I bought a 2001 R1 off the track back in March of 2010. Bike had been banged up but still ran. Clean title. 01 motor in descent shape in and 03 frame. Tested the bike at the track. Noted the clutch would need replacing and a few other odds and ends.
My goal with this bike was to put a descent looking drag bike together for 2011. Custom paint, polished wheels, nice accessories and a engine that performed better than before.
I was recommended to a shop that did all the customizing for a a project such as this.
The only thing was I was going overseas in a couple weeks and would be home in December. We went over the basics of what I would need in a 10G budget. All in all it sounded great and I was pleased. I was planning on traveling to the USA upon my return for 2 months to get away from winter and go try my new bike out down south. He was told this very clearly. The bike was in rough shape but he assured me the plastics could be saved and not to worry.
I gave him some money and went overseas. Every few weeks I would try and call to touch base. I would send e mails. I was in a warzone. I should have been the one who was unreachable. My boyfriend at the time was trying to take care of things but even he was having difficulty and he was back at home. Every time I called I would get things thrown at me. "Things are taking a while. Don't worry it will be done."
I always stressed the deadline and said when I would be home. Everything he needed me to do I had done within 24 hours. I had a paint scheme I wanted. If he needed to ask me questions he could have gone through my boyfriend or myself. Within two months of me coming home I had no idea what the situation was. Again, my calls were unanswered and my emails got no reply.
Then I came home. To my disbelief NOTHING had been done other than the bike stripped apart. Finally he picks up the phone weeks after I get in shocked to hear I am home. He claimed he thought I wanted the bike for April. When I clarified with him how I said I was going racing in the USA he finally remembered. What did I get? An apology.
I am not a spazz. I understand **** happens on levels of miss communication. I forgive so long as it doesn't happen again. We set a new deadline. March 11 .... The date of the big Performance World show that my father was thrilled to be entering because all along I wanted the bike to look like his car.
"No problem Elise. I promise the bike will be finished by then"
January rolls through and we are waiting on parts that were never ordered to begin with. He tells me how its crunch time so if I can find some one to polish and paint the bike, it may help us with time. Fine, within 24 hours I have a shop willing to do it in time for the show so long as I get them all the pieces. Same guys who painted my dad's car.
I pick up the pieces and take them to to the body shop who are appalled with the condition of it all. Plastics could not be saved and with 1 month before the show now I am frantically looking for fairings. I come across a set of 04-06 and pick them up. Perfect. One thing goes right.
We set a budget of $2500 to do the work. The very same price quote Danny gave me to do all the body work. I get a quote from the shop saying it's much worse then we expected. The body work alone will be nearly $6500.00
I have a minor heart attack.
In order to cut that number we start sacrificing things to do.
2 Weeks before the show the guy I originally had building the bike once again disappears. 3 days before the show I finally get a hold of him and he apologizes for being in Daytona for bike week.
At this point, I am homicidal. Again, nothing has come in. Nothing has been put together and the body shop is trying to help me out but we couldn't do a thing.
Performance World is a bust. We focus our efforts on just getting the bike done for end of April when the weather gets nice and I can just race locally.
I find ANOTHER guy who can fabricate the tank for a fraction of the cost. I get the wheels polished by another source as well who saved my butt. I touch base with the original guy who once again has changed plans for the bike. Forgot all about the parts of the engine that needed fixing. Ordered all these other things that ran my budget.
Bike still has no exhaust, no paint, not so great engine and a lot of after market parts that really do nothing for it. It's cost me 10G so far and I still have more things to do.
So ......... it's April 19th
NO WORD from the shop. I finally put it all into perspective today and realized nothing has gone right. Our original plan went to ****. I now have a bike that has all this money invested into it with such little progress. What was I thinking?! I was too optimistic that it would come together when it didn't. Now I have really screwed myself over with it. I have a half finished bike and I refuse to dump anymore money into it. Now I'm thinking of just saying screw it and parting out what I have to try and reclaim SOMETHING.
If I did that, I'll buy a descent bike, leave it stock and call it a day. Screw this. I am done.
