Hi everybody - Was back on the forum digging around and thought it might be fun to post a few updated pics. Been riding this bike about 3 years now, and have changed / learned a few things.
Just this month I did what I consider to be the "final touch" to this bike - which was rebuilding the wheels. While I was working on it and doing a quick tune I snapped a few pics.
One thing I had to do was touch up the engine case paint, and over the years I've had to do it a couple times. Usually had something to do with a leaky carb and the gas peeling the paint off. Its not a huge hassle, and I still like the look, but in retrospect I don't think I'll ever paint engine cases again. The bare metal is much more durable, original, etc...
A few other mods I did in the past years included changing out the blinkers (the little red lends torpedo guys were cool, but a bit too distinctive maybe), adding gators to beef up the look of the front end, changing grips and the mirror, etc. Mostly subtle stuff, but I think the bike looks much better for it.
And as expensive as it was, I'm really digging my new wheels. The rims I was running before were mismatched and vintage, and recently I started to hear the spokes tinging a bit during and after rides. I took it as a sign, bit the bullet and called buchanan. Now I'm running the Excel shouldered rims (which look exactly like the Akront I had on the rear before) and with new shiney spokes. I upped the rim width on both wheels by 1 increment and of course polished the hubs. Now I just stare at them.
The front wheel was almost a scare. Because I had done the dual disc mod, the spacing there was already super tight. With the new shouldered rim on the front, I had even less to work with. There is one bolt on the caliper carrier that is super tricky to install, and the length of the bolt is so important I was literally counting the threads. It came together ok, but the tolerance between rim and the top bracket was so close I pulled it again and shaved a few millimeters off it.
You can kinda make out the flat spot on it in this pic.
Overall I'm pumped and can't wait to get some miles on her. No exhaust on her here, but everything else is in place.
One last note for cafe builders - when I was fitting up my seat, I wish I had been more careful about the fasteners I used. Popping that seat off takes about 3 wrenches, a screw driver and an allen wrench. It's super secure and sturdy (I even rubber mounted it) but its unnecessarily complex. I should have been a bit more consistent with the bolt sizes I used. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Thanks for looking. Maybe I'll post a few more pics later when I have her out in the sun.
