STANDARD issue…. a resurrection begins….

I see you left 9 bellow on the fork gaiters. Once you put more weight on the forks and they compress a bit (motor back in), you may find them still a little long and have to remove one more. As I mentioned, I had 8 on mine. But none the less, they do look much better now.
 
Still got them, I am just playing around with different looks. I have multiple sets of body panels and fenders to choose from. Yesterday I just wanted to see how well the front fender would clean up. I will likely sell this bike when it is done to fund the next project. I think it will gather more interest in stock form though. Swapping out the fenders is a pretty quick process. I am sure I will continue to play with different looks over the winter. I still have a spare '75 painted tank in storage that might play well with the black side covers and fenders too. Who knows....
 
I still have a spare '75 painted tank in storage that might play well with the black side covers and fenders too. Who knows....
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I like the black side cover / color on tank look. RE is using it too.
 
My only issue with my black side covers and fenders is that they are just cheaply rattle can painted with High Temp engine enamel paint. There was no real body prep work done underneath them other than spray can primer. The fenders had been hit with a wire brush wheel on a grinder, but are still easily scratched as they were originally chromed and the paint doesn't bite to the metal too well. But if someone likes the rough around the edges look, then they are just fine, and can be touched up readily with Rustoleum rattle cans.
 
I’ve been looking around for some new shocks. I’d love to score a used set of Koni’s but so far everything I’m seeing in decent shape is 200-250. This time of year I’m pretty frugal. I’m mean I’m frugal anyway, but a little more so around the holidays when it comes to spending money on myself. Plan B for now, I scored another set of used Triumph T100 shocks on EBay for $40 delivered. I’ve got these same shocks on my 75 and they are decent. Plus they are a bit longer at around 13 1/4”. These are pretty easy to mod to fit the xs too, especially since I have a package of assorted shock bushings. I think these came with the 75 parts lot when I bought it. I’m sure they came from Mikes since the po spent a lot of money there.
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The top bushings are a direct fit, so I started by pressing out the bottom bushings on both sets of shocks. This was easily done with a hammer and small socket the same diameter as the bushing sleeves.
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next I had to separate the rubber bushing from the inner sleeve on the stock unit. I did this by clamping in a vice and crudely cutting off with a box cutter. Then I just hit the sleeve on the wire wheel to remove excess rubber.
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i selected a bushing with a tight fit on the sleeve from my assortment of new, as they vary in inner hole sizes. Popped in the new bushing and drove in the sleeve the same way I drove them out. Easy Peasy Japaneasy.
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Plus they are a bit longer at around 13 1/4”.
Those look great on the bike. Curious to know how much this affected the seat height? Is it possible to find shocks that will lower seat height and still maintain the right frame angle? Thanks for the pictures!
'TT'
 
I think stock shocks are around 12 1/2”, so this raises the seat height by around 3/4”. Not sure about lowering. I’ve heard of people using shocks from a Honda Rebel maybe??? But I think most people using those are using brat frame kits and substantially lower the bike.
 
A little Sunday morning project at the kitchen table. Not sure if I will use them on this project or not, but a good way to spend some time indoors on this cold WINDY day.
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I’ve had these a few years now. Picked them up from forum member Resto. They are cast from pewter and really nice work. They might look good on my bare metal tank :shrug:
 
Those look great on the bike. Curious to know how much this affected the seat height? Is it possible to find shocks that will lower seat height and still maintain the right frame angle? Thanks for the pictures!
'TT'
If you raise the seat & frame height at the rear it will quicken the steering relative to the head angle; for slightly sharper handling.
Go too far and the stability of the bike reduces for a rather exciting if scary machine!
Similarly if you lower the frame, the head angle gets lazier and slows down the steering; improves stability but makes for a boring cruiser type ride.
Depends how much excitement Vs stability you want.
 
See what happens when I’m hiding from the wife in the shop….
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I enjoy being artistic and am not half bad at times. But my hand tends to shake like a dog shitting razor blades, so fine line work is not my thing. I just painted this with little Testers model paint enamel and little brushes. It’s fun. I may distress it a little once it dries. Or it may just become wall art. Who knows.
 
See what happens when I’m hiding from the wife in the shop….
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I enjoy being artistic and am not half bad at times. But my hand tends to shake like a dog shitting razor blades, so fine line work is not my thing. I just painted this with little Testers model paint enamel and little brushes. It’s fun. I may distress it a little once it dries. Or it may just become wall art. Who knows.
I like it with the custom badge. As far as I'm concerned, cover it with clear and call it good.
 
Got a few hours to myself today so I took advantage to pay a little attention to this neglected project. My father in-law passed away this last week after a rapid decline in his disease, so our spare time has been consumed with his care recently. Anyhow, a little shop time was good therapy for me.

I spent a little time cleaning and organizing, and prepping to dive into this motor. With the workbench cleaned off, I managed to He-man the motor from the lift onto the bench by myself. I’ve still got the old motor stand from my 78 motor build which is a tremendous help.
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I had previously sprayed degreaser around the drive sprocket a month or two ago to let it soak. It was caked! Today I just went after it with some mineral spirit and brushes.

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Much better but still needs another round, maybe some brake cleaner. So anyway, I’m all prepped to disassemble the top end and see what is what inside. Not sure what to expect. The bike leaned on its side for many years. At least the motor turns over well, but has low compression. Not sure when I will get started. Funeral is Monday and still got lots to do. Hope to report back on this in the next few weeks.
 
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The girls were out shopping today, so I slipped back into the shop for an hour. I managed to get the rocker and head off and everything bagged and tagged. It looks pretty good for the most part. Cam and rocker arms are in good shape. A little spot on all the tappets. Not sure if those are normal but I suspect not. I could not get the cylinder off yet though. I didn’t have much time and it did not want to separate voluntarily. I gave it a few whacks with the dead blow hammer but did not want to get carried away. Since time ran short I just left her sit that way until I can spare a little more time.
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