Well, I'm both new to the site, and the world of bikes. Just a few weekends ago I fell in love with a bike and did a midnight run down the highway to go get it. (I'm in the military and couldn't get time off during the day to go from Edmonton to Calgary and back).
The bike in question was a 1974 Suzuki GT380. The fact that it was a 2 Stroke Triple was cool, but what really grabs me about the bike is the "Ram Air System" shroud on top of the engine. To me it looks like some old kitchen appliance missing its power cord (has about the same amount of power too). The bike was mostly stock and original with the exception of new tires, brakes, chain, sprockets, a random set of bars, and a poorly recovered seat. The red paint was very faded and there were signs that the bike had tipped over at least twice. I drove with the windows down in my truck following the owner to a 24h self storage lot to use the loading ramp. I swear I can still smell that bike in my truck.
Here is a few pics of the bike both on its way home and in my work bay.
Like everything I own, I can't leave it alone or stock for longer than 5 minutes. I have always liked old cafe/bobber styled bikes, and now was my opportunity. I started by washing the bike followed by leaning against my work bench drinking beer continuously closing one eye imagining the finished product. Sadly I had to work in only a few hours so I decided to call it quits and get some rack so that I could still function after work.
Work on the bike began immediately after I punched out. I was still wearing my fatigues as I began removing things faster than I could decide what to keep. Within a few minutes the fenders were gone and I was left with the predicament of how to mount a tail light. I decided that since brakes only slow you down, the light could wait. I made a quick run to Canadian tire for some Autosol aluminum polish. I tried correcting the heavy tarnish on the engine side cover, but soon became bored with the slow process, and wanted more visual bang for the buck.
Here is what a few minutes of polishing did
I decided that a colour change was in order. Something other than what I would describe the current colour to be "Sun Dried Salmon" would do. Once again I jumped into my truck and sped down to Canadian Tire. I picked up some scuff pads, a razor, masking tape, pinstriping vinyl, and some paint and primer. I also grabbed myself a late night snack at Tim Hortons as well as some tea to fuel the evening task of prep and paint.
I started by using a razor blade to remove the faded gold pinstripe that defined the side of the tank. That was time consuming and made my fingers sore, not to mention wasn't really doing as well as I had hoped. I stuffed a donut into my mouth and walked next door to grab something to make my life easier. I ended up with an electric belt sander from the woodwork shop in the bay next to mine. It wasn't a precise tool, but then again, the already dented tank couldn't get much worse. Within a few minutes, and a few close calls of accidentally putting the damn thing down while it was still spinning, I had a gas tank down to a fairly uniform layer of 1973 green. (From what I understand is the lazy buggers resprayed tanks that weren't used the previous model year). I masked around the tank and removed the side covers to get the same treatment. Primer went on and dried quickly since the shop is heated to something I can only describe as something just short of "Kill".
Tank in primer (yes I was too lazy to remove it, but with the center stand it put it at a nice working hight)
The duplicolor self etching primer dried very quickly so I began applying the chrome silver in multiple coats until I got the look I wanted.
Since the bike was still stock minus fenders, I decided to add a bit of "café" and began cutting the 1 1/2" masking tape into squares. I lauded them down over the 3" high feature running the top of the tank as well as the side covers.
I hit that with some semi gloss black and some mystery brand automotive clear. (I should ad that this paint was all on clearance since caps, labels and sprayers were missing)
With the smell of paint fumes affecting my ability to see straight, I decided to call it a night and went to bed. The next day I returned to the bike with a new powerball wand and a $14 el-cheapo drill. I made quick work of the oxidized engine. I also jerryrigged a Honda Ruckus tail light to the underside of the seat using some zip ties and a pair of jewelry box lid props.
I flipped the bars to simulate poor-man's clubman bars. I also bought a retro Bell helmet, some goggles and dug through my things to find a set of cool old leather gloves.
