This build thread might start out a little differently, so I hope you can bear with me on it. My hope is that someone will be able take something away from it. Maybe something they like, or maybe an example of what not to do
Firstly, I've never owned a motorcycle. I've also never logged a single mile on public roads on one. This whole "scrambler" build started because I was slated to go to Nepal in Nov. last year as a volunteer to help build houses for a couple weeks. On my one day off I was going to ride a Royal Enfield to the foothills of the Himalayas, which was kind of a dream I guess. Long story short, the trip was cancelled less than two weeks before departure due to political unrest, but I fell in love with the idea of owning a smaller displacement, rugged, simple motorcycle. I was a bit obsessed with the idea.
My brother, who has a huge heart, had an '81 GS450L in rough shape that he didn't pay anything for and decided that it would better off in my hands (I'm a bit more meticulous, I suppose.) So, he surprised the heck out of me and gave me the keys to his GS450 on Christmas. What a guy...
I'm not sure how many previous owners the bike has had, but when my brother someone had put pod filters on it without any carb changes, put a rear tire that was so big it rubbed the swingarm, chopped off the back end behind the rear shock mounts and welded in angle iron for some reason, hacked apart the electronics, etc. It also looked like it was crashed at some point because the handle bars were bent and all the tree bolts on one side were different from the other side.
Here are a few pictures of it as received:
Firstly, I've never owned a motorcycle. I've also never logged a single mile on public roads on one. This whole "scrambler" build started because I was slated to go to Nepal in Nov. last year as a volunteer to help build houses for a couple weeks. On my one day off I was going to ride a Royal Enfield to the foothills of the Himalayas, which was kind of a dream I guess. Long story short, the trip was cancelled less than two weeks before departure due to political unrest, but I fell in love with the idea of owning a smaller displacement, rugged, simple motorcycle. I was a bit obsessed with the idea.
My brother, who has a huge heart, had an '81 GS450L in rough shape that he didn't pay anything for and decided that it would better off in my hands (I'm a bit more meticulous, I suppose.) So, he surprised the heck out of me and gave me the keys to his GS450 on Christmas. What a guy...
I'm not sure how many previous owners the bike has had, but when my brother someone had put pod filters on it without any carb changes, put a rear tire that was so big it rubbed the swingarm, chopped off the back end behind the rear shock mounts and welded in angle iron for some reason, hacked apart the electronics, etc. It also looked like it was crashed at some point because the handle bars were bent and all the tree bolts on one side were different from the other side.
Here are a few pictures of it as received: