I can feel that! I never pick up bike with the intention of parting out myself, though that said, there have been a few over the years I had to get that had those parts to finish another, but I typically find a way to reuse the frame and fork and still make a rider out of what I have spare. The best of both, so to speak.
I had a '64 Torpedo a handful of years ago I never should have let go, Original owner sold it over to me for a more than fair price. It was untouched down to tires. I didn't even know some Columbia came with bars like those until I landed this original, unmolested torpedo.
I swapped out a completely roached saddle, polished the paint and gave it all the love I had for the Amazing chrome that came back on it from here surface rust.
It had the deluxe wire rear rack.. two speed kickback hub that shifted like an egg over a well buttered pan.
Delta Stem light on a pivot bracket I've never seen on another bike again, which upon all my searching, may end up being the hardest part to find despite it's general simplicity, but the bars have taken me this long.
Long story not so short, I had to let the original Torpedo go under hard times. I was moving, I was flying solo and knew if I had to move on a dimes notice, I'd only be able to keep what I absolutely had to have and the bike was my smaller of two next to a '47 Snyder rat I could really load onto..
I recently acquired another Torpedo. I couldn't believe it. Someone had it up on the Cabe for super fair,. All original and complete but it wasn't a deluxe model. Different bars.. Scheme's not quite the same.. but it's a Perfect candidate.
The first picture here is the Original I had, and in this photo I framed my passion for it. I always take a LOT of pictures on nice rides.. progress with rebuilding.. parts I get for it.. even accessories. This was a photo that really encapsulated everything I loved about it.
The second photo is the candidate I found to recreate it.
It's far from the same condition and I think they're possibly two different years due to scheme difference from red and white to the red solid but they just Never come around. I couldn't let it pass and chose it to be the renewed bike I had. The Great White Buffalo. The one that got away.
Ive got the tank on temporarily, but it did come with it where the original I had never had a tank, it had a nose badge leading me to believe this one may be a later model than my previous. This one also has the original fender rocket, single speed as apposed to the other ones two speed kickback and so on. So it's a process ahead but great bones to start.
FZ
