Topic: My new chopper. A real "back in the day" survivor.

[MoMo]

Norton is gone.
Guzzi is broken.

So, do you have a daily rider?

[jaguar]

Do not actually have a bike I am using regularly right now.
Just some epic broken projects.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Do not actually have a bike I am using regularly right now.
Just some epic broken projects.

Time for you to sell those Lesters so you have some more project money and can (hopefully) have something to ride.

[MoMo]

Do not actually have a bike I am using regularly right now.
Just some epic broken projects.

 

[jaguar]

Do not actually have a bike I am using regularly right now.
Just some epic broken projects.

Time for you to sell those Lesters so you have some more project money and can (hopefully) have something to ride.

Im trying!
Honestly it is more of a time thing then actual money.

Do not actually have a bike I am using regularly right now.
Just some epic broken projects.

 

It happens.

[jaguar]

Sold off almost everything so that my Wife and I could buy our first home.
Garage isnt huge, but should be workable.

Have not had my own shop space in YEARS, and is really put a damper on this(and other) projects.

The Chopper did not sell, and now is my ONLY project.
Heck it is my only "real" motorcycle!  Other bike is my 1974 CL125s.

I am excited to get back into the swing of things and looking forward to doing something productive with this pile.
Would love some input and to have a discussion about direction with this project.

Not exactly sure what I want to do.

[754]

 First a pic. Let's see what it looks like now.
 I like the short forks street racer look, easy to flick around in town..  others like the longer bikes..

[jaguar]

It's basically the same.
Just the motor is out.

Not really interested in changing the stance at all.

More debating on "restoring" the finishes.
I think it is crossing the line from "patina" to junky in a lot of ways.

[Don R]

 That's an awesome bike. Maybe a cheap plan B motor to ride with until you get this one the way you want it?

[DV Red Herring]

I like that gold frame. Very psychedelic. Any idea what seat you have on there? I'm looking for something lIke that for my current project.

[SoyBoySigh]

I get what you're saying about it having been ... UN-DEAD for these past many many years. But can you really call it a "SURVIVOR" when it was violently murdered so soon after rolling off the production line? SEMANTICS, yes. But I'm just sayin'.



-Sigh.

[jaguar]

....Opens door slowly.....looks around......

WELL HELLO!

Long time no talk!

Been away for a while.

Figure it was time to get back in the saddle and screw some more things up!
Spent most of last year selling off almost everything motorcycle related that I had.  Part of it was that the "stuff" just became a burden and very unfun. 
I was not doing much with everything and generally didn't enjoy it any more. 
Sure having some super rare and interesting bikes was cool, but I seemed to never get traction to do anything productive with them.

Also life was changing, as it tends to do.
Started a new job in a new field doing new and exciting things.
Bought a big dumb house in a neighborhood that is way too nice for me.
Got married about a year ago too.

With all the changes two things stayed constant with my motorcycles.

The CL125, because it is SO good to run around town one.

AND,
The Chopper!

I still would like a modern-ish bike to just "ride", but have not decided what that will be yet.
For right now I have a bike on the road and one project.
ONLY ONE PROJECT!

New house has a single car garage, but a huge full basement.
In that basement is a nice little shop space that will work perfect for me to tinker, and stay focused on the task at hand.


Can not have a work shop without a bench, so I got to work.






Nothing fancy, but will do the job.
Also will be nice to have a place to store bins and keep things organized.
We are trying to turn a new leaf here....


So here is the bike in it's current state.

Engine is still blown up, out and apart.

The big question at this point is what to actually do with the bike.
Personally I am starting to think that the "patina" has crossed the line into "ugly".
Exploring options of re-doing the chrome and having the tins painted. 

Would love some input.

[Stev-o]

WElcome back Jag, congrats on the house and marriage.

Easy to get sidetracked on bike project when there is a lot of other stuff going on in your life, my latest project has stalled for that reason [master bath renovation]

Pull the motor!

[seanbarney41]

Things always seem to look better than they are in pictures on the internet, but I am not seeing much ugly there.  I would polish or chrome the #$%* out of a stock engine and throw it in there with really nice hardware.  You will be hard pressed to get any paint with half the character in these modern times.

[seanbarney41]

oh yeah...welcome back.  Somehow I knew you didn't sell everything...kind of a funny surprise to see what you kept.

[jaguar]

Ill get some other pictures to show what I mean.
The main issue is the frame is molded and the paint is coming off in rather large chunks as the filler is finally failing.

Not looking to change the stance or anything.
Maybe some different colors.

Would like a lace job on the tank.

I kept the chopper and the 125 for a couple of reasons.
One was the fun factor was high.
The other was the value.  Old Honda choppers are almost not worth selling.

