You know, I look back at my build diary, and I had all these plans to be on the salt in August (2009?!?!), and it wasn't until today that I finally got my crankshaft back from the shop.
But I go through other build diaries and I see a lot of cars and bikes started, and then we never hear from them again.
The build diary thing is a double edged sword, but I encourage you to start one. You make your public statement, and then you either do it, or you don't. Plans change, but if you document your progress, you will be surprised at the encouragement you will receive, and it will give you a great opportunity to document for yourself the progress you HAVE made. I have found that reviewing what I have gotten done in a public forum has inspired me to get my arse back out to the garage and get something else done, even if it's small.
Hotshue, the guy building the Bonneville Bugeye, wrote "Every screw has to be turned by somebody". Take it one screw at a time, and while you may not be racing this year, you will eventually wake up one morning, put the bike on a trailer, and head out to Maxton, or Loring, or the Texas mile, or Bonneville, and you'll be glad you followed through.
Don't let the idea that you won't make it this year discourage you. Get done what you can, purchase what you can afford when you can afford it, but keep the ball rolling.
One other thing – if you can't find somebody who can help you with a Brit bike on this forum, you're not studying it very closely. It's not all Busas, Studes and Big Blocks. A PM to any one of them would probably be returned with more information than you asked for. That's been my experience.
I understand the discouragement, but don't lose sight of the end goal. It's a worthy one.
Cheers, Mate.
Chris