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Archive for July, 2009

1977 XS650D – Get It Back Together Project

July 18th, 2009

This is my first XS650 which has been neglected and scavanged for parts for my ‘80 SG project. I had replaced the factory plastic swing arm bushings with brass one’s and it’s sat since. I have new brake shoes and a new set of tires for it. I also bought a set of used hard bags for it.

1977D

I wanted to give it a more vintage look so I got a set of skinny tires for it. I had major problems getting the rear tire to seat properly and that’s where I lost interest. The first thing I need to do is get the tire on the wheel properly, balance it and get it back on the bike so I can easily maneuver it around the garage. That’s my plan for this weekend. Wish me luck!

What the ‘77 looked like before I started on the ‘80 project:

77dl.sized

Sorry for not posting for a while. I realized why I was having a bitch of a time with the rear tire on my XS. The tire was a warped Cheng Shin POS. I ordered a new Dunlop and then got sidetracked by wifeski because she wanted our back porch floor fixed. Well, that evolved into a new freaking deck that I’ve spent all summer on. So, the bike hasn’t moved since the last post, but I’m determined to put a few miles on it this season.

Deck001

4 comments »

Posted in General

Tags: XS650

CL200 Muffler

July 14th, 2009

Holy crap…I better start saving or hope I can find one of these used in decent condition. Here are two places I found online that have a NOS muffler for my CL200 (in case you’re interested, it’s factory part number 18300378677):

http://www.speedsupplies.com/parts/honda-18300-378-677.htm

http://www.cmsnl.com/products/muffler-comp-ex_18300378677/

It’s about $230 for a muffler….you’d think I have a modern day BMW 7 series or something! All in all that’s not too horrible. I’ll try to set some funds aside while I can still get the part.

2 comments »

Posted in Honda CB360G, Project Updates

The Beautiful Super Magna

July 14th, 2009

The other day on the way home from work, I saw a guy with a Honda Super Magna that was also filling up at the gas station (the picture here is NOT his, it’s just one that I found online). This is the first time I have actually seen one of these in person.

What a gorgeous bike! I think this may be what I need to get next. Since they were only made for two years, they’re somewhat rare.

Unlike those certain people that ride a certain brand and are too busy striking a pose and too cool to speak to you unless you have the same brand, this guy, like most vintage bike owners, welcomed me coming over to talk to him about his bike. It was pure stock and looked brand new.

Anyway, yeah – I eould have to say the Super Magna is definately one of the most beautiful bikes ever made and with any luck, I’ll announce the acquisition of one sometime next year.

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Posted in Cool Vintage Bikes

CL200 First Look at the Exhaust

July 10th, 2009

As I mentioned a few days ago, I did finally remove the exhaust to have a good look at it. It’s pretty rough.

The pipe in the picture is the lower pipe, from the left hand cylinder. It’s far worse than the upper pipe..as can be expected since the upper pipe is shielded by the lower pipe.

A little bit of elbow grease though has resulted in the less rusty sections that you see. Some areas are completely pitted and will need a good grinding.

The back side of the exhaust heat shields are also pretty rough as you can see…but nothing that can’t be cleaned up with some work and possibly some Dremel attachments. I suppose I’ll end up sanding most of the chrome off in the process of cleaning these up, but that’s ok. They need to be clean for now and I’ll get them rechromed in the future.

The muffler is pretty well shot. I’m having a very hard time finding a replacement, so for now I’ll try patching it, sandblasting it, and painting it with a high temperature tolerant black. As far as I can tell from pictures I’ve found, the muffler was black from the factory.

I’m debating whether or not I should just get the pipes coated black. It may look pretty good and will also be cheaper than chroming…but it’s just not original. Any opinions?

Here’s a picture of the main heat shield from the front side. It’s not too bad from this side except it has a crease that needs to be straightened. Also, the screws REALLY need to be replaced…I barely managed to get them out, due to them being already stripped.

So, I’m going to bust a nut trying to get these pipes cleaned up before they pick up the bike next week. I’ll send it over to the shop without a muffler and try to get that patched and blasted while they’re looking at the engine issues.

2 comments »

Posted in Honda CL200, Project Updates

I Love to See This Enthusiasm

July 7th, 2009

I felt bad about posting on top of the one and only member post so far..but that’s just the way this Wordpress platform works…newest on top.

Anyway, did you all see the post from July 4th: NMAXXS’ Yamaha XS650SG? What I thought was so cool about this was that here’s another person that (at least it seems to me) is so passionate about a particular vintage bike that he operates a web site just for resources and information on that bike (http://www.mikesxs.net/).

To me, it’s kind of cool to see anything non-Harley get this enthusiasm. I have nothing against Harleys or many of the people that ride them. I do just shake my head when I see the yuppies riding them and getting their badass-wannabe attitudes while doing so. Brotherhood? I don’t think so. Yuppie by day and poser by night [complete with the HD logo leather getup and $600 exhaust pipes] – far more likely. I believe that if scooters made a massive comeback in popularity you would see many of the same people trade in their Harleys and leather for a Vespa and a closet full of turtlenecks.

Sorry – just venting. This site and me personally are not anti-Harley. We’re about vintage bikes. Join the site, participate and post. Thanks.

1 comment »

Posted in Opinions

CL200: The Basics of This Project

July 7th, 2009

Sorry for my lack of posting the past few days….I had a lot of things that I’ve been promising my daughter I’d do. Anyway, it was excellent to see some posting in my absence.

I’ll try to get some pictures of the exhaust headers that I started working on while I wait to get this bike picked up and over to the shop for some engine diagnostics/repair beyond my current abilities. The apparent elbow grease required to get these back into shape reminded me of something important…my budget and plan for this project.

My budget and plan are this: I have no budget. By that I don’t mean “unlimited.” I mean that I’m scraping for funds for this and the plan is to (1) just get it running right, (2) clean and reburbish anything that I can by myself, and finally (3) when it’s all done, I’ll start slowly getting things rechromed where necessary.

It just kind of cracks me up to see projects on TV. They are just nothing like what we normal people go through to restore an old classic. I mean, I didn’t start off with a budget of a month’s salary and at this stage, I just don’t see manufacturers donating thousands of dollars in parts to me in order to help me not blow my budget. I love when they say, “…this should only set you back about $800.” What? ONLY?

Yeah, I guess my strategy is a slow de-aging process, rather than a major all-at-once visit to the fountain of youth.

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Posted in Honda CL200, Opinions, Project Updates

NMAXXS’ Yamaha XS650SG

July 4th, 2009

My 1980 XS650SG. I bought this bike as a project to see if I could get it running. It was a rolling frame with three huge boxes of parts (mostly junk) and an engine. It took me a year to gather new ( http://www.mikesxs.net/) and used parts (eBay) and put it together. Been a great runner and fun to ride for over three years.

1980 XS650SG