BowWow
Old Dog, New Tricks
Basically, I just want a place to keep track of my build. I bought a '77 XS sight unseen from an ad on Kijiji. I sent my wife to buy it for me, and ten days later I saw it in person for the first time. It looked a bit rough in the photos. In person, well, let's just say the old girl's seen better days (the bike, not my wife!).
So here's my list:
1, Front brake - no fluid in master cylinder, but a small pile of something is quietly residing in the bottom of the reservoir. Hmmm...
2. Needs new levers, grips, and a throttle tube.
3. Needs clutch cable - it's missing...
4. Fork seals - front is very bouncy, and clunks when it tops out. Right fork leg is caked with fork oil grunge...
5, Headset is loose - do the tapered roller bearing upgrade.
6. New paint.
7. Couple of dents in the tank need bondo.
8. Petcocks clogged - need cleaning/rebuild.
9. Fuel cap rubber gasket missing.
10. Carb cleaning - obviously!
11. Kick starter spring feels like it's installed backwards - pressure on the lever going the wrong way. Weird!
12. Rewiring
13. New lower bars
14. Left side bar switch needs to be replaced - turn signal switch broken off...
15. Remount the rear fender - I kinda like the bob look.
16. Rear shocks are shot - bouncy like Tigger! Do I replace with stock length, go longer, go shorter? Depends on where this build is going, and I don't exactly know yet...
17. New tires
18. New rear brake shoes.
19, Either lose the front fender entirely (install fork brace), or shorten/re-contour the stock unit.
20. New tail light and signal lights (led ftw!)
21. Mirrors
Now my dilemma. I've been looking at a LOT of builds, gathering ideas. I've picked up a few ideas that I'd like to try with this bike. I got started yesterday, and the farther into the project I get the more I think I'm just going to rat this baby out, at least for the time being. I just don't have the time or resources to do a frame-up restoration. I will in the future, but not right now.
So instead of polishing every bit of chrome and aluminum and chasing every thread and wire brushing every speck of rust, I'm going to leave it all there! I'll get her running, purring like a kitten, but the grunge stays, for now. Then when the time comes, I'll go through her bolt-by-bolt and get her ready for show.
So here's what I've done so far:
In The Beginning:
Before installing the first round of parts - tank sanded to bare metal...
New bars, levers, grips, headlight mounts, rear tire, carbs cleaned and remounted, forks dropped 3/4", front fender removed, new front tire to be installed tomorrow
The lower bars require a new, shorter front brake line from the master cylinder to the brake switch on the lower triple tree. I'll do it in braided steel, with braided steel line to the caliper as well.
Because of my work schedule, after Saturday I won't get a chance to work on her for another month. With the tank taken to bare metal, and going for the rat look, should I just let it rust, or should I slap a rattle-can paint job on it? I'm kind of leaning to the rust look...
Stay tuned!
So here's my list:
1, Front brake - no fluid in master cylinder, but a small pile of something is quietly residing in the bottom of the reservoir. Hmmm...
2. Needs new levers, grips, and a throttle tube.
3. Needs clutch cable - it's missing...
4. Fork seals - front is very bouncy, and clunks when it tops out. Right fork leg is caked with fork oil grunge...
5, Headset is loose - do the tapered roller bearing upgrade.
6. New paint.
7. Couple of dents in the tank need bondo.
8. Petcocks clogged - need cleaning/rebuild.
9. Fuel cap rubber gasket missing.
10. Carb cleaning - obviously!
11. Kick starter spring feels like it's installed backwards - pressure on the lever going the wrong way. Weird!
12. Rewiring
13. New lower bars
14. Left side bar switch needs to be replaced - turn signal switch broken off...
15. Remount the rear fender - I kinda like the bob look.
16. Rear shocks are shot - bouncy like Tigger! Do I replace with stock length, go longer, go shorter? Depends on where this build is going, and I don't exactly know yet...
17. New tires
18. New rear brake shoes.
19, Either lose the front fender entirely (install fork brace), or shorten/re-contour the stock unit.
20. New tail light and signal lights (led ftw!)
21. Mirrors
Now my dilemma. I've been looking at a LOT of builds, gathering ideas. I've picked up a few ideas that I'd like to try with this bike. I got started yesterday, and the farther into the project I get the more I think I'm just going to rat this baby out, at least for the time being. I just don't have the time or resources to do a frame-up restoration. I will in the future, but not right now.
So instead of polishing every bit of chrome and aluminum and chasing every thread and wire brushing every speck of rust, I'm going to leave it all there! I'll get her running, purring like a kitten, but the grunge stays, for now. Then when the time comes, I'll go through her bolt-by-bolt and get her ready for show.
So here's what I've done so far:
In The Beginning:
Before installing the first round of parts - tank sanded to bare metal...
New bars, levers, grips, headlight mounts, rear tire, carbs cleaned and remounted, forks dropped 3/4", front fender removed, new front tire to be installed tomorrow
The lower bars require a new, shorter front brake line from the master cylinder to the brake switch on the lower triple tree. I'll do it in braided steel, with braided steel line to the caliper as well.
Because of my work schedule, after Saturday I won't get a chance to work on her for another month. With the tank taken to bare metal, and going for the rat look, should I just let it rust, or should I slap a rattle-can paint job on it? I'm kind of leaning to the rust look...
Stay tuned!