Lucille - mostly-stock custom 1980 Special II

Re-did the tail light as well. I wanted to go with all LED lights on this bike. I found a simple brake/tail light and added some small turn signals using "L" brackets. I ran the wiring under the fender like the stock setup. It was pretty easy.

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Then I added some cheap Emgo mufflers to the stock headers. I had to use an adapter for the inner exhaust pipe to connect directly to the muffler. I think it turned out pretty well for about $100.

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They have a removable baffle which you can wrap for additional sound suppression.

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Got the tank painted by a friend. It is House of Kolor Lapis Blue. Clearcoat over the blue.

It looks almost purple in low light conditions but a brilliant metallic blue in the sun. Should be a fun color.

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And I got the seat back from the upholsterer. It looks fabulous. It is based off a standard seat pan and still utilizes the original locking mechanism. This was something I didn't want to compromise on with a custom seat.

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I'm still waiting on the wheels. I have a 18" rear and 19" front that are not pictured in these last few images. They are being fitted with Avon RoadRider tires front and rear. They should be done by the end of the week.
 
What a great pair of bikes to have. Do you still ride the chopper, too? Love 'em both!

I still ride the chopper. I had to sort out why the right side wasn't getting spark (bad ground connection to coil btw) and give it some adjustment. I usually ride too aggressively to want to ride the chopper though. Its not great on bumpy roads either (all over my city) so I don't ride it as often as I should.
 
Took a ride last weekend from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. We stopped in Santa Cruz and had lunch with some friends. All in all it was 160 miles through twisty canyon roads. The bike held up wonderfully. Casey rode his 1979 RD400F which itself is a beauty.

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And the very next day I tore the motor out of my Chopper and threw it into the Lucy Bike.

The chopper motor is a 277 rephase completely rebuilt from the bottom-end. It has mild porting, no starter or gear linkage, jetted up carbs with uni foam pods, and a brand new clutch with performance springs.

It still needs a little tuning and some wiring for the lights but it runs so well. The chopper motor deserves to be in a bike with full suspension, something that is set up for cornering and hard acceleration out.

Here is the stock 360 motor out of the blue Lucy Bike.
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empty frame where the 277 motor was previously residing.
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277 sucessfully installed and ready for testing.
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Hey just hoping to get a little clarity on my bike, it's 80 special. And has a left side latching seat, but when I'm looking online for a cafe seat it says 1980 latch in the back and 79's are side latching? Is this a mistake on their part? And does anyone know where I can purchase a cafe seat for my 1980 special, or maybe just leather so I can attempt to make one like shown above, any info is appreciated
 
Hey just hoping to get a little clarity on my bike, it's 80 special. And has a left side latching seat, but when I'm looking online for a cafe seat it says 1980 latch in the back and 79's are side latching? Is this a mistake on their part? And does anyone know where I can purchase a cafe seat for my 1980 special, or maybe just leather so I can attempt to make one like shown above, any info is appreciated
 
Hi Frodo,

You probably have a late '79 Special (I think the build dates went from Aug-July). But you should start your own thread or one that's discussing seats/model ID's (As this is Coastside's build thread and you'll probably get more help that way).
 
Hey just hoping to get a little clarity on my bike, it's 80 special. And has a left side latching seat, but when I'm looking online for a cafe seat it says 1980 latch in the back and 79's are side latching? Is this a mistake on their part? And does anyone know where I can purchase a cafe seat for my 1980 special, or maybe just leather so I can attempt to make one like shown above, any info is appreciated

You can fit a standard seat to a special frame with some 13mm spacers. The brown seat on the bike is a re-covered standard seat with the foam cut down.

If you need a special seat look for any special from 1978-1980. In 1980 and later they changed the design of the latching mechanism. You basically just have to carefully look at photos to show you the difference.
 
I'm in the process of shaving down my seat on my 80' special II.. How exact do you need the foam to before you put the new leather on? You can definitely see edges in the picture. Are those edges hidden when you put the new leather on?
 
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