Gnigma
Just RIDE the thing.
I just discovered this site a couple of months ago, and it looks like a good 'un. I'm a 55 year old undercover hillbilly, transplanted from Tennessee to New Mexico about 12 years ago. I've actually lived in California, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Virginia/DC over the years. Back in 1982 I got a '72 Triumph TR6R in boxes and put it back on the road. I rode it a few years, doing what I could to keep it running before moving on to a Honda 750. (No. this is not another "I wish I still had that one" story. It was a decent bike, if you liked to shake hard, go fast and get oil all over you, and didn't mind the pegs being solid mounted. I still have one piece of it--- you'll see later!)
Over the years I've restored several bikes, though I'm not sure "restored" is the correct term. Going back to the old Triumph, I noticed things tended to shake loose and fall off if I rode it hard, even though I had the flywheel balanced when I had it rebored (.020 over). I never did figure out how to keep that damned 7-piece exhaust all on it. Starting then, I began to "improve" any bike I worked on. (Hillbilly engineering?) On the TR6R, I traded the exhaust for a one piece, 2 into 1 header. Then I had to rework the tail light mount to attach it to the back loop of the frame--- the mounting bolts, washers and all, for the tail light would eat through the sheet metal of the rear fender in a matter of days. Got rid of that Zener diode "voltage regulator" and put a Suzuki reg/rec on it, which also changed it to a negative ground--- that let me put in an electronic pickup to eliminate the points. So, it was reliable, if you didn't count the tendency for the headlamp filament to shake to pieces. (Maybe I SHOULD have kept it... nah.)
Anyway, I've improved every bike I've had over the years. Old bikes seem to fall into my lap. My most recent is an '82 Kawasaki 750 CSR twin. It had the typical starter clutch problems and the PO apparently didn't know that model has left hand threads on the left side of the crank. So, after twisting the flywheel bolt off, he abandoned it at a shop. I gave $120 for it, paid $125 to have it delivered, eliminated alll the electric start stuff, replaced the steering bearings with tapered rollers, put on some alloy wheels, put in progressive springs when I did the fork seals, recovered the seat, and painted it. I also put some lower handlebars on it, added fork gaiters and tank knee pads from a BSA, and now use it as a commuter scooter. Total cost was about $700--- how could I NOT? Oh, and since the plug for the oil fill was gone, I discovered that the screw in tappet access cap from a TR6R, the only piece I have left of the Triumph, perfectly fits the filler hole! Who knew?
My road bike, my main ride, is an '03 Moto Guzzi California EV 1100. I took off that big assed, flat windshield and put on a National Cycle F 15. Big windshields act like sails in New Mexico winds. It's not stock, either, just mostly stock.
I currently have 3 bikes to get going again: an '81 Honda CX500 with the engine from a GL500 (same motor), an '82 920 Virago, and an '81 Kawasaki 440B (not LTD). Since I've always "improved" my restores, anyway, I decided to just start making them into cafes. It seems to me that the mindset for cafe racers is the same as mine, anyway. (Or the other way around.) Why do it stock, when you can make it better, right?
I am a simple hillbilly. My primitive mind often has difficulty grasping the subtle nuances of your advanced civilization. I'll try.
Over the years I've restored several bikes, though I'm not sure "restored" is the correct term. Going back to the old Triumph, I noticed things tended to shake loose and fall off if I rode it hard, even though I had the flywheel balanced when I had it rebored (.020 over). I never did figure out how to keep that damned 7-piece exhaust all on it. Starting then, I began to "improve" any bike I worked on. (Hillbilly engineering?) On the TR6R, I traded the exhaust for a one piece, 2 into 1 header. Then I had to rework the tail light mount to attach it to the back loop of the frame--- the mounting bolts, washers and all, for the tail light would eat through the sheet metal of the rear fender in a matter of days. Got rid of that Zener diode "voltage regulator" and put a Suzuki reg/rec on it, which also changed it to a negative ground--- that let me put in an electronic pickup to eliminate the points. So, it was reliable, if you didn't count the tendency for the headlamp filament to shake to pieces. (Maybe I SHOULD have kept it... nah.)
Anyway, I've improved every bike I've had over the years. Old bikes seem to fall into my lap. My most recent is an '82 Kawasaki 750 CSR twin. It had the typical starter clutch problems and the PO apparently didn't know that model has left hand threads on the left side of the crank. So, after twisting the flywheel bolt off, he abandoned it at a shop. I gave $120 for it, paid $125 to have it delivered, eliminated alll the electric start stuff, replaced the steering bearings with tapered rollers, put on some alloy wheels, put in progressive springs when I did the fork seals, recovered the seat, and painted it. I also put some lower handlebars on it, added fork gaiters and tank knee pads from a BSA, and now use it as a commuter scooter. Total cost was about $700--- how could I NOT? Oh, and since the plug for the oil fill was gone, I discovered that the screw in tappet access cap from a TR6R, the only piece I have left of the Triumph, perfectly fits the filler hole! Who knew?
My road bike, my main ride, is an '03 Moto Guzzi California EV 1100. I took off that big assed, flat windshield and put on a National Cycle F 15. Big windshields act like sails in New Mexico winds. It's not stock, either, just mostly stock.
I currently have 3 bikes to get going again: an '81 Honda CX500 with the engine from a GL500 (same motor), an '82 920 Virago, and an '81 Kawasaki 440B (not LTD). Since I've always "improved" my restores, anyway, I decided to just start making them into cafes. It seems to me that the mindset for cafe racers is the same as mine, anyway. (Or the other way around.) Why do it stock, when you can make it better, right?
I am a simple hillbilly. My primitive mind often has difficulty grasping the subtle nuances of your advanced civilization. I'll try.
