Hey guys, I really appreciate y’all making sure that I am going into this knowing what I may be getting myself into here, both financially and in man hours.
That being said, I did not choose this bike, my fiancée did. When she decides she wants something of hers to look a certain way, it is best to just nod and get it over with. She is not like that with anything else, just things like how her vehicles look.
The rust issue on the frame is tiny spots, but at first she she wanted it pristine and repainted. /sigh, fine. She looked at it again after I first posted but before y’all replied, and told me that since it is hidden by seat, covers, etc., she doesn’t want the frame painted now. I am going to hit the spots with rust neutralizer and be done with the frame.
The wheels have no rust on them. What appears to be rust is grime, fork oil, dust and dirt. The wheels are fine.
I was able to get a low mileage starter for $30 shipped, and it was taken off of a running bike.
I am going to pull the engine and replace the cam chain adjuster, $180 if it is shot, less if it is not. I am going to check the starter gear also. If good, awesome, if not, $50 to $70.
While the engine is out of the bike I will degrease it, clean it really well, and it will be painted.
Wiring harness will be removed and repaired using the wiring diagram from this site.
The muffler is welded to the header well aft of the slip on point. Easy fix to cut through the welded area and clean up the pipe. Harley Sportster muffler will set me back another $40, shipped.
New rear fender, $60.
I do my own body work, and most chrome will be stripped from the parts, and will be repainted. All I will need for that is some sulphuric acid and my battery charger, and the chrome will be removed via electrolysis, say 5 to 10 minutes per chrome part. Then they will be painted. Paint will cost me about $40, matte clear coat will be about $60 to $80 (I have my own media blaster, HVLP setup, and paint booth that I can set up in the garage). We both like matte better than gloss, and it is much easier to work with than gloss.
After that it is just a matter of getting the body panels, turn signal, and brake light.
Fork seal kit, $20 shipped.
Assuming I have an otherwise working engine, I will have to shell out, what, maybe $600 (added some extra to cover gaskets, misc bolts, etc.)? Now, if the engine is bad, then I will either have to fix it or buy a new one, and that will add about $750 to the total cost.
Then I have to factor in that my fiancée want to work on the bike with me, so that will be time we get to spend together doing something we both enjoy. Hard to put a value on that.
No disrespect intended, but if I do something, I make sure it looks good. Here is a pic of what my 2011 Honda Fury looked like (before I dropped it twice and put two good sized dents in the tank, one on each side).
Dealership told me it would cost $2k to make it look new again, $1k to get it running. It cost me $500 to get it running and looking like this, and I did all of the work myself: