this year on the first kick. Great little bike, I've rebuilt the carburetor, changed oil and adjusted a few cables here and there over the years...basically an indestructible little machine.

Next I was zipping along on my '65 Honda Sport (S65), this bike has such a fun feel to it. Not much more than a bicycle with a 65cc engine, but it feels so sporty! It runs well as I've rebuilt the carb on this one, changed oil and adjusted the valves. It's up on list of repairs though as second gear is shot on it, a common problem on these bikes (so I'm told).

My '64 Honda Cub, with a push rod 50cc wasn't amongst my running bikes, but it's close...just waiting on some points to arrive. I rebuilt the top end, new valves, new rings, honed and new gaskets. Changed the kickstarter shaft and of course all new gaskets as the cases had to be split for this one. It had an odd set of points, that I had to order...for some reason there were three different styles of points on these bikes.

I fired up my '78 KL250 Kawasaki that I had purchased while living in the Yukon Territory. This bike carried me long in the back country, on top of mountains, plateaus above the tree lines where the vistas were endless
I had left this one untouched for many years, but brought it back to life a couple of years ago. A real Man's bike, you can feel every bump on this bike, but it gives you good feedback and has been a dependable bike that I've owned for 15 years.

Another first kick start for my '79 XL250 Honda. 1485 kms on this bike, I somehow managed to buy this from a guy for $450. He had bought it from the original owner then parked it in his backyard...uncovered for an entire winter! Such a shame with such a pristine bike. Anyways, the gas went bad, seized the carb slide and he sold it thinking it was beyond repair...I happily bought it, cleaned the carb, changed the oil, adjusted the cam chain and it's a real prize of a bike. Nice ride, the 23" front tire is a little goofy though.

The only two stroke in my "collection"...if you want to call it that, is my DT175 that has made a showing on this site recently, thanks again for all the advice on this one. It runs okay, but it's in line for a new crankcase seal. This is a really fun bike, I've put new rings, piston and honed the cylinder. It has a new eBay carb on it.
Can't wait to get this one going again.

XJs...I have four of them. Although I think I have a buyer for my '84 XJ650 Maxim.

My '85 XJ700 is designated to be my rider this year, it's made a showing on this forum as well. I picked it up in Quebec for an incredible $250. See my previous posts about this one. It's proven to be a great bike, can't wait to get it properly on the road.

I have an '83 XJ750 Seca that is still in my barn. A complete bike that I won't be getting to this year...maybe in the winter. This has the typical things wrong with it...rusty tank, gummed up carbs, it had been sitting out in the elements for a few years.

My dentist gave me his '82 XJ750 Maxim. We get along famously. He thought it would be funny after one of my cleaning sessions to present me with a new toothbrush, some dental floss and the keys to the Maxim. It has a new Kerker exhaust on it and needs a little work as it was the victim of a low speed drop. I like this bike and have it up on the list for next month. I'm looking forward to making it a long distance cruiser.

In the past year, I've sold another 5 or 6 bikes to pay for parts and such for my other 11.

Good thing I have a barn...lots of room left for a few more...

I'll post some pictures next.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention the '82 Suzuki GN125 I rebuilt for my daughter. Nice little bike with electric start. Had to do the top end on this one along with a starter clutch, stator and the fork seals are next. She loves it.

Here's part of the "fleet" (the working bikes)

 

What do you have in your barn? (shed, garage, driveway).

 

Is there such a thing as too many bikes? I guess 366 would be too many. That last one would never get ridden!

 

Nice! There is a number to shoot for

 

Whenever I tell the wife about my dreams of "Garage-Mahal" she assumes I'm joking. "Why would you want so many old bikes? You'll never ride them all?" I'm sure shes got shoes and purses she's never used before!

 

I wanna grow up to be like you!

 

Hogfiddles does this sound like you Dave?

 

Having too many bikes is like having too much money or too much fun. I understand the situation, I just don't see the problem.

 

Perfect response bmarzka lol.

 

That extra bike could be rode every leap year.

 

Now there's positive thinking Lostboy haha