'87 Radian project

Broke out the cut off wheel and side grinder today. I won't be running the grab rail, so I made these spacers to mount the rear fender properly and to take up the space where the seat is cut out to clear the grab rail. I'll paint them later.


 
I also cut off the wire routing loop from the headlight mount...



..So I could mount this new headlight. Totally different bike with a round headlight, don't ya think?



 
The headlight I bought has this kind of plug (sorry for the crappy pics)...





And the stock wiring harness has the traditional style plug.



It looks like the wiring on the speedo would plug in to the new headlight, and I can figure out the wiring, but I don't want to mess up a perfectly good speedometer, even if I won't be using it.
Can I get the plug to match the headlight at an auto parts store? That plug doesn't mean anything special that I should know about the headlight, does it?
 
Anybody recognize these parts? I'm pretty sure that I didn't remove them. I think they were in the box of spares I got from the P.O.
What are they and where do they go?

 
Well, the key fit the ignition and seat, but I couldn't get the gas cap open. Took it back to the locksmith and he said the mechanism was broken.
He had to get medieval on it...



The mechanism was broken, rusted and had evidence that whoever lined the tank got liner in the gas cap/lock area.



While hammering on it, we managed to put yet another dent in the tank....grrr!

 
And if that wasn't bad enough, I found out that the liner is coming out.




If Radian tanks weren't as rare as hen's teeth, I'd just look for another one. Luckily, the dents that are in the tank are all shallow and not creased. My body guy can handle these with ease. I'm going to have him take the tank to a radiator shop he uses and have it boiled out and just start from scratch.
 
I kinda knew what I wanted to do with the rear fender/tag light/brake light, but wanted a second opinion. So, my Dad popped in today and, after a little consultation, we pulled out the cut off wheel and grinder and let the sparks fly!



Sectioned the fender extender...



...and made this. All Yamaha parts and it'll plug right in to the wiring harness.




I painted it and will reassemble once everything is dry.
 
I decided to go with the Danmoto Nano gauge. We took the stock gauge bracket, cut and bent and fabbed up a mount for the Danmoto. More pics to come when the paint dries.


 
Dude, this is cool to see somebody lovin' on a Radian. I have an 86' Radian that I'm close to road-worthy on. Bought it for my wife but we're not sure if it's a keeper yet, the suspension on these things is not impressive. Yours is looking great though! Changing out that headlight, signals and dash, and bars makes a world of difference.
 
I need to pull it outside for a better pic, but here's the gauge mounted.



Still have some wiring to do. I think I'm going to use the stock plugs for the dash lights and tachometer/tach background lights and just but female connectors on the end. The Danmoto should plug right in that way.
 
canyoncarver said:
Dude, this is cool to see somebody lovin' on a Radian. I have an 86' Radian that I'm close to road-worthy on. Bought it for my wife but we're not sure if it's a keeper yet, the suspension on these things is not impressive. Yours is looking great though! Changing out that headlight, signals and dash, and bars makes a world of difference.

Thanks! If I can get my mufflers here and get my body guy to start on the tank, this thing will progress quickly! However, the body guy is in the middle of moving shops and I have about 2 1/2 weeks of overtime coming up. :(
I'll get back on it soon. I'll keep pecking away and it'll all fall together fast when it happens. I still have plenty of time with polish and 0000 steel wool ahead of me, too.
 
Cleaned the chain and gave the chain guard a coat of semi-gloss black today.
I also dropped off the seat at my favorite local guy. I was just going to leave it with him while I worked on the project, but he called two hours later and told me it was done! Stock pattern in heavy duty, marine grade vinyl.






I also studied the wiring diagram and the instructions for the Danmoto and I believe I have that all figured out. The only variables are maybe needing a resistor for the tach signal and figuring out which wire on the oil level unit I can use to light up the oil pressure light on the Danmoto. I plan on getting all that wired up in the morning.
 
Drilled out the head of a bolt (man, that thing was hard!)....



Epoxied in the magnet....



...and made up a bracket for the Hall Effect sensor. I would have liked for it to have been on the RH side since there's a holder in the fender for the speedometer cable, but the LH side fork has the pinch bolt and that was a perfect place to hold the bracket. Not sure how I could have mounted it on the RH side.




The bracket will be painted black and I plan on cleaning up the forks a bit when the wheels are off to have the tires mounted.
I also wired up the Danmoto and everything that I can check without having the bike running seems to work.

Got a great deal on a clean tank, so that's on the way, and my mufflers should be here by Tuesday. If I weren't on massive OT at work, I could probably ride this thing by the end of next week. :mad:
 
Pulled the wheels today in anticipation of my new tires. Took the opportunity to clean up around the swing arm...



...and pull the forks. I changed the fork oil to 20W for a little firmer front end.



I also stripped the old clear coat and sticker residue off, lightly sanded the forks with a ScotchBrite pad and clear coated them again.



One done, one waiting..



Much better!


 
My mufflers also showed up today.



Got them temporarily mounted. I want to get the wheels back on and the suspension compressed so I can figure out the hangers. I'm going to have to bend/shorten the hangers just a bit.


 
canyoncarver said:
Nice! Any issues mounting those reverse cones on the old headers?

Not really. I used the supplied reducers and it was a tight fit. I had my GF hold them straight and I used a block of wood and a dead-blow hammer to tap them into place. Didn't have to beat 'em on, but they didn't just slip on either.
I mentioned earlier about the hangers. The hanger bracket/slot is pretty close to the swing arm, but I think I need to get the wheels back on and the suspension compressed. I'll probably have to shorten and bend the hanger slightly and drill out the upper hole to fit the stock Radian passenger peg bolt. I don't see any real issues.
Tires should be here by the end of the week, so maybe I can have them mounted and get the bike down off the lift by the middle of next week.
 
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