I'm Back

[beergood]

Well, truth be told, I never left. I've been doing more lurking than posting though. Time has been spread thin lately. The kid I am having in August may not have been a surprise, but the amount of time and attention she requires kind of is. Please don't take that as a complaint, I am as pleased as punch about the whole deal.

**also, please excuse any typing errors, I am struggling along with a broken finger.

Anyway, I started the annual process of getting the 750 running and ready. I recently acquired a new (to me) rear wheel, with what appears to be pretty good rubber on it. I know, I know, I am taking my chances on a used tire, but the thing looks practically new. No weather checking, barely any tread wear, so I might run with it, then again I might not.

My old wheel was a 17" off a 1000, and had a big, wide new-style tire, which was embarrassingly bald.

This one is an 18" with a 4.25/85H 18 tire on it. When I first looked at it, the tire looked hilariously small compared to the one that I took off, but once I put it on the bike, I gotta say I like it. It has a more of a classic look to it. I always felt that the pseudo-sportbike tire I had on there never really fit the style. We'll see how I feel after a spin with it.

On to some pictures:







Also, my computer bluescreened right around the word pseudo, which really annoyed me. There was no way I was going to retype all this with a busted digit, but Chrome saved just about everything.

Nice.

[beergood]

Also, my mother is a college art professor who specializes in textiles. After about 30 years of her making dresses and crap for my sister, it finally dawned on me what she could make for me. A new seat cover. And since she loves me, she decided to do it.

She ended up taking a couple trips to a Harley dealership and a Ducati dealership to test different seats before building this. I really wish I could have been there for that.



It's made out of a really nice leather (it just so happens that she was hording about 4 cow hides under her mattress waiting for a project to show up). Hopefully the snaps that hold it on will happen in the next couple of days.

Then I can start the hours of polishing, painting and tweaking I have ahead of me.

[simon kuether]

Hey , lookout . Where you there all the time ?

Sorry to hear about the finger , not sorry to see your bike and NOT sorry to hear from you again old mate .

Sounds like things are heating up in your part of the world .

Take it head on and hang on for the ride .

Cheers , Simon .

[Steve]

Nice to see that you are back.

In the interest of keeping you here (and around for the upcoming youngun'), please check the date on that tire.

Any tire that is still measured as a 4.25 is likely to be VERY old.

.

[koolaid_kid]

I ran that tread pattern back in the 70s. Seems like it was a Continental. An odd combo with the front Metzler.

[pete]

Nice to see you back and I'm lovin the look of that there GS.

Tell me, what colour is that blue? Looks like it could be a good choice for mine after I changed my mind away from British racing green...

[Steve]

I ran that tread pattern back in the 70s. Seems like it was a Continental.

I was thinking more like Dunlop K81.

.

[beergood]

The tire is from a Korean company named Swallow. I haven't been able to find much information about them.

I would also bet it is pretty old. I mainly bought the wheel, but I wanted to see what a more old school tire would look like, so it was a bonus.

As for riding on it, I doubt I will. Maybe around the town for a short jaunt to see how a smaller, more curved tire will feel. I have a feeling that will fit my riding style more than what I had before.

Although, a properly stored tire can last decades.

As for the paint, it is from the cheepo dupli-color paintshop series:

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/paintshop.html

You have to have a sprayer, but it works well for the money, and I have a tendency to repaint my bike a lot.

And speaking of that, I am trying an experiment. I was polyurethaning some furniture, and decided to throw a couple coats on the tank, just to see what would happen. I know the downsides...it's made for wood, it will yellow over time. I don't really care, I was getting ready to repaint it anyway, so if this works, awesome, if not, whatever.

[pete]

Cool, thanks for that. I take it that's the Deep Blue you used? I think it's pretty much right for what I'm looking for...

[mattf]

I reeally like the look of that thing.....gets my gears spinning for my GS project......

[beergood]

Got my seat back from mom. She did a great job. Better than I had hoped for.

Weather permitting there will be some small painting/maintenance and wiring, then hopefully I will have it started up and have a short ride before the hockey game.





I should mention that it isn't fully snapped down in these photos, I still have to finish mounting it. That is why there is some wrinkling of the leather.

[ajgs550]

looks like time to carve some back roads . . .

Nice build man . . . I'm cafe-ing my GS550 and will have some pics to post later. Looking good.

[Charlie G]

Beergood,

That is really nice looking! Love the shade of blue.

cg

[pete]

That's looking just right for a cafe Beergood, right stance, right colour, right everything, and your mum did a great job on that seat

[beergood]

Okay, she is all back together.

I am done with the lion's share of the work. I still have a few things to change, but I would say that I am just about where I was hoping to be all those years ago when I started.

I know I will never be truly done, but the seat was the last main thing that I was waiting on.









Close up of the seat:



It is leaps and bounds in appearance and comfort over the previous boyscoutted effort that I did myself. I originally intended to do everything on the bike myself, but I decided that farming a project out to my mom was acceptable, seeing as she's family.

I moved a lot of what I have left of the electronics behind the neck, so the tree is a lot cleaner. Look, almost no wires at all:



My fuel door was constantly rattling and just basically crappy and annoying, no matter what I did. So, I 86ed it. I rarely leave the bike unattended for very long, and decided the risk of leaving this exposed was acceptable. If someone wanted to screw with my bike, there are always options. Hell, someone could just kick it over.



The thumb switch controls the lights.



I am pretty happy with everything at the moment. I have a couple other things on my list, but I have all summer to get to those.

Thanks for looking.