Summers changes

[WelderDave]

Well, I’m at it again. So the first year I had the bike I took to turn it into a cafe bike. Basically all the maintenance stuff and going through everything and working out the kinks. Still looked like an old bike because I didn’t really do any paint or anything, just getting it up to snuff.

my second season owning the bike I fought through a bunch of electrical stuff and re wired the whole bike, and worked out some of the tubing issues I had with these pwk carbs from mikesxs.

so at the end of last year my head gasket started leaking, and I parked her for the winter season. Now this spring I decided I’m giving the old girl a facelift. I’ll be replacing the head gasket and valve seals while I’m in there. I’m also cutting the old hoop off, making a new battery and electrical box, new seat pan, having an embroidery place make a seat out of the pan I make, and going with a different style. I’m also changing out the speedo I got on there for a gps one, painting the engine, adding new led headlight and tail light, stripping the bike down for new powder coat, and I’m making a tank for her. I’m also taking the muffler off the 2 into 1 exhaust and putting an elbow directing it under the bike where the h pipe was and probably putting a lollipop in there and wrapping the exhaust.
So the frame is gonna be powder coated black, along with the aluminum bottom portion of the forks, calipers, triple tree, etc. the wheels will be powder coated black with a gunmetal grey accent, new custom tank will be gunmetal grey, new shocks will be black, and the seat is gonna be a distressed leather look.
All in all, I’m estimating I’ll have about $3,000 invested total into the bike since I bought it, but this old girl is gonna be all brand new. I did also add the bronze bushings last year, forgot to mention that. Lots of work to do, but I think it will be all worth it in the end, and have a sweet bike.
What do you all think?

 

[buztabuzt]

Looking forward to pictures!

 

[WelderDave]

It’s gonna take a while, but most definitely! I have a lot of projects I’m doing this summer that need to be done first. But this is definitely getting done!

 

[NewHavenMike]

Too many projects and youll never finish any of them as you imagined. Trust me, I dug myself into a backlog of bikes that need a full teardown. It sucks working on 3 bikes at once and another 7 behind that. Progression can be slow and unfulfilling. It can get very confusing if youre like me and you have zero short term memory. Bags, tags, rags, and a marker..

Start at the most important work. This means the engine.
- Head gasket can be done in maybe 1.5 hrs.
- Lapping valves takes about 45 mins IF you have a proper spring compressor, otherwise its a hell of a fight... ask me about it.
- Then you have to gap, time, and sync everything. Check the electrics and make sure all lights are wired well and you have good grounds. Brakes?

This can easily turn into a weekend alone.

Now that the bike is operable, you can decide on what next. Id skip out on powder coating and frame work, and pretty much everything else you mentioned.

Ride it for a full season without working on it, only performing maintenance. Enjoy the bike without the clutter of fabrication and wiring. WHO CARES what it looks like? My seat pan is a piece of 1/4" plywood, I use my pups old leather collar as a battery strap and I zip tied the fuse box and rectifier to the toolbox bolt holes on the frame..

Then after the season, evaluate the bike once more and get to your cosmetics knowing that you actually want the bike and you think its worth it.

If this was your only project, Id probably do the work that you want to do right now because you can put more time/energy into it. IMO you NEED to have at least one bike in your collection that you can ride while you work on the projects. Do not make all your stuff a project.

 

[WelderDave]

You misunderstand, lol. I rode this bike all last year and worked out the maintenance, mechanical, and electrical issues, those are all good. The engine just popped a head gasket at the end of last year.

The first year I cut the rear, welded a hoop made from the sissy bar it had, bent up and welded new foot pegs, new carbs (old ones were shot, previous owner broke fuel screw in them and lots of stripped screws, etc), cut the electrical harness up a bit to clean it up some and get rid of other stuff I didn’t want or use, new battery, seat, fabricated battery box, engine maintenance, fork seals, fork oil, tires, wheel bearings, new regulator and rectifier, side oil plug, gapped valves, new spark plugs, tested charging and ignition system, new cables, new levers, bled the brakes.

just this last year I put new pads on it, bronze swing arm bushings, headlight, handlebars, tail light, rewired the while thing from scratch (solder, heatshrink, and connectors), larger battery, new petcock, new gas lines and filter, tuned carbs after new exhaust, etc etc.

This coming year i have some better levers(not Chinese junk I originally bought), braided steel brake lines, head gasket and valve seals, new rear hoop to fit the new seat I’ll be making, building a new coffin style gas tank with dual percocks to accommodate the separate pwk carb fuel inlets, fabricating a new front cluster bracket mount, new battery box slightly larger and different shape to clean up some of the wiring, plastic wire protectant sheeting, underglow(possibly), rear shocks, getting a better quality rear tail light, changing the front and rear sprockets (I don’t take it on the highway, didn’t make it for that), and just a new chain. Then once everything is assembled how I want it and everything works as it should, she gets stripped down for paint, then reassembled, and she’s completely finished.

 

[WelderDave]

These are not my images, but I just wanted to show, that is the style seat I’m making a pan for and taking to an upholstery place, and the gas tank I will be making from scratch.

 

[WelderDave]

She’s nearly done. Lot of hard work into her. Still waiting on the braided steel brake lines in the mail, and I need a new battery to get tomorrow. Last but not least, I made a license place bracket with tail light that goes onto the side (add pic when finished) but I have to solder the brake light wires yet, and put the underglow in.
She’s basically done though.