As a motorcycle enthusiast, one of your lifelong dreams would be to restore a classic or vintage bike and ride it on the open road. Its something that most bike enthusiasts dream about and if you have time and money to spend, you may be able to turn this dream in to reality.
First of all, you have to remember that motorcycle restoration requires a lot of time and work. You have to be very patient in order for you to really love this kind of hobby. If you think that this sounds a lot of work, then you may want to start looking for another hobby.
When it comes to restoring motorcycles, you need to remember that you can always cut corners in order to get your bike road worthy. You can install second-rate parts on your motorcycle just to get it on the road and you can always replace these parts with genuine originals or high quality replicas once you get the money for it.
You have to keep in mind that restoring motorcycles is more than just a spray can paint job. You need to fully restore it inside and out. The restorations you make with the motorcycle should be more than just aesthetic. You also have to make it mechanically sound and reliable enough for you to ride it around town.
So, here are some of the first few steps that you need to do when you are restoring a motorcycle.
First, you will need to completely disassemble the motorcycle down to the frame. You also need to clean it thoroughly, rebuild or replace parts, as well as get professional body work and painting done for your bike.
Now, once you fully disassembled the motorcycle down to the frame, the first thing that you need to do is get the engine or motor in to an engine shop that specializes in engine restoration and rebuilding. Here, the professionals will be able to determine what parts of the engine needs replacing and also give you an idea on how to find the parts you need.
The second step is to find parts for your motorcycle. This is the hard part, especially if the motorcycle you are trying to restore is very rare or a very old model. You may need to scour junkyards for parts or even travel across the country just to get your hands on the parts you need to restore your bike.
In fact, some people even travel abroad just to find the parts they need for their motorcycle.
You can also search the internet for spare parts. Or, you can also try joining motorcycle clubs that has a particular interest to the type of motorcycle you are restoring. Here, theres a big chance that you will find people selling or trading parts for your motorcycle. This is also the place to get the necessary contacts, which you can use to help you with your restoration project.
These are the first things that you need to do when you are restoring a motorcycle. Remember these tips and you can be sure that restoring motorcycles will be a lot easier and also less frustrating than ever before.