Recent content by D-Mac

I didn't have new ones at the time and figured it would be easier to leave them on (less risk of damaging the rims). I eventually got around to changing them though. The edges are just bare aluminum, so there isn't much risk of harming the paint when changing them out.

It's a little crazy in places, but I try and take pics of stuff I wish I'd seen on other builds (including my own).

They aren't very beefy (the ends looks more like what you'd find on a scooter), so I suspect they won't hold up to any amount of hard use. I've heard other good reviews of them on these bikes though. Compared with the stockers they are light-years ahead in design. I took one completely apart...

A few pics of the bike. Since these were taken I’ve replaced a lot of fasteners, replaced the grips/levers, and I’m working on the footpegs and brake lever – removing rust, treating them, polishing them, and clearing them. I will do rearsets eventually, but I’m going back to stock for now...

Some exciting news! Last week I got this project looking more like a motorcycle. I began by installing the rear tire on the rim and borrowing the “special” tool needed to torque the steering head nut correctly. Once this was done, I assembled the forks, front wheel, front caliper, inner fender...

Continued…. The headlight is easily the biggest improvement from powdercoating. It looks even better than the pics show. The powder covered all the scratches perfectly. I replaced all of the rusty fasteners and rotted rubber bits too. Some pics of this beauty. The new swingarm bearings...

Continued. More powdercoat pics…. Sidestand Front fender inner brace. Came out nice! Engine brackets Headlight (more on this below) Exhaust brackets A few other bits came in this week. Grips. Bar end mirror Headlight clamp (I’m ditching the ridiculously heavy, ugly, unadjustable...

Good week. Lots of pics….multiple postings. I spent quite a bit of time working on a friend’s old bike (a Yamaha triple), but on Tuesday my front tire arrived along with tubes for the front and rear. I have access to a tire changing machine where I’m taking motorcycle repair classes. Even...

Final update of the weekend. I got the lower tree painted, along with the brake arm that I forgot to drop at the powdercoater. Hit them with a wire wheel and did a little sanding. Prepped. Three coats of black caliper paint and two coats of clear later. I’ll cure them later this week.

I wasn't sure when I first got it, but it turns out that it's definitely a "T" version. Compared with the "L" the "T" seems to have a less raked out frame (straighter across the top), a larger rear wheel (T=17", L=16") and other minor differences (tank, forks, and gauge cluster are different too...

More from TODAY..... Upper triple tree clamp is done. In the end I decided to polish rather than paint it. Looks more “retro” that way. Originally black (taped up to cut off the risers). After grinding and sanding. Now….Just needs a hand polish and a little dremeling in the nooks and crannies.

TODAY! There have been some new developments in my "slow and overly-documented" builld... First, the big news. On Thursday I dropped off my frame, swingarm, kickstand, centerstand, engine mounting brackets, exhaust brackets, front inner fender brace, and headlight housing for POWDERCOATING. I...

APRIL 14, 2012 cont cont..... PART 3: I finally tackled the problem of my front fender. You might recall that my original one had been painted and that it is FULL of dents. It’s heavy and a little ugly too, but the inner fender is thick steel and I’m told that it acts as a much-needed fork...

APRIL 14, 2012 cont.... PART 2: After getting the seat portion done, I cut and welded some 16-gauge sheet metal on the rear to support the battery and various electrical bits. A few holes and bolts/nuts later and the seat was mounted! I plan to fab a cushion later. I decided to line up...

APRIL 14, 2012 It’s been nearly 10 days since my last update. I do have a little progress to report. Lots of pics, so this will be done in three posts. First, the paint scheme. I took the valve cover, cleaned it, scraped off the gasket, removed the paint, cleaned it 1000 more times, and then...