Hi all,
I have been lurking in the shadows of the forum since about October, harvesting information, tips and tricks.
Working for an auction company, I occasionally come across fun things like this:
It was buried under ages of raccoon funk and shredded building material, forgotten in the back corner of a pole barn. No plugs in it and it felt like it had seized up, obviously someone took a spill on it as it has the turn stop busted off the neck, matching dents on either side of the tank where the handlebars racked side to side, and a bit of road rash on the indicator housings (the ones that survived, anyway). Nobody else bid on it, and I figured I could part it out, if nothing else. So, $50 and a ride in the back of the s10 later, and she sits in my workshop.
Now the good part:
I filled the cylinders with wd40, walk away for 10 minutes, and come back to jump on the kick starter. When I barely get my weight on the lever, whoosh...she rolls over, smooth as can be. Within an hour I cleaned the points, carb & installed plugs, fresh fluids, and now she starts one kick from cold.
I have since put on a new tire, battery, indicator housings, a headlight & new taillight lens. Total cost to date (including the bike) is less than $250. There is a phantom headlight-no-workie issue and some slight fusebox repair to tend to, but she rides around the driveway & yard with great power.
I'm not sure whether to restore or go custom build yet, but once I get some miles on the road we'll figure out which direction we travel.
I have been lurking in the shadows of the forum since about October, harvesting information, tips and tricks.
Working for an auction company, I occasionally come across fun things like this:
It was buried under ages of raccoon funk and shredded building material, forgotten in the back corner of a pole barn. No plugs in it and it felt like it had seized up, obviously someone took a spill on it as it has the turn stop busted off the neck, matching dents on either side of the tank where the handlebars racked side to side, and a bit of road rash on the indicator housings (the ones that survived, anyway). Nobody else bid on it, and I figured I could part it out, if nothing else. So, $50 and a ride in the back of the s10 later, and she sits in my workshop.
Now the good part:
I filled the cylinders with wd40, walk away for 10 minutes, and come back to jump on the kick starter. When I barely get my weight on the lever, whoosh...she rolls over, smooth as can be. Within an hour I cleaned the points, carb & installed plugs, fresh fluids, and now she starts one kick from cold.
I have since put on a new tire, battery, indicator housings, a headlight & new taillight lens. Total cost to date (including the bike) is less than $250. There is a phantom headlight-no-workie issue and some slight fusebox repair to tend to, but she rides around the driveway & yard with great power.
I'm not sure whether to restore or go custom build yet, but once I get some miles on the road we'll figure out which direction we travel.