[754]

Re do the chrome? One trip to the planters with a handful of parts to rechrome, might cure you of that..
 Just get r done and make it run, pretty it up and refine it later..

[jaguar]

I talked to a couple of platers and the pricing was "a bit much", but I think it is something that makes a bike pop.
While I am not looking to just burn money, I don't think everything needs to be "budget" either.

Re do the chrome? One trip to the planters with a handful of parts to rechrome, might cure you of that..
 Just get r done and make it run, pretty it up and refine it later..

[MoMo]

Welcome back and congratulations on the life changes...Larry

[rb550four]

 Welcome back. I've seen some 750 engines in CL for sale or free that I thought may have been yours, thought you may have  given up bikes or something horrible like that.
  The 125 looks like a fun little ride for runnin' around town for sure but that chopper, in all my travels I haven't found a 550 chopper base worth fooling around with. But yours (according to the pics) doesn't  look like a bad start at all.
Maybe you'll get to feeling better about it after you sand some of the offensive patina off, over sand the areas where the chunks blown out and see how deep the damage goes, just to get a feel for it again. when you're satisfied fill those areas , sand the entire frame down to accept new paint.  If you are still in the Albany area , Body Shop Supply is on 3rd Street,  just off of Central, just past Everett Road, you can get your primer and any color paint that you like.  I like to use a base coat clear coat so it 'll stay fresh looking for years longer than the single stage paints that will dull out in only a few years. Well, that's how I would rekindle my excitement for a project like that.  The engine will come along in time and you'll have a better idea about it's colors then....you'll know when the frame's paint is on.  Heck , the motor is all apart now , so you're almost a third of the ways done, you'll be riding it next May when the sand is off the road.
 Keep us in the loop about this project's progress.

[jaguar]

Welcome back. I've seen some 750 engines in CL for sale or free that I thought may have been yours, thought you may have  given up bikes or something horrible like that.
  The 125 looks like a fun little ride for runnin' around town for sure but that chopper, in all my travels I haven't found a 550 chopper base worth fooling around with. But yours (according to the pics) doesn't  look like a bad start at all.
Maybe you'll get to feeling better about it after you sand some of the offensive patina off, over sand the areas where the chunks blown out and see how deep the damage goes, just to get a feel for it again. when you're satisfied fill those areas , sand the entire frame down to accept new paint.  If you are still in the Albany area , Body Shop Supply is on 3rd Street,  just off of Central, just past Everett Road, you can get your primer and any color paint that you like.  I like to use a base coat clear coat so it 'll stay fresh looking for years longer than the single stage paints that will dull out in only a few years. Well, that's how I would rekindle my excitement for a project like that.  The engine will come along in time and you'll have a better idea about it's colors then....you'll know when the frame's paint is on.  Heck , the motor is all apart now , so you're almost a third of the ways done, you'll be riding it next May when the sand is off the road.
 Keep us in the loop about this project's progress.

Thanks for the tip!
I am still in Albany.

[jaguar]

So I REALLY hate electrical work, wiring or anything of the sorts.
In the past I had dismissed the MotoGadget M-Unit thing as over priced and marketed to dumb Hipsters.

Well maybe I am actually a dumb Hipster as the more I read about it, the cooler it sounds.

I get that this chopper is going to be fairly simple as far has harness building goes, but maybe this M-Unit thing is the way to go for me and this bike.
Right now there are no wires on the bike.
What didn't burn (carb fire, or short from years of hacking) got ripped out a while ago.
Either way the whole bike needs to be redone.

Any of you guys use this fancy harness wiring thingy?
Worth it?
Opinions?
Thoughts?
Comments?
Foul words?

[Medyo Bastos]

sounds like it is more than you need for a chopper. 

[jaguar]

sounds like it is more than you need for a chopper.

I guess I figure each item needs a wire anyway, so whats the difference?
Overkill has never stopped anyone.

[sinister902]

Motogadget M-Unit is truly a clean and simple solution that really eliminates an awful lot of other older tech in a MUCH smaller package.

No more flasher relays or fuses. No more spending hours diagnosing a circuit (it lights up red when a circuit is compromised). I really liked the V.2 a LOT more than I realized now that I work with the current model. I'm not as big a fan of the connection style now but it's obviously still a really good product. From a shop standpoint, wiring a bike traditionally with supplies and hours matching factory circuits is almost the same end cost as an M-unit install once someone has been doing it a lot and can do it quickly.

That said....it's a vintage chopper. if you didn't hate wiring I'd say do it old-fashioned with the new version of cloth covered wire and circuit breakers instead of fuses and wire up just the basics with some waterproof toggle switches. but if you hate that stuff, M-unit def is the way to go. I can get you a discount on one if you're interested.