1978 - sr500

[CLTBLUESMAN]

Man, I just went through this whole thread! I got an idea of what my bike will entail. Elbow Grease. Lots of it. Looks great. I lusted after one of those bikes back in the day. I loved the sound and simplicity of them.

[kboehringer]

XS11 Friends,
Now one step closer to my original '78.....

Using an original '78 brochure as a guide, I've installed all the graphics. I had the side cover decals custom made by DIYLettering.com. The side cover decals are very CLOSE to original but not really perfect, I doubt many will notice the slight difference. I found that PARTSHACK (recommended by Marty) was able to provide the OEM "YAMAHA" decals for the tank and rear fin. I purchased 3m gold reflective pinstripe from Amazon for the stripe as it is no longer available from Yamaha, there is also a slight tone difference of the 3M Gold vs. the OEM "Yamaha" Gold. Again, I hope few will notice the tone variation.

I aske a few people on FakeBook to held with placement measurements. Unfortunately, it seems few know how to use a ruler as the measurements I received were clearly wrong based on the brochure. I had to "Wing It" a little and tried to use the brochure as a reference.






Before photos are earlier in the thread




I'm pretty happy with the final product.

This ole' girl is BEGGING to be taken for a ride but I'm still waiting for the custom brake lines to arrive. No brakes means no riding..

Kurt

[Radioguylogs]

That paint job and decals are beautiful.

I know you're glad you picked 'red'.

Looks like you did clear coat over the decals?

[kboehringer]

That paint job and decals are beautiful.
I know you're glad you picked 'red'.
Looks like you did clear coat over the decals?

Thanks Mike!

YES, I am happy with the red. Not too much of a fan of Black vehicles.
I've haven't applied a clear coat on these YET, the extra shine you may see is from the original cut & buff of the paint. I'll likely clear the tank to protect the decals from fuel spills. Not sure I will do the rest.

[CLTBLUESMAN]

Really nice looking Kurt. I’d love to find one of those bikes. I think it would be perfect for an old feller like me to putt around town.

[kboehringer]

Finally able to drive the bike.....New brake lines finally arrived from LEN at XJbikes. They are perfect!

This thing is a BLAST to ride.
But you better use the compression release properly to get her going or kicking this thing can be dangerous. It will BITE BACK HARD!! There is no electric start on an SR500!

The SR 500 came with a rear disc in only 1978 & 79 so none of the regular retailers offer a rear line. Len made it custom for me and they are available now for anyone that wants one.

In keeping with the "OEM" theme I should have gone with the black stainless..... Oh well. They are definitely safe to use just don't look OEM.

Front got new lines too.



Basically done!
Replacement seat cover has been installed to finish the look of OEM original.





The bike is wearing the plate from my last year in High School (1981) from my original 1978 SR500!!! (Yes. I save everything car or motorcycle related).




NOTE: Frame Powder Coating..... Not sure I will have the time to get this done in time for the Vintage Yamaha Rally. Gonna think about it for a day or two then decide. If I miss getting this done for the VYR I can get it done later. Biggest concern is the internal frame oil reservoir and if there will be a problem getting it powder coated as a result....

[2WheelFun]

Looks great!
I miss the old yellow PA tags.

[kboehringer]

Last Major Chore Before the Vintage Yamaha Rally.....

Although I have one or two small items to accomplish, the last "Biggie" was to finally do a complete rebuild on the front forks. The lowers had been beat up pretty good and required a good bit of work with scotch-brites on a die grinder to get all the big gashes smoothed out. I would have preferred the dull finish of OEM. However, the only way to smooth out all the big gouges and gashes was to polish them up.

Some of the parts for this ole' machine aren't too hard to come by new. A few pieces had to be special ordered and took quite a while to receive. With new fork seals and dust seals in hand, I was finally able to give the forks a proper rebuild. The front end is a bit "Mushy" after only 25k miles and I believe the springs are not OEM. In order to attempt to solidify the front end a bit I went with 15# oil vs. the stock 10#. Let's see if that accomplishes the desired result.......or at least firms it up a little bit.









I took her for a ride the other night and found none of the display illumination bulbs work in the tach and only one works in the speedo.... Last chore may be to get those all replaced.

[Radioguylogs]

Ohhhhh yeah! Looking sexy.

[MarkD]

Wow-- You did a beautiful job! Well done!

[cajun31]

awesome job Kurt. I know the OEM look is what you were after but polishing them looks great. Did you apply some type of finish to them to preserve the polished finish? I know you store all your bikes inside your man cave so that may not be an issue for you.

[kboehringer]

Did you apply some type of finish to them to preserve the polished finish?

Cajun,
No, I didn't apply anything like a clear coat or similar. I've thought about that in the past but assumed it would yellow and degrade over time and probably much quicker than the factory coating. I've done this polishing to all my other bikes except the SECA 650, that machine is very close to factory stock and the lowers were not beat to heck like most of my bikes. Just a touch or Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish on a soft rag and they all shine right back up.

KURT

[kboehringer]

Took the SR 500 out on the dragon this morning!

[MarkD]

Wow-- great shots of you on the bike. Sweet scoot!

[kboehringer]

Wow-- great shots of you on the bike. Sweet scoot!

Thanks Mark. The riders at the Vintage Yamaha Rally voted it as winner of "Best Restoration". Honestly, there weren't too many others in the restoration class. I am proud of how the bike has turned out and that some of my friends felt it worthy of an award.