Project Quickie Cafe........
- Thread starter dewjantim
- Start date
dewjantim
duc in the park.....
I degrease the entire bike with diesel fuel then spray with Suzuki motorcycle cleaner (best I have found) and rinse with water. Next I repeat until the cases are completely clean, finishing off with a cleaning using only water and the cycle cleaner, which is purchased at my local dealer by the gallon. I then polish the engine covers. After that, I take a silver paint pen (available at WalMart or hobby stores) and carefully paint the edges of the fins and most of the bolts and nuts. After it is dry the whole engine is sprayed with S100 Engine Restorer. Wipe the excess from the polished covers and the engine looks better than new. Even if the engine didn't come completely clean (stains, or loose paint) it will look new because the silver paint will draw everyone's attention to the shiney parts making the defects virtually unnoticeable. It is a visual trick.... I knew all those psych classes would be good for something......hehehe. The Ducati is a Cagiva Alazzurra 650 SS. It has the same frame, engine (cams may be different), and running gear as a Pantah, just different bodywork and a more relaxed riding position. I bought it from a kid in Cleveland for only 1700 USD, cleaned and detailed the hell out of it, touched up the paint, put a battery in it, and put on new Dunlop 404's. It is rare (400 made), red, and cool...... not to mention fun to ride. Pretty sweet ride for only two grand total. Here is a pic of another of my two grand ducs....
Dale said:Hey thanks for the pics! The Honda is looking very nice. How do you get your casings looking that good? On all your builds, they look perfect.
Nice little Duc! Pardon my ignorance, but what is it?
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dewjantim
duc in the park.....
I am mostly finished with the Honda now. I picked up my bodywork yesterday, added the emblems and decals then mounted everything on the bike. While I was at it...... I took the shocks apart, ditched the chrome covers, cleaned and polished everything including nuts and bolts, then painted the shock springs semi-gloss black and put everything back together. I tried to crank the engine over and everything is dead... guess I didn't fix all the shorts after all. Going out to work on it in a few minutes and hopefully fix the electrical problem, gas it up with Premium + a little octane booster, and be good to go. Pics will follow as soon as the weather gets good enough to take it out of the shed......... going to put it up for sale now..... am looking at purchasing a new project (Guzzi) and starting in on another Ducati while awaiting parts for the other one I am working on presently (see Ducati GTL 500 build) ...... wish me luck finding that d@*n short.......hehehehe...... hell, its always something. Right guys ??? ??
dewjantim
duc in the park.....
It's done 8) 8) 8) . My little 500 four mild cafe build is finished. And, no it is not a fantastic one off framed, motor built to the hilt, GSXR braked, turbocharged, fuel injected machine . What it is....... is my idea of a cafe bike ;D ;D ;D . Cafe fairing, clubman bars, dual exhaust, pod filters, and a simple, slick paint job which should do "The Ton" and be comfortable enough and reliable enough to go anywhere . So, let me introduce you to "Blackie", my newest ride........
. What it is....... is my idea of a cafe bike ;D ;D ;D . Cafe fairing, clubman bars, dual exhaust, pod filters, and a simple, slick paint job which should do "The Ton" and be comfortable enough and reliable enough to go anywhere . So, let me introduce you to "Blackie", my newest ride........Attachments
