The bike was my father's. It has been neglected for years, but I have it running well. I want to clean it up a bit cosmetically and mechanically.
Do I make one long thread or do I make new threads for each piece? Right now I'm pulling a large dent from the side of the tank. I will be replacing fork seals then polishing the forks (they are in rough shape). I will paint the front fender, tank, rear fender and side covers. I may buy a new exhaust. The heat shields are rusted, mufflers don't look bad (other ideas?)
The only thing I really plan on spending money on is the seat. I may have a custom wrapped. My father was a marine and I would like to get it embossed on the seat.
What should I replace or rebuild? Carbs? Anything?
All suggestions welcome. It's not the kind of bike you spend lots of money on. It is just something I want to do and learn about the process at the same time.
How do I get pictures on here from a Mac? I can't drag from Photos. I had to drag it to the desktop then drag and drop to the window below. Now it says file is too big.
If the bike is running well then I'd say there is no need to replace parts for anything other than looks. Aswell no need to clean / rebuild the carbs if there are no issues with them unless you just want piece of mind. If the bike has been neglected then make sure you check any rubber lines for drying out, air filter and air box for any resident such as mice lol and check tire condition
New sneakers
Front Brakes (caliper cylinders were pushed out for so long they wouldn't go back in. I had to sand the junk off them)
CDI box.
New plugs and wires.
Hated saddle horn handle bars. changed them which necessitated changing clutch and brake levers, mirrors
New front blinkers, will change the back.
I don't think the EVAP is connected correctly so I may lose that. Not sure if I can just take it off or I will need to modify for proper vacuum at Carbs. I'm not even sure where the hose is that should be going to the bottom of the gas tank.
If you have a state inspection you may not be able to remove the evap system. Otherwise just run a new hose from the carb bowl vent and run a tank vent hose down past the engine.
I like the idea of the tribute to your dad! Mad respect there! As @swifty2014 said check local insp. laws for evap rules. Here most insp. stations dunno what to do with a bike. They check lights and kill switch thats about it. They dont sniff bikes for emissions yet. Yet is the key word there. Nice work keep it up!
I just moved to NJ from NY. NJ has no inspection. Not that it mattered. I went to the inspection site and they didn't even look at my bike. I showed him the registration and insurance. He said give me 10 bucks. He gave me the sticker.
That's a sweet looking bike! I'm with you on the handlebars, but that just suits my taste. I was thinking you should do something with the tank and now I see that is in the works already, too. I believe you are making that bike proud.
Thanks. It was fist size dent that I thought was going to require a stud welder, but that $11 widget worked. I removed the paint down to the metal and used the hot glue. Hot glue stuck better as I reused by heating the tank a putting used pieces on it. Trying to glue the small pieces to the tank did not work well. If you have a dent that is under pressure to come back to normal it may work but this was big, deep and just bent. I worked amazing and it only required a bit of bondo. It nearly perfect. I know better when get it primed.
Your bike looks great. What did you use to clean the engine up with. Mine is going to need done. I don't know about the 750s but the 1100s need a frame made to use with the jack there. I have this screw jack I use on my 1100. It works great. Only lifts one end at a time but that works for me. Rage Powersport Black Widow Motorcycle Jack MC-JACK | eBay
Sand paper, wire brush, steel wool. metal polish where appropriate. I plan on doing more. I plan on pulling lots of little pieces that are cheap. No sense working that hard. Some screws, nuts, bolts and clips can be replaced so cheaply its not worth trying to clean them. I will polish any aluminum little by little.
Here is the Jack I bought. Easily lists half of the bike. It stays stable. The two top wings easily reach around the engine. The shop manual does say it's ok to lift the bike by the engine, but I feel better using this. It can easily stay this way for extended periods.
IF the bike is running fine, why remove the EVAP system? Will it make it run better? Doubt it. Could it possibly make it run worse? Possible ... probably if not done correctly. Just sayin'
Looking at it hoses are off, cracked and in one case missing. I could learn the system and figure out what it needs or I could just pull it off. I ride on the weekends and have 3 bikes. I'm not too worried about increasing my pollution foot print too much.
Also its one less thing to clean up and it gets quite a bit out of the way to reach other stuff.
Forks First Cleaning. The aluminum is very porous in this state. I tried polishing them to a mirror which works, but I'm thinking they should be gloss black.
If the fork bushings are not in good shape. Now would be the tire to replace them. They are pretty cheep and easy to replace. I just did mine. If they are very bad. It will wear the new seals faster. I used steel wool on my forks. I too have some pitting. A few big ones too. Fortunately they are above where the fork seal will ride. With a little work, the forks will polish out to a point they look like chrome. I just did all that as well. just depends on what results you are looking for. Tearing my front end apart was good for me. I learned a lot in the process.