I used to feel much the same as yourself, Rob. But what is the answer?
You buy a rough, old RT for a few hundred pounds, euros, etc.
Do you completely renovate it with new parts, as decent, second hand are becoming rare now? Get an expensive re spray?
Keep it standard or put your own mark on it?
To raise the subject of filthy lucre, how much less is it going to be worth than it costs when you are finished?
If you're not handy with spanners, the rebuild costs are going to make that 'new' brick for £10k look like a bargain!
I agree that there are some dogs out there that have been 'built' by lazy chimpanzees.
Cut a few bits off, put a set of clip ons on it and paint everything matt black. We've all seen them and the silly money they ask for them.
While few could argue that tremendous effort goes into Larry's creations, you do have to ask, WHY?
They are beautiful but they are show bikes.
I'm sure that Larry gets tremendous pleasure building these bikes and I do enjoy looking at them, but how does that relate to people like myself with limited skills, facilities and finance?
Quite a few people on the forum have built their own interpretation of what they think a custom K is and you can sense the pride and enthusiasm they have. More importantly, they seem to get used regularly.
Yes, would love to be able to fit a different tank, install a turbo, put wire wheels on it, etc, etc. The sKrambler would be my dream custom build.
But, back to limited skills and resources.
Let's keep some perspective here.
It's never going to be a Manx Norton equivalent, more like a BSA A10.
They can be obtained cheaply, are relatively easy to work on and get parts for.
Most importantly of all, they are enjoyed by bodgers of varying skill levels. Isn't that the whole point of motorcycling?
Now, where did I put that big tin of matt black paint?