(no subject)
for hipmama 'cause it's her birthday and she recommended the bike to me-
I spent so much time getting the customized pics of my new bike I forgot to put up the ones of my old bike. I finally found all the pictures of the restoration. This was the first bike I had- a 1986 Yamaha YX600 Radian that I called Kate. It was a rescue from a friend's garage I paid $500 for. It was beat to hell and back- it sat up for eleven months, and had been in two accidents. The last one came from someone who was used to riding old Brit bikes and went to grab the "clutch" on a turn. (stoda knows what I'm talking about).
The restoration process took a little over a year- partially because of available time, partially because stuff kept breaking. *coughs*
BEFORE
This was taken about five minutes after I gave my friend the cash for it.
Note the peeling paint and flat tire.
AFTER
This was taken after I laid down the final layer of glosscoat
IN BETWEEN
Got primer?
The exhaust & rear suspension was rusty, so out came the naval jelly and sandpaper.
Much better! I also scrubbed all the grime out of the chain and sprockets.
I'M NAKED!!
The carbs were a nightmare- the gas had turned to the consistency of dried maple syrup. This is a stripped jet from one of the jets that had adhered itself to the inside of the carb. I had to use an extractor to get it out.
After removing the rubber bits, I had to soak each one's parts in B-12. When the cleaner starts off looking like vodka and finishes looking like bourbon, it's a good sign they were long overdue for service.
The right side crash had broken the screw mount for the mirror from the master cylinder. There was no way I could fix that, so I got out a hacksaw and the biggest meanest file in my tool box and just took it off altogether. The new mirror mounts via a C-clamp around the bar near the master cylinder.
See where it took a dive on the left side? It broke the mounting screws out of the headlight bucket, smashed the speedo cover, and broke the headlight glass. I had to replace the cover altogehter, rescrewed the mounting bolts, and replaced the headlight glass with cellophane tape.
What I forgot to get pictures of was when I stripped the tank down to bare metal, Kreemed the inside, primed it, bondo'd the dent from an earlier lowside, and repainted it.
EDIT: Crap- I can't find the photo- there's a picture that looks like a 32oz bottle of salad dressing. This is what came out of the gas tank- which was about half full of water. Nothing short of a cold fusion reactor would've gotten it to start.
For some size comparison, I'm 5'9"/173lbs- it's not a very big bike. Actually, if you're over 5'7" you're probably gonna be a little bit cramped, especially on highway trips.
And the rear view.
Parts replaced:
-Intake boots
-ignition coils
-new front tire
-new speedo cover
-new clutch cable
-new sparkplugs
-a few new carb jets
-new right mirror & bracket
-new front & rear brake pads
-rear valve stem
-plug wire
-new battery
Other work done includes but is not limited to:
-new paint on the frame, tank, bodywork, front brake calipers, and controls
-de-rusting pretty much everywhere
-cleaned chain
-rewired main fuse assembly
-synched carbs
I sold it back in October to someone looking for a good first bike. I think someone on here recently was looking for a UJM style, short person-friendly, good beginner bike. If you can find one of these, they're awesome- it's not something you'll get tired of quickly, and it's still got lots of zip for carrying a passenger.
I spent so much time getting the customized pics of my new bike I forgot to put up the ones of my old bike. I finally found all the pictures of the restoration. This was the first bike I had- a 1986 Yamaha YX600 Radian that I called Kate. It was a rescue from a friend's garage I paid $500 for. It was beat to hell and back- it sat up for eleven months, and had been in two accidents. The last one came from someone who was used to riding old Brit bikes and went to grab the "clutch" on a turn. (stoda knows what I'm talking about).
The restoration process took a little over a year- partially because of available time, partially because stuff kept breaking. *coughs*
BEFORE
This was taken about five minutes after I gave my friend the cash for it.
Note the peeling paint and flat tire.
AFTER
This was taken after I laid down the final layer of glosscoat
IN BETWEEN
Got primer?
The exhaust & rear suspension was rusty, so out came the naval jelly and sandpaper.
Much better! I also scrubbed all the grime out of the chain and sprockets.
I'M NAKED!!
The carbs were a nightmare- the gas had turned to the consistency of dried maple syrup. This is a stripped jet from one of the jets that had adhered itself to the inside of the carb. I had to use an extractor to get it out.
After removing the rubber bits, I had to soak each one's parts in B-12. When the cleaner starts off looking like vodka and finishes looking like bourbon, it's a good sign they were long overdue for service.
The right side crash had broken the screw mount for the mirror from the master cylinder. There was no way I could fix that, so I got out a hacksaw and the biggest meanest file in my tool box and just took it off altogether. The new mirror mounts via a C-clamp around the bar near the master cylinder.
See where it took a dive on the left side? It broke the mounting screws out of the headlight bucket, smashed the speedo cover, and broke the headlight glass. I had to replace the cover altogehter, rescrewed the mounting bolts, and replaced the headlight glass with cellophane tape.
What I forgot to get pictures of was when I stripped the tank down to bare metal, Kreemed the inside, primed it, bondo'd the dent from an earlier lowside, and repainted it.
EDIT: Crap- I can't find the photo- there's a picture that looks like a 32oz bottle of salad dressing. This is what came out of the gas tank- which was about half full of water. Nothing short of a cold fusion reactor would've gotten it to start.
For some size comparison, I'm 5'9"/173lbs- it's not a very big bike. Actually, if you're over 5'7" you're probably gonna be a little bit cramped, especially on highway trips.
And the rear view.
Parts replaced:
-Intake boots
-ignition coils
-new front tire
-new speedo cover
-new clutch cable
-new sparkplugs
-a few new carb jets
-new right mirror & bracket
-new front & rear brake pads
-rear valve stem
-plug wire
-new battery
Other work done includes but is not limited to:
-new paint on the frame, tank, bodywork, front brake calipers, and controls
-de-rusting pretty much everywhere
-cleaned chain
-rewired main fuse assembly
-synched carbs
I sold it back in October to someone looking for a good first bike. I think someone on here recently was looking for a UJM style, short person-friendly, good beginner bike. If you can find one of these, they're awesome- it's not something you'll get tired of quickly, and it's still got lots of zip for carrying a passenger.