Another One?

So I finally got around to buying that parts bike I mentioned a couple of months ago.

It's got 21,000 miles on it, and is in almost exactly the same shape as the bruiser.

I haven't decided what to do with it yet. Maybe a streetfighter with modern suspension and wheels but oldschool bodywork?

I was planning on using the tank on mine, but other than the white stripe it's in no better condition. The paint is a little worse, but it doesn't have the big dent on the left side. It's missing a few parts but they're all cheap and easy to find.

Before and After Summary

If you've been following my blog from the beginning you'll remember that I performed a thorough inspection of the bike when I got it home. If not, check it out here.

To wrap up the project I'll summarize what I've done and what it started as.

Front End
- tire old and hard New Tire (Bridgestone S11 Spitfire)
- wheel lightly corroded Cleaned and polished with steel wool and alloy polish
- fender heavily corroded Painted black
- fork tubes heavily corroded Replaced with good used set
- fork seals cracked Replaced with new OEM parts
- brake lines cracked Replaced with new aftermarket stainless braided lines; rebuilt entire brake system with new OEM seals and new fluid.
- gauge backs lightly corroded Polished with chrome polish
- switches, fork area dirty Cleaned
- headlight rim heavily corroded Polished with chrome polish (still not perfect)
- top nut and misc. hardware corrodedPolished with chrome polish or replaced with new
- levers and hardware lightly corroded Cleaned and polished with steel wool and alloy polish
- missing cushion over handlebar clamps Still missing because it won't work with the shorter superbike bars.

Tank, Seat, Airbox, Sidecovers, Wiring
- tank rusty inside Cleaned with Phosphoric acid
- petcock frozen in "ON" and leaky Replaced with NOS petcock
- one dent in tank Still there, but not bad
- grab rail corroded Polished with chrome polish (still not perfect)
- rearstand handle corroded Replaced with good used
- missing airbox and sidecover harware Replaced with new OEM hardware
- paint dull in general Cleaned, polished and waxed
- mis-matched sidecover Still mis-matched, but you won't be looking at both sides at the same time
- all four turn signals in poor, corroded shape Rears replaced with good used - front signals cleaned and polished but not perfect
- electrical panel lightly corroded; contacts corroded Panel re-painted, all connectors cleaned or replaced; late model Honda RR added.
- exhaust looks like crap - totally rusty Polished with chrome polish

Frame/Rear Suspension
- minor scratches/chips in frame paint Touched-up paint; cleaned and waxed frame.
- rear brake MC leaks Rebuilt entire rear brake system and replaced hose with new stainless braided line.
- rear wheel lightly corroded Cleaned and polished with steel wool and alloy polish
- rear brake pedal lightly corroded Polished with chrome polish
- some hardware corroded Polished with chrome polish or replaced
- rear tire old and hard New Tire (Bridgestone S11 Spitfire)
- chain dry; unknown condition Lubricated and inspected

Finally Coming Together

With the petcock finished and the engine side covers polished, there isn't much left to do but ride this thing. I gave it a quick once-over, checked the air pressure and hit the road.

I visited a friend from the GS Resources to synchronize the carburetors. Thanks Ed! ON the road the new regulator works great - 13.8v at idle with the lights on, and a fully charged battery after 200 miles and sitting around all weekend.

With the carbs synced, the bike runs really well although I do notice the odd backfire and stumble. I may pull the carbs again soon to check them over, but only after I put some more miles on the bike to make sure it's not just "clearing it's throat". I'll also adjust the idle mixture screws a little too.

Other than that it's running perfectly. Being the perfectionist that I am, I might still play with a couple of small details. I don't have to, but I'd like to tweak the front suspension to perfection. I'm getting 65mm of front sag, which is about 30mm too many. And I'd like to maybe remove the passenger grab handle and plug the holes, but I haven't decided yet. In addition, the clutch cover seems to be oozing oil, but it's hard to tell because of the small amount.

Petcock the Third

Well, my second attempt at petcock repair failed because of a poorly-designed aftermarket diaphragm. The O-ring was too small. I should have learned my lesson by now but it almost never pays to mess around with stuff like this - just buy a new one and forget it.

So I did. I bought a NOS petcock on ebay for $36, which seemed like a good deal to me. Bolted it to the tank and no more gas oozing out.

Anyone need a slightly used petcock rebuild kit?