Spike, it's not my fault we're talking bikes, REALLY!
I just got done uploading pics. Mick was stalling for time because I was doing some polishing work. No 'before' pics for you. I just know that if I posted some, everyone west of the Mississippi would be knocking on my door, offering me beer in payment for polishing and restoring their crap, and to be honest, I just can't drink that much.
Well... *flips through her Flickr account*
It's officially the end of the riding season...
and we're seriously glad we've got Mickey's Sporty home (and wishing the neighborhood cat hadn't p!ssed on my motorcycle cover...)
...
We went to the salvage place looking for replacement parts for Mickey's busted tail light, speedo, and missing battery covers, and I popped over to the metric place (Western Cycle Salvage, where the aloof but friendly salesguy out front won't say much, but you'll find a treasure trove out back!) and this bentup little old guy said "Why, I think I have just what you need!" and pointed me toward a really crusty looking black CB650 tank. Black, like I would've gotten for my B-day from Honda. I peeked inside, and it was clean, I looked at the crust on the outside and figured it might be oxidation. It had both the tank badges in nice condition, filter and tube still up in the unmarred petcock bung. $120 later, I walked out the door grinning.
One of us had totally won out.
I set about it with 1500 sand paper, a bottle of brush-on black scratch-fix, two rubbing compounds and my best friend, NuFinish. Took off the tank badges and cleaned the accumulated wax and crap from under them, cleaned and repainted 'em, screwed 'em back on. This is the result:
I look maybe 15' tall standing over the tank in that reflection. Pic is grainy b/c the only light I've got is the kitchen fluorescent. Smooth as a baby's bottom.
Here's one from the side (and a mini-tour of our messy kitchen):
Getting the 'safety' sticker for the top because it almost looks like it was painted over or something. It's still actually readable, but looks like just a rectangular bump from any normal distance. Weird, huh? Also unless you've got extremely good light and are looking for it, you can't tell the seat rubbed the paint off the tank where it touched.
The parts fiche makes it look like there's a chrome strip that goes along the bottom, but none of the tanks I've ever seen have it. Do they just come off that early in a bike's life? I have the chrome stripping... should I put it on?
Now Terry doesn't have to feel like I'm neglecting my bike by putting on an ugly tank... (I'm messing with ya, Terry) but I'm still going to use truck bedliner on my b!tched up old tank for school commuting punkness. Don't need a reserve to get to school and back, so no worries
If I don't put the chrome on the new, shiny tank, I'll put it on the bedliner'd one for eye-catching contrast.
78K, MickeyX was just picking on you for the 'Call me a fag' discontinuity in your post. No offense was taken or meant, just making fun of your wording. You don't look like a cigarette to either of us, and watching Survivor doesn't make you one either.