It didn't take more than a few days but, now I had a bike that was mine. I was very excited to take it for a spin, and tooled around the base after work for a few days.
(more to come)...
The bike in question was a 1974 Suzuki GT380. The fact that it was a 2 Stroke Triple was cool, but what really grabs me about the bike is the "Ram Air System" shroud on top of the engine. To me it looks like some old kitchen appliance missing its power cord (has about the same amount of power too). The bike was mostly stock and original with the exception of new tires, brakes, chain, sprockets, a random set of bars, and a poorly recovered seat. The red paint was very faded and there were signs that the bike had tipped over at least twice. I drove with the windows down in my truck following the owner to a 24h self storage lot to use the loading ramp. I swear I can still smell that bike in my truck.
Here is a few pics of the bike both on its way home and in my work bay.
Like everything I own, I can't leave it alone or stock for longer than 5 minutes. I have always liked old cafe/bobber styled bikes, and now was my opportunity. I started by washing the bike followed by leaning against my work bench drinking beer continuously closing one eye imagining the finished product. Sadly I had to work in only a few hours so I decided to call it quits and get some rack so that I could still function after work.
Work on the bike began immediately after I punched out. I was still wearing my fatigues as I began removing things faster than I could decide what to keep. Within a few minutes the fenders were gone and I was left with the predicament of how to mount a tail light. I decided that since brakes only slow you down, the light could wait. I made a quick run to Canadian tire for some Autosol aluminum polish. I tried correcting the heavy tarnish on the engine side cover, but soon became bored with the slow process, and wanted more visual bang for the buck.
Here is what a few minutes of polishing did
I decided that a colour change was in order. Something other than what I would describe the current colour to be "Sun Dried Salmon" would do. Once again I jumped into my truck and sped down to Canadian Tire. I picked up some scuff pads, a razor, masking tape, pinstriping vinyl, and some paint and primer. I also grabbed myself a late night snack at Tim Hortons as well as some tea to fuel the evening task of prep and paint.
I started by using a razor blade to remove the faded gold pinstripe that defined the side of the tank. That was time consuming and made my fingers sore, not to mention wasn't really doing as well as I had hoped. I stuffed a donut into my mouth and walked next door to grab something to make my life easier. I ended up with an electric belt sander from the woodwork shop in the bay next to mine. It wasn't a precise tool, but then again, the already dented tank couldn't get much worse. Within a few minutes, and a few close calls of accidentally putting the damn thing down while it was still spinning, I had a gas tank down to a fairly uniform layer of 1973 green. (From what I understand is the lazy buggers resprayed tanks that weren't used the previous model year). I masked around the tank and removed the side covers to get the same treatment. Primer went on and dried quickly since the shop is heated to something I can only describe as something just short of "Kill".
Tank in primer (yes I was too lazy to remove it, but with the center stand it put it at a nice working hight)
The duplicolor self etching primer dried very quickly so I began applying the chrome silver in multiple coats until I got the look I wanted.
Since the bike was still stock minus fenders, I decided to add a bit of "café" and began cutting the 1 1/2" masking tape into squares. I lauded them down over the 3" high feature running the top of the tank as well as the side covers.
I hit that with some semi gloss black and some mystery brand automotive clear. (I should ad that this paint was all on clearance since caps, labels and sprayers were missing)
With the smell of paint fumes affecting my ability to see straight, I decided to call it a night and went to bed. The next day I returned to the bike with a new powerball wand and a $14 el-cheapo drill. I made quick work of the oxidized engine. I also jerryrigged a Honda Ruckus tail light to the underside of the seat using some zip ties and a pair of jewelry box lid props.
I flipped the bars to simulate poor-man's clubman bars. I also bought a retro Bell helmet, some goggles and dug through my things to find a set of cool old leather gloves.
It didn't take more than a few days but, now I had a bike that was mine. I was very excited to take it for a spin, and tooled around the base after work for a few days.
(more to come)...
