Hi guys! I haven’t updated this thread in a while, I’ve been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest!
I have been busy doing a lot of getting things ready to get serious. I have completely stripped my bike, it is now just the motor in the frame, resting on my bike jack and pushed into a corner of my garage. I have been going over things and compiling lists of necessary items. And I have been ordering a lot of parts. I would like to push a fairly fast pace on this.
I have begun to refurbish various components, the speedometer and tachometer and the handlebar switchgear.
Neither is finished yet but I’m making progress. I received my new gauge face decals from Diablo last week and got them on. They are a very nice product and they look great. I still have not had the time to assemble my gauges yet, but that shall happen soon. I intend to write a comprehensive separate article on the process replacing your gauge faces when I am done, but here is a little teaser, before and after.
I have also been working on a few other things. I plan on installing new clutch plates and after getting some very good advice about the idea of replacing the entire clutch assembly with a stronger ( and easier to source parts for )
later assembly, I was able to acquire an entire clutch assembly from forum member Daniel Black who has a nice little stash of parts and lives conveniently close to me. I got everything, front to back. I will buy new friction plates and springs prior to assembly.
I Have also been taking a stab at refurbishing my broken left switchgear. After much perusing on eBay I wound up getting lucky (again) right here on this forum. Once again my friend Daniel Black had an old switch that was broken that I picked up for some internal parts, and forum member KsHansen says that he has my broken push button and some various bits that he intends to mail me. Yay! The guys on this forum are SO great! Since these photos, I have this switch broken down and cleaned up and all electrical contacts shined up, just waiting for parts.
I also scored some really nice silver PVC wiring sleeves from Vintage Connections in various sizes that I am using to replace all of my cracked and discolored original loom. I have just started doing some of this work and it’s going to look great. This same product is available elsewhere for MORE money and this whole month Vintage Connections has had free shipping! $$ Give this guy some business!
I have started to get a feel for what direction I want to go with on this bike. My first idea was to leave the original finish, just shine it up and make the bike mechanically sound. After spending more than a week working on my tank I came to the conclusion that I just couldn’t live with it as it was. It photographed really well, but upon close inspection it has the following issues. Too much rust for my comfort level, inside and out. After cleaning the inside with vinegar, it was still very rusted and the metal was very pitted, that and the rust on the underside of the tank, especially along the seems made me realize that I need to seal the tank. The finish is also in poor condition, there are stains in the paint from ( I believe ) from the guy I bought it from attempts to clean the tank. And a number of small dents. So....all this led up to my decision to send the tins out to be stripped, have the tank sealed and repainted. I sent them to Marble Motors. I have seen their work and I have high hopes for the finished results.
http://marblesmotors.com/paint-and-body/
I would just like to say, thanks again to all that have been helping me with tech support, moral support, encouragement , parts and pointers as to where to find suppliers.
So, I am making progress, just nothing much to show for it YET! Hopefully by the next update I’ll have a little more to chew on.
Until next time,
Bob
