DohcBikes said:
as will happen in real life, as opposed to an artistic rendition of a hipster sweeping effortlessly through a mountain curve
I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees that libera-.....I mean hipsters live in a reality distortion bubble of comforting ignorance.
It seems they ONLY want a bike for the image. The true original definition of a cafe racer; a bike you make all shiny and neat so you can hang your nose above the rest as they compliment you all day while the bike is parked in front of Starbucks.
They want the little "arté" videos for their vlogs that use a monochrome effect and pretentious Agua De Jeo style editing. They love to coerce their friends into driving beside them with a gopro so they can get hawt secksy way-deck action shawts of them really rippen it up...in their Birkenstocks.
True story: I have a Super Magna for sale right now that I fixed up earlier this year. The guy put 11 miles on it since I left it with him.
At first, he was super stoked to see the results of my restoration and couldn't wait to ride it. He bought a new helmet and jacket and didn't blink at the hefty tab he ran up with me.
When he asked me to consign the bike, he always sounded sorry about it, like it was a big regret. Eventually I coaxed him and he said he couldn't "get comfortable" on it. Sure...it's a standard upright riding position with a butt stop and good suspension, he's just chicken shit. I've done some nice smokey burnouts and had this same bike up to 90 and didn't even know it, I guess with all the discomfort my wrist slipped.
Back to your story, I'm surprised to see somebody that was originally chasing a look willing to take advice. This stuff will save your life or at least avoid a sad Craigslist posting.
Tires: Get Avon Roadriders. I put them on a lot of bikes where the customer says "I dunno, just put what you think is best" or I just talk them out of getting Dunlop K87's or whichever they are. One customer couldn't understand why his friend's CB350 just didn't feel the same as his CB450 until I pointed out the Dunlop-style Shinkos vs the sleek most sexy look of the Avon's. It's a VERY sticky and confident tire. It will change your entire riding experience. Battleax's are popular too, I haven't had a bad experience there.
Looks like this is coming along with a lot of good vibes. Just can't understand why anybody wants a boat oar for a seat...
Here's a GL1000 I fixed last year.
I should add: notice the hole in the frame where it was chopped. The bottom of the frame has a bulged fracture that compromises the integrity. I'm assuming this is from water/snow that got into the hole and froze as the same exact thing often happened to some of my flatbeds and trailers.