Posts
8
Joined
4/20/2014
Location
Crofton, MD
US
Edited Date/Time
8/16/2017 11:11am
I just wanted to put my 2cents in on all you guys talking bad about Jason at east coast vintage, the bikes he is selling are 40 years old race bikes that probably have been beat to death, he restores them pretty damn good for what they have been threw at a good price, one guy was saying he (Jason) painted the head, come on man if you can ride one of these I'm sure you can work on it and keep it running, I think he doing a hell of a job keeping the old mx bikes around, if you want new go buy a new bike but don't bad mouth someone that's doing what we wish we could do.
http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Old-School-Moto,22/Beautiful-restores-for…
The Shop
Damn shame the poor descriptions we've gotten from some of the big players in this game. The worst fleecing I ever took was from one of the top collectors here in the states. Second worst misrepresentation was from a widely known and respected restorer. Tell you one thing, deliver another. Promises of a crate full of good, usable and even many NOS parts yet the crate arrives full of broken cylinders, rusted through fuel tanks, bent and rusted forks, broken plastics, 75% of which went straight into the dumpster. Fuzzy pictures with rave reviews about all the good things yet fail to show the cracks in the frame, or the blob welded repairs or everything else that is wrong. Heck, I had a friend pay $1500.00 for an air cooled Mugen cylinder that had a broken fin stuck back on with body filler and rattle canned.
Buyer beware...
On more than one occasion people here and elsewhere have either sold me stuff on the cheap or even just given it to me for free to help me get something wrapped up properly. Parts, labor , materials, an early Brad Lackey jersey from his Husky days...just a few things that have arrived at my doorstep. I always try to return the favor or pay it forward to the next poor sap in search of that last remaining item.
Pit Row
Plenty of the bikes in the now defunct Primm Collection were "museum restos". They looked really good in most cases. When they were selling them all off, they distinctly stated that many of the bikes for sale were restored for display only and that they may or may not run. I look at the East Coast photos and see some nice bikes, some look really nice. They may not be all that far off on the asking prices either for what you get. But at least give a good honest description. If it doesn't run well, sell it as a bike that looks good but needs some help. Don't tell people it's "restored" when it's just been Krylon'd or that it's race ready when it blubbers and pukes and the forks and shocks leak. You might also want to tell people when the rims have been painted, sometimes that doesn't show up in a photo on the internet. And I'm not stating that just in reference to East Coast either. I've driven hundreds of miles for a fuzzy photod Craigslist ad only to show up to find a bike that has been completely painted while completely assembled.
Trust me, it also does not bother me to see hardware store metric hardware on a race bike. Some of these resto guys get carried away with every nut, bolt, clip and fastener being perfect but most of those bikes never end up being ridden.
Having said that for what he charges they should at least run and operate safely. My piston had a hole in it so it never ran and they didn't (despite what they claim) get it running. clutch was completely worn out and the crankshaft was assembled from two different models.
When I removed the front wheel the brake pads fell apart, the chain was catching on a bolt that was too long and the wrong size and the throttle assembly was broken. Its a good thing it didn't run because it might have stuck wide open and I wouldn't have been able to stop.
Safety issues aside for what they charge you should know what your getting: they spray painted the rear brake lever and numerous other parts in place, there was overspray every where, the spokes & hub were painted with a paint brush, triple clamps off a different year and model and assembled incorrectly.
If you get one that runs great, but for $3500+ you would be wise to go see the bike first, before you buy it or have it shipped to you.
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