To split or not?

just a general philosophic discussion.

I found an old bike for sale that is almost completely factory spec. (I haven't picked it up yet, I scheduled for tomorrow).

Part of me wants to keep it intact and hang it on my wall because it happens to be the (same model) very first bike I bought in 1992. This one was obviously not used as much.


At the same time - I want to take it apart to complete 3 other projects.

If the bike was a motley collection of parts from "that era" I would have no problems with cannibalizing it, but the fact that it is factory spec is appealing to me.

And at the same time - i am running out of space!!! I don't want to ride this thing because, to be honest, it isn't that great of a bike. But I saved up all my money during the summer of 1992 for that bike and looking at this thing brings back a lot of memories.....

How do you guys decide which bikes you keep and which ones you don't?

Well if it was me in the same position as you then i'd keep it given the chance as that's the exact position i want to be in with a different bike of course ..

Muddy paw":3levwu47 said:

Well if it was me in the same position as you then i'd keep it given the chance as that's the exact position i want to be in with a different bike of course ..

Click to expand...

+1.. Similar point I shared in a thread earlier today

I always think it's a shame when bikes survive for a couple of decades only to be re-discovered and then split up for some other gains.
This is especially true of bikes which have some personal or sentimental link.

While some 'survivors' may not apparently have this characteristic, there will almost always be an old bike out there just waiting to be matched up with a nostalgic former owner.

I guess what I'm saying is that once a bike is split then it's no longer original and therefore something will be lost forever.

If I had the space, time and money I'd probably rescue all the survivors...

...and then track down all the original owners for a tearful reunion.

I just got an original early Avalanche which I am doing a resto on.
It's worth more as components but being a GT nut I couldn't bring myself to split
it (as above it's lasted 20 yrs intact) ! If I sell it and someone splits it to make an extra £30
that's down to them. If it were another make I wouldn't be so bothered.

I had to split a bike recently as absolutly no-one wanted it !
The hardly used 200GS groupo will soon be appearing on a GT frame for the missus.

if it has survived in tact this long then spare it a horrible fate

I was really hoping for different advice!

That said - I believe I'm going to suffer buyer's remorse TWICE: when I bought the original bike in 1992 and discovered that it had awful handling, and today when I decided that I will have to add still another project to the collection.

It's not 100% intact - someone stole the seatpost and saddle (which ironically enough saved the bike since the owner decided to store it in the garage and forgot all about it). The second part that is missing are those awful XYZ bar-ends.

What's funny is that the tires are completely deflated but the headshock is still fully pumped. Aside from a thick layer of dust and some very very minor paint scratches and cable rub it is show's hardly any signs of use. The color-matched toe straps are still present. The rear mech has a few scratches on the bottom - but otherwise it has barely been used.

Oh yes - many of the screws / bolts / and the toe strap buckles are rusted.... so much cleaning to do


p.s. anyone know the exact shade of the rear swingarm? i want to touch up the paint.

It's fine to split them if you want, unless it a genuinely important or historically interesting bike. There's tons of this mass produced stuff still out there, it not even that old.