After owning my own custom vintage bike for a year, and doing a few small maintenance projects, I decided I wanted to try my hand at my own custom build. So, in Feburary 2017, I bought a 1982 Honda XL250R, and started tearing it down. During the process, I kept a log of my thoughts, feelings and frustrations here.

Four years ago, I knew nothing about motorcycles. If you had asked me to name three motorcycle manufacturers, I would have said, “Harley, Honda… uhhh… Ninja?” But then, I fell in love with riding, and a new world revealed itself: the community of motorcyclists, the culture of bikes, the immense encyclopedic knowledge of mechanics and enthusiasts.…

As I write this, my 1982 XL250 rebuild project lies in pieces in my garage — engine out of the frame, cylinder head off, stripped of electronics, wheels, brakes, exhaust… I’ve officially reached the point of no return. It didn’t take long to disassemble the bike — just a few evenings and a couple…

Hey there! Here’s a quick recap for new readers: last February I purchased a 1982 XL250R, and this is the third installment in my rebuild journal. Lately, I’ve been having a hard time working regularly on my build. Something always comes up — work or dinner or other projects or general laziness — that keeps…

When the PCC summer course catalog featured a female welding graduate on the cover, it felt like a sign. The universe wanted me to take metal shop. Or, at least, PCC did. Which, for me, was close enough. So, I signed up. I used my trusty rationale that’s gotten me into many new activities I…

Since my last update on my XL250 rebuild project, I’ve gotten a lot better at keeping my project moving. It wasn’t easy to integrate yet another responsibility into my day-to-day, but it feels good to make progress on a project that’s just for me, even if it’s only a bit at a time. I started…

This year, I spent the entire Thanksgiving holiday painting my XL250 engine. Originally, I hadn’t planned on doing any paint myself. To be honest, painting intimidated me. I assumed it required some sort of magic I didn’t possess — or at least some equipment I couldn’t afford. (more…)

A year ago, I looked at my life and thought, something is missing. Overall, I was happy. I had a steady, flexible job with decent pay, a picturesque little home, a goofy cat and a much-loved partner. But I was tired. Tired of circular projects that lasted for months, tired of watching Netflix every night,…

On this blog, I love to embrace and support beginners. After all, nobody is born knowing everything about motorcycles. But it’s important to remember that what you don’t know can hurt you. I’ve long believed this about riding motorcycles, which is why I urge new riders to learn at their own pace. But it wasn’t…

It was a cumbersome job that required four hands, preferably more. J held the frame’s front end, while I gingerly eased the back into its snug fit against the engine. Paint scraped, I grimaced. Everything was smooth, jet black, and unyielding. Breath held, we inched our way down until the mounting points aligned, engine and…

Why do people build custom motorcycles? There’s at least one obvious answer: they do it so they can have a custom motorcycle. But if all you wanted was to own a custom motorcycle, there are easier ways to get one. Maybe even less expensive ways, depending on how well-stocked your garage is 😉 Don’t get…

During this rebuild project, I’ve done plenty of hard things. I slaved over the engine with brushes and chemicals to prep it for paint. I banged up my hands tapping out bearing races, struggling for each millimeter of movement. I’ve made mistakes and wasted time. I’ve broken bolts off deep in the crankcase, cracked my…

I just came inside from an afternoon in the garage. My hands are sore, I’ve got a crick in my upper back, and my arches are flatter than pancakes. But I don’t feel any of it. Because the XL250 is finally coming together. Two weeks ago, I felt a pulling, an intuition like rumbling thunder.…

When I wrote my previous rebuild update in December, I thought I wouldn’t write about this motorcycle again until after it was reassembled, running and ready to show off. But then, my XL250 project was accepted to the One Moto Show. And that changed everything. Getting the official invitation was beyond exciting — it was…

Has it really been a month since the One Moto? Despite the weeks, it’s hard not to feel like I left a part of myself behind in the drafty, motorcycle-filled Pickle Factory. True to form, the ten-year anniversary show was a motorcycle mecca. Every kind of bike was represented, from choppers to cafe racers to…

For months now, my XL250 project has been “done” enough to try starting it. But I didn’t. I used every excuse I had to put it off. First it was the home-buying process, and then it was moving, and then it was simply that I needed time to relax. Even after we settled in our…