Thanks for the nice words, you guys. I didn't get one bid on the bike. I did get a nice email from a guy who says he loves the bike, but it is way more than he can afford and will build his own, but is saving all of the photos for inspiration. That's nice, I guess. Good luck to him. Wait til he finds out what everything costs and what someone will charge him for a custom gas tank. Ha! Got another right after the auction ended from another guy who want's Steve to deliver the bike to his door, but can only afford $400.00... but gosh really wants the bike, can we make a deal? Nice try. I'd give it away to a friend first.
I already knew that northern Minnesota is not the kind of market for motored bikes that you guys enjoy in California and Arizona and Florida, even places in middle America or the east coast. I have never seen a motored bike around here other than my own. I think people are pretty clueless and imagine that building a bike like the one in the auction is pretty easy. "Is that a Whizzer? Is that a kit?" No it isn't either one. It's a vintage bike brought back from the edge of oblivion and made by skilled hand over many, many hours of thought and labor. It is a kind of functional art.
I rode this bike and also my 50 Panther (which is a better, more beautiful build) around the local tourist town this summer and got lots of waves and admiration, but no offers of cash.
It is an eye opener for sure. So I had thought ebay might be an answer and really do need some money. I had thought that someone would jump on the $800.00 realizing it was a good deal. And for $500.00 they couldn't build it themselves. $500.00 would be a hard swallow and almost a give a way. There were a lot of views and a number of watchers, so I thought it would sell in the last moments of the auction.
I'll put it up again this weekend to see what happens, but it has been a lesson to me that selling bikes in my part of the world is not likely to happen, at least by me. Not as any kind of business venture. I'll be lucky to unload what I have. I know the economy in general is partly to blame and that people are reluctant to spend money. I know I am.
The summer is ending here and with it the influx of tourists. The riding season is over by October when the first snow arrives even though I ride longer and in pretty crappy conditions.
I am building a bike hauler trailer and if I have it done in time will be able to take several bikes to Maryland with me for the winter. Selling them there might be a little better proposition, but not much. Most likely I will just take the current couple of projects with me to work on this winter and then the builds are done with. Next summer I'll try again to sell off what I have made to get some money back. I'm going to try to see if I can make a little money by buying a dead moped, stripping it down to sell the parts on ebay and if it makes money, then buy another. I'd rather make a dime creating rolling art, but have to do something. I really do not want to be a greeter at Walmart.Not that there's a Walmart around here anyway.
Thanks for listening. Whining is done. In the morning I'll get back to work on the Indian Hiawatha, my last build. Next summer at this time I'll be finishing up a modest houseboat made from an old pontoon boat and will live on it in the summers on a local lake, fishing and swimming like Huck Finn. I'll ride a motorbike to town for groceries and beer and gas. Once in awhile the dog and I will ride the Indian with canoe sidecar around to show off. If someone wants to know if I'll make one for them the answer is no, I'm going fishing. Ha! Time to shift gears once again. At least I have gears.
Silverbear
