Hey guys...i know i am a newbie....and have only been on two rides....casye...casye......but i have been thinking......the BFTP group is all about old 80s bikes.....which must mean we are all into working on the bikes as much or even maybe more then riding them....so maybe we should have "shed" nights? days?...like some of the "real" clubs have.....i realise there is the risk of it sounding more like post classic....but they are into racing not socialising/cruising whatever the term is...as a long term personal goal i think it would be sweet to get a group of people and to rent a "shed" where we can work on our bikes, share ideas, tools, costs etc....i remember my brother doing that with his V8 mates back in the 80s...but then he was single.....and they did sleep in the shed....but it looked damn cool to me!...just a wet sunday ramble.....
a few of us already help each other fix bikes, get info, partc, etc. i'm sure there would be others interested to participate. my humble garage and assortment of tools are on disposal to bftp members
Likewise, happy to help out with my meager skills and limited facilities (which although light on special tools, does include a beer fridge)
Yeah me too, I am a "certified by psy" Incouragable Tinkerer. A theme night would be good. I could do : Introduction to Airbrush (teach you bastards how to pimp out your rides) Would do TIG/Plasma welding but only have mine and one loaner helmet Polishing and Pimping (yeah baby, you know it's good for you) What I would like to learn more of is: Lathe work (I have one but not confident in using it much) Fibreglass/carbon fibre mould making and construction Wheel spoking and truing Seat making and cover/recovering By the way- 70's and 80's bikes... mine, Voli's and Max's are pre 1980
Cor....makes the 70's sound soooo old. Best I keep quiet about the 50's Triumph projects.... I'm doing a cafe racer at the moment and in the course of that have done some welding,wheel respoking, fibreglassing and next seat re trimming. I saw ya Dodgy bidding on that Norton..... I'd love a Norvill one with peashooters.
Yep, I was into it, but it went over my spend. It had JPS Special written all over it in my eyes. Good engine too. Never mind, I would prefer the Mk3 Commando as a starting point anyway. I like my isospastics
POLISHING ALI.............I am hooked!!...bought a buffing wheel and polishing paste....now i am going about polishing all the ali bits on the bike....it's a bit messy...but very satisfying.....just wanted ya all to know........
he he, here's a few pics to keep you motivated
Psyguy...WOW...they look like crome......in fact i suspect they are!!...actually my first XS650..i did crome all the motor covers and the forks.....!!......
nope, not chrome, but you really couldnt tell the difference when they were freshly polished... unfortunately they didnt last too long... partially my fault as i clear-coated them and that proved a wrong decision
Polished cases are seriously cool.... for a little while. However it take lots of work to get just how ya want and is reeeeeally high maintenance forever after, if you want to retain the initial satisfaction, and despite your best intentions and effort it invariably loses it's luster. Kinda like marri... Anyhoo, I have come to appreciate the easily achieved and maintainable scotchbrite/mill finish. The lazy mans cool
ProCoat East Tamaki, tell 'em the Guzzi man sent ya. Polish the parts as smooth as you can and they will do the rest. It is tough as and looks great because no more polishing, just wash it. You will see it all over my Mk1 if I take that on the Annual ride, even got the swingarm done because you can never have enough bling. Not as shiny as straight polishing, but we are in to riding not re-polishing eh? Have a look at my albums - Super-T album, that puppy is covered in the coatings in the photos where the bodywork is green.
dodgviti, what is the finish??...
i have to throw this in as a word of caution... i have used good quality 2pot clear and the clear itself is not the problem - it holds well and is still transparent. however, the alu has started coroding underneath the clear coat and it's looking worse and worse as the time goes by and i have no means of cleaning it. i dont know how this is possible other than to think that the alu is so porous that it draws air through the backside. i have heard that the early jap bikes didnt have very good quality alu - and my experience seems to confirm this. hopefuly guzzi alloy is better quality
that was going to be my next question..the clear coat...my cases originally had something but then i leaked fuel onto them..hence the polishing....maybe i should just chrome them...trouble is they are all a bit nicked/ scratched..etc
