My 9 year old Son's Motorcycle Restoration

[Richard Z]

My son trent has been working his butt of trying to finish his bike for a show tomorrow. with school and soccer etc. time has passed too quickly. He started this about a month ago. he bought the bike running with a good title for $50 and has used his savings to keep the project going. He has learned the use of many pieces of shop equipment and hand tools. With the exception of the paint He has done about 90% of the rest of the work. He has been sandblasting and powdercoating, polishing and degreasing everything. I have helped with the reassembly to help him meet his goal. This gets me wanting to tear apart the 72 WaterBuffalo. Here is the pic of the bike as he picked it up and a few shots of where he is at now.

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Z.

[Tom M]

That's great! I wish I could get my 13yo son interested in something like that.

 

The first bike that I owned was a '71 185. It was decent little trail bike in it's day. The poor thing suffered greatly from my ham-fisted attempts to fix it and "improve" it though. Your son is lucky to have a Dad who can teach him how NOT to strip the spark plug threads, strip the drain plug threads, etc.

[tikkanen]

Hi Richard and Trent,

 

High five!!

 

I wish my 20 years old twin boys had the same interest in bodging and fixing bikes but they can't put a stick in a turd without breaking the stick and getting poo on their shoes, unfortunately.....

 

I have tried so many times but the almighty computer + studies takes the price.

 

Nice job that you and and junior have put together - give him a big pat on the back from me.

 

Cheers

Søren

[Guest ratchethack]

Wot Tom and Søren said.

 

Kudo's to you and your son Trent, Richard.

 

I'd have given me left testicle (at 9 years old, does a kid know wot it's good for anyway?? ) for such encouragement when I was that age. I had to sneak my budding interest in motos under the radar of parents none too interested in seeing their son go "that way". In retrospect, due in part to my own irrepressible stubbornness, as it turned out in my case, and IMHO as it should be whenever possible, it eventually became the kind of father-son bonding experience as well as life-lesson string of learning opportunities (and a progression of resto's) that builds real character in a boy and advances him toward maturity well beyond his peers in many ways.

 

May you share many such fine memories with Trent for a lifetime!

 

Long as we're on memory lane, my first "real" moto was a '65 Suzuki 80. It was a "big" motorcycle to me at the time compared to the "garden-variety" Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki 50's here 'n there in the neighborhood -- having a whopping 60% greater displacement!! It became my primary transportation for years.

 

How well I recall the "high tech" advancement of oil injection! No mixing! I recall every nut and bolt -- as if it were yesterday. . . [sigh]

 

BTW -- Check the SLS front brake hub. I do b'lieve it's the very same as Trent's . . .

[ptrkbeam]

Win or lose, valuable lessons learned. And skills.

You and your son shared in a project. I'm not a father, but I imagine that must be a great feeling. To have a son share in your cycling interest is a treasure. I have the best father in the world and am thankful. He was there for Little League, football, basketball, Cub Scouts. I don't know if he's ever been on a motorcycle - maybe I should ask if he wants to take a ride.

 

May your family have many more.

[pete roper]

Don't let it burn you Rich. If you burn so will your boy. See my comments on WG, he did magnificently. It's a beautiful little project.

 

pete

[Guest ratchethack]

Richard, I just took a read of the thread on WG. Too bad about the Philistine Judges and their choice of a cheap Popular Kulture imitation of cheap Popular Kulture butt-jewelry. It must have been a great disappointment to Trent, as well as to yourself.

 

But o' course, there are many valuable lessons to be learned from this at age 9 that the "winner" may never master in his entire lifetime. From what I gather about your characterization of this, I suspect that Trent will come through this with the certainty that his hard efforts will reward him many many years into the future compared to the non-effort of the "winner", which will take him only as far as the temporary novelty of the cutesy bling and dreck -- straight to the back of a garage somewhere followed no doubt in a few years by the scrap heap. Trent will be riding something to be proud of and moving on to bigger and better things in his life, while the "winner" of this butt-jewelry contest will likely be smoking crack, getting a big OCC tattoo, and having his nose, nipples, tongue, eyebrows, and wotever he thinks will attract the most attention for the moment pierced.

 

Trent will be far stronger for the experience and far happier, knowing that he rightfully carries no obligation to cater to the silly preferences dictated to him by the common consensus of The Great Unwashed Fools, wherever he goes in life. Though he probably doesn't quite grasp the full significance of the return of your own trophy at age 9, eventually he'll come to understand it in full measure. He'll gain the wisdom of his father in the process. . . Nicely done, Richard.

[Guest jerry]

when my son was 8, I got him into motorcycles (he is almost 21 now). It has been the most expensive, enjoyable 13 years ever. I wouldn't trade a thing! We are constantly teaching each other something about bikes or going on a trip. I highly recommend it - if the kid is willing, of course.

 

jerry