Bike Restoration Attempt - Need Some Advice

[fredintoon]

- - - I may try to see if it will run, but won't loose sleep if it doesn't. I will run a compression test to check the mechanical condition of the motor to see if that part is good in any case. - - -

Hi Steve,
I'd check the motor condition before I decided about the tear-down so I could make informed decisions about how far to go with it.
For instance, I ain't gonna pull the motor if it runs good which means the frame gets a touch-up rather than a re-paint.
Lotsa subsequent choices depend on how well the motor runs so it's best to know that first.

[copeland3300]

Hey all.

Thanks very much for all of your responses. I'm at work at the moment, so I can't go into detail, but I definitely will when I get home tonight. I did have some method to my madness, or at least I thought I did.

Anyway, I'll respond to all the questions tonight. Also, I still have the bags people are asking about. One of the locks was drilled before I got a hold of them. I can take some more pictures if people are interested.

[crazy steve]

Fred, the bikes I buy on my budget always need a complete cosmetic rebuild to have a finished bike that I'll be happy with, so the question of teardown or not doesn't come up...

Copeland, I'll send you a PM...

[fredintoon]

[QUOTE=crazy steve;378218]Fred, the bikes I buy on my budget always need a complete cosmetic rebuild to have a finished bike that I'll be happy with, so the question of teardown or not doesn't come up - - - QUOTE]

Hi Steve,
if the bikes I buy on my budget run, stop and corner, that's good enough.

[Lbrown311]

Well I must say that I agree with the boys on this one. Although I may have my order of operations mixed up as I have been doing cosmetic work before checkin my engine. I do have a full spare engine that I can rip parts from if it doesn't run or run well. So regardless if I didn't tear into mine, I am still glad you posted this thread cuz I usually learn from each one that gets posted.

All that being said, I was scared to dig into the carbs on my first bike and you went right for the bread and butter Big balls my friend, BIG BALLS!

Good luck...and I know where you're at. I have a total of 2 I am working on right now and the first one I am still wrenching on. Always new ideas every day. They are fun bikes so hopefully you get one to ride.

[copeland3300]

Update for anyone who is interested. I've gotten most of the big pieces back on to the frame and I'm planning to finish soon. This pictures are mostly for entertainment value.

http://imgur.com/a/eUSl9#0

[DGXSER]

Nice work, interesting frame color, not often someone varies from the factory black.

[copeland3300]

Nice work, interesting frame color, not often someone varies from the factory black.

Thanks.

I figured I already have a blacked out Harley Nightster, so I thought I'd go with something a little different.

[TheDuck]

Frame

Will be interesting to see how it looks once its all together. I've seen a white frame before on someone's project. Wasn't a fan at first but when it was finally assembled it went well with the whole bike. White wouldnt be my first choice since it will be a pain to keep clean. Keep the pics coming.

[Barnfresh]

My 80G sat outside in the elements for 6 years. Its amazing how well air cooled engines will hold up over time and/or outside, as opposed to water cooled. Water jackets corrode, freeze and rot from the inside. Water pumps, hoses, radiators, thermostats, head gaskets leak and corrode. Then, some PO will probably run it without water... None of those problems with air cooled - they can sit forever. Electrical connections, air intakes (rodents) and fuel systems are the only worries.

[copeland3300]

My 80G sat outside in the elements for 6 years. Its amazing how well air cooled engines will hold up over time and/or outside, as opposed to water cooled. Water jackets corrode, freeze and rot from the inside. Water pumps, hoses, radiators, thermostats, head gaskets leak and corrode. Then, some PO will probably run it without water... None of those problems with air cooled - they can sit forever. Electrical connections, air intakes (rodents) and fuel systems are the only worries.

Haha, interesting points. My problem has been the amount of rust that's been on EVERYTHING!

We'd also hope that nothing settles out and clogs things too badly. I had to toss the original brake hoses because they were all stopped up. I know I had to anyway, but it's interesting to see how these things act over long periods of time.

[crazy steve]

My 80G sat outside in the elements for 6 years. Its amazing how well air cooled engines will hold up over time and/or outside, as opposed to water cooled...

That depends on where you live; in a dry climate like inland Texas, yeah, not too much stuff will go bad. But live somewhere with humidity and you'll be faced with every bare metal surface being heavily corroded, sometimes to the point of no return. I've seen bikes here where the frames have rusted into pieces and you literally couldn't get anything apart without breaking it.

[Barnfresh]

Yeah.. us inland Texicans are spoiled.. Rode my bike to work everyday in November.. and the ride home keeps getting longer!

[Yard Dogg]

I like your methods. Buy it, tear it apart, make it happen. Your frame and motor looks great and you got it done fast. Nice project.

[copeland3300]

I like your methods. Buy it, tear it apart, make it happen. Your frame and motor looks great and you got it done fast. Nice project.

Thanks!