A
Article By: J. Ken Conte Photos Courtesy Of MotoAuct
s an avid motorcyclist, I want to see as many people out riding motorcycles as possible. The feeling of being on an open road with the wind in your face is unparalleled and only surpassed by experiencing it on a machine you know intimately that you’ve built with your own hands. Over the next few issues, we are going to show how a free motorcycle— that’s right, this bike was free—can be transformed into an auction-worthy café racer and encourage the non-riding public to get out and ride. Jason Delacroix and Jason Williams, cofounders of Motoauct. com, are passionate about vintage motorcycles—so much so that they started the only online auction site dedicated to vintage motorcycles. The idea was to take some of the financial sting and budgetary constraint out of typical vintage motorcycle auctions and provide the vintage community with a common place to meet online. They’d bought and sold at “tent-pole”
34
April ‘18 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
auctions over the years, scoured eBay and won auctions only to get burned, and had way too many sketchy craigslist encounters. Motoauct. com was born out of necessity, and it has blossomed since launching as the only online vintage motorcycle auction site of its kind. To celebrate their launch, Delacroix
and Williams decided to find what looked like an unsalvageable project bike, put some elbow grease into it and offer it up for auction on their site in time for the Quail Motorcycle Gathering
in May. If you keep your eyes open, anyone can find a bike in similar shape, rotting in a yard. Heck, I know a guy who found an Indian Chief that way and restored it. Keep your eyes open, carry cash and don’t be afraid to ask. They did exactly that and found an original-owner 1978 Honda CB750, with only 25K miles on it that had been parked for the last 30 years. There were a lot of questions that needed answers, but first the bike had to be hosed down with insecticide and left for a few days. It was found in an arid climate, so the critters hiding out in it were not to be messed with—they did a thorough cleaning of the bike and set to work. The first and most timely proposition is tearing down the drivetrain. This can be very intimidating work if you haven’t done it before, but with all the resources out there, including Clymer’s guides, blogs and YouTube, you can get everything freshened up and moving freely. The best tip is to take lots of pictures, be methodical