So what do you all think? I know I can be blamed for this as well and I accept my faults but it still sucks.
My goal with this bike was to put a descent looking drag bike together for 2011. Custom paint, polished wheels, nice accessories and a engine that performed better than before.
I was recommended to a shop that did all the customizing for a a project such as this.
The only thing was I was going overseas in a couple weeks and would be home in December. We went over the basics of what I would need in a 10G budget. All in all it sounded great and I was pleased. I was planning on traveling to the USA upon my return for 2 months to get away from winter and go try my new bike out down south. He was told this very clearly. The bike was in rough shape but he assured me the plastics could be saved and not to worry.
I gave him some money and went overseas. Every few weeks I would try and call to touch base. I would send e mails. I was in a warzone. I should have been the one who was unreachable. My boyfriend at the time was trying to take care of things but even he was having difficulty and he was back at home. Every time I called I would get things thrown at me. "Things are taking a while. Don't worry it will be done."
I always stressed the deadline and said when I would be home. Everything he needed me to do I had done within 24 hours. I had a paint scheme I wanted. If he needed to ask me questions he could have gone through my boyfriend or myself. Within two months of me coming home I had no idea what the situation was. Again, my calls were unanswered and my emails got no reply.
Then I came home. To my disbelief NOTHING had been done other than the bike stripped apart. Finally he picks up the phone weeks after I get in shocked to hear I am home. He claimed he thought I wanted the bike for April. When I clarified with him how I said I was going racing in the USA he finally remembered. What did I get? An apology.
I am not a spazz. I understand **** happens on levels of miss communication. I forgive so long as it doesn't happen again. We set a new deadline. March 11 .... The date of the big Performance World show that my father was thrilled to be entering because all along I wanted the bike to look like his car.
"No problem Elise. I promise the bike will be finished by then"
January rolls through and we are waiting on parts that were never ordered to begin with. He tells me how its crunch time so if I can find some one to polish and paint the bike, it may help us with time. Fine, within 24 hours I have a shop willing to do it in time for the show so long as I get them all the pieces. Same guys who painted my dad's car.
I pick up the pieces and take them to to the body shop who are appalled with the condition of it all. Plastics could not be saved and with 1 month before the show now I am frantically looking for fairings. I come across a set of 04-06 and pick them up. Perfect. One thing goes right.
We set a budget of $2500 to do the work. The very same price quote Danny gave me to do all the body work. I get a quote from the shop saying it's much worse then we expected. The body work alone will be nearly $6500.00
I have a minor heart attack.
In order to cut that number we start sacrificing things to do.
2 Weeks before the show the guy I originally had building the bike once again disappears. 3 days before the show I finally get a hold of him and he apologizes for being in Daytona for bike week.
At this point, I am homicidal. Again, nothing has come in. Nothing has been put together and the body shop is trying to help me out but we couldn't do a thing.
Performance World is a bust. We focus our efforts on just getting the bike done for end of April when the weather gets nice and I can just race locally.
I find ANOTHER guy who can fabricate the tank for a fraction of the cost. I get the wheels polished by another source as well who saved my butt. I touch base with the original guy who once again has changed plans for the bike. Forgot all about the parts of the engine that needed fixing. Ordered all these other things that ran my budget.
Bike still has no exhaust, no paint, not so great engine and a lot of after market parts that really do nothing for it. It's cost me 10G so far and I still have more things to do.
So ......... it's April 19th
NO WORD from the shop. I finally put it all into perspective today and realized nothing has gone right. Our original plan went to ****. I now have a bike that has all this money invested into it with such little progress. What was I thinking?! I was too optimistic that it would come together when it didn't. Now I have really screwed myself over with it. I have a half finished bike and I refuse to dump anymore money into it. Now I'm thinking of just saying screw it and parting out what I have to try and reclaim SOMETHING.
If I did that, I'll buy a descent bike, leave it stock and call it a day. Screw this. I am done.
So what do you all think? I know I can be blamed for this as well and I accept my faults but it still sucks.
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