Madmannc
Active Member
....so I wanted to face my fears and finally learn to ride.
I searched CL for an inexpensive bike (like a Honda rebel or something) and came across an old, beat-to-hell rustbucket of a non-working GN400 that have been outside under a tarp for seven years. And after looking on some forums trying to learn about this particular bike, I found that so many people turn these bikes into awesome projects! So naturally I started over-romanticizing the build, and HAD to get it...
So I checked it out: engine still turned, and looked simple enough for a novice like me to work on. A little money later and I was dragging home this turd, along with boxes of old parts, new parts, two extra tanks, and a maintenance workbook for a awesome winter project:
Got to work on it, first rebuilding the front brake caliper & new pads...then rebuilt the carb, sandblasted and cleaned the tank, new ignition coil, new rectifier, new turn signal relay, new turn signals, new brake light, new drive chain, new muffler....I also did a quick chop of the back frame and made a basic brat-style seat out of a skateboard, some harbor freight floor mats and some faux croc-skin vinyl (heres to my 6th grade home-ec class teaching me to loop-stitch)...new tires too! Guess I'm going for a brat-café thing, but this looks more in the vein of "chop" or "rat"
So obviously I have more to do; weld a hoop on the frame, make a better seat, lose the airbox and do the pod filter thing, and eventually take it all apart and de-rust it. But she runs great, and I want to put some miles on her before I take her apart. Got my permit, and she'll be inspected and registered next week! I plan on taking the safety course too, since I tend to err on the side of safety.
Just wanted to show this and thank forums like this for giving ideas and helping noobs like me on this adventure!
I searched CL for an inexpensive bike (like a Honda rebel or something) and came across an old, beat-to-hell rustbucket of a non-working GN400 that have been outside under a tarp for seven years. And after looking on some forums trying to learn about this particular bike, I found that so many people turn these bikes into awesome projects! So naturally I started over-romanticizing the build, and HAD to get it...
So I checked it out: engine still turned, and looked simple enough for a novice like me to work on. A little money later and I was dragging home this turd, along with boxes of old parts, new parts, two extra tanks, and a maintenance workbook for a awesome winter project:
Got to work on it, first rebuilding the front brake caliper & new pads...then rebuilt the carb, sandblasted and cleaned the tank, new ignition coil, new rectifier, new turn signal relay, new turn signals, new brake light, new drive chain, new muffler....I also did a quick chop of the back frame and made a basic brat-style seat out of a skateboard, some harbor freight floor mats and some faux croc-skin vinyl (heres to my 6th grade home-ec class teaching me to loop-stitch)...new tires too! Guess I'm going for a brat-café thing, but this looks more in the vein of "chop" or "rat"
So obviously I have more to do; weld a hoop on the frame, make a better seat, lose the airbox and do the pod filter thing, and eventually take it all apart and de-rust it. But she runs great, and I want to put some miles on her before I take her apart. Got my permit, and she'll be inspected and registered next week! I plan on taking the safety course too, since I tend to err on the side of safety.
Just wanted to show this and thank forums like this for giving ideas and helping noobs like me on this adventure!