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You can add up all the costs, but projects like these aren't really about saving money. They are about building something you want, because you want to.
When I resto-modded my 75 Goldwing, I bought the bike for $300. I spent more than that on just rebuilding the carbs lol. Not including my time, between cleaning, painting, polishing,wiring, other upgrades, etc. I likely had $5000+ into the bike. I ended up with a classic bike that had full LED lighting, a fully upgraded charging system with the worlds most oversized lithium battery (500cca lol), a sweet metallic orange paint job, and something I could stare at all day. It looked nothing like any other bike on the road, and it made everybody turn their head and look at it, and every biker across the spectrum approach it. Everybody that talked with me always knew somebody who had an old Goldwing, or they had one themselves, and I ended up in a ridiculous number of conversations for who knows how many hours.
I could have easily bought a great new or almost new bike for the money I put into it at the time, and by most measures ended up with a "better" bike.
I wouldn't have traded it for anything. There is a certain amount of pride and a sense of accomplishment that you just can't get from buying a bike.
I love your little project, and I can't wait to see where you take it next.
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