So I bought this bike almost exactly a year ago. I forgot about it and it mostly collected dust until about a month ago when things aligned well enough for me to make some progress.
My first post is here:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=73729.msg818853#msg818853I ordered a benjie tank and seat 3 weeks ago or so and imagine it'll be here in another week or 2. I got my 836 pistons in the mail, and dropped off the top end today to be bored out, honed, and a valve job done. I had the wheels relaced, the rims powdercoated and new tires put on. I stripped the frame and
Now I'm stuck...
My problem isnt lack of information or resources, quite the opposite. I've spent a good deal of time reading up on some of your projects and man are they impressive. I've read article after article and talked with some local bikers and my head is simply spinning. I'm new as new can be to this, part of my problem is that regardless of how much a thread claims to be for dummies, a certain amount of knowledge is assumed. It took me 5 hours to remove the top end of my engine (partly because I had to take a decent number of beer and smoke breaks ) but also just getting hung up on things many of you take for granted i.e. "turn the crankshaft by hand" ...I searched the forums and the manual and it was never explained, thankfully a buddy came out and told me to take off the cover-ma-bob and turn it counter clockwise with a socket to reach tdc. Somwhere in the process of removing the head I lost a couple of jets due to my ignorance, I didnt know what or where they were! anyway, a number of little things like that have me scared i'm gonna screw something up.
I have a list of things I want (i.e. exhaust, headlight bracket, speedo and tach etc.) and I can kind of figure that stuff out on my own but perhaps some of you faithful readers can help me in a few areas.
this is going to be a daily ride but I also want it to be nice. I want it to be quick and have some grunt on the low-end but I dont need to go crazy with performance parts. I'm fine with spending money when and where I need to but it's not exactly falling out of my backside either.
Do stock carbs negate or marginalize the big-bore kit? If so what are my options?
What can be cut off the frame before I have it pc'd? A po already took off the passenger footpeg-a-ma-jigs.
I was considering having someone rebuild the engine but after going through the above steps (big-bore, new pistons, hone and valve job) is it necessary?
Do I need to worry about the bottom end or does everyone pretty much leave that alone as long as it's getting through all the gears?
Do I need to remove all the internals if I want to paint the engine cases?
how important is it to upgrade the cams?
why is there such a huge discrepancy in rear shock prices? you can find them from 70 dollars to 2 grand, do they make that big of a difference?
Do you consider emulators or progressive springs to be best for daily riding?
I have many more questions but that already seems like too many. If I sound like a jack-ass... it's because I am
Really I just need a little direction. Somebody slap me in the face, yell at me to calm down and tell me to focus on x please.
