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Had a few nice days so I painted some of the carb parts and finished them up. I replaced all the fasteners with stainless steel.



I pulled the mechanical timing advance out and found it was seized. I was able to clean and lube it, so it works great now.



The swing arm came off to inspect the bearings. They are fine and have no play, so I cleaned and greased them.



I decided to ditch the secondary air system, so I pressed out the metal tubes in the plates, threaded the plates, and installed some 3/8 NPT aluminum plugs for a nice finish.

JaFlo wrote: Had a few nice days so I painted some of the carb parts and finished them up. I replaced all the fasteners with stainless steel.

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I pulled the mechanical timing advance out and found it was seized. I was able to clean and lube it, so it works great now.

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The swing arm came off to inspect the bearings. They are fine and have no play, so I cleaned and greased them.

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I decided to ditch the secondary air system, so I pressed out the metal tubes in the plates, threaded the plates, and installed some 3/8 NPT aluminum plugs for a nice finish.

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NIce! I'll have to remember that.

I messed around with the forks and dropped them about 2" internally. I think I got the suspension height right where I want it now. I think I'm going to get Progressive brand springs and Racetec emulators to finish them up. Not sure what rear shocks I'm going to get, but I'm leaning towards Hagon or Progressive.



Got some new shoes for it today. Avon Roadriders for the front and rear. I originally was planning on getting a 18" rear wheel, but I like the look of the fat rear tire. I want the bike to retain some of the LTD look while blending in some "cafe racer" designs. It's going to be a "cafe cruiser".

Nice build!

I'm under the impression that progressive fork springs and cartridge emulators counteract each other, so you may be better off getting one or the other (or if you want new springs with emulators, RaceTech also sells springs they recommend).

Looking forward to seeing where you go with the bike!

Thanks for that info. I'll look into the Racetech springs.

Rebuilt all 3 calipers. They really needed it. This is after flushing a liter of fresh fluid through it. It's amazing how much crud is left behind!





The slide boots were so swelled they just fell off



530 chain and sprockets installed. I went with a 16 front and 38 rear to keep the rpms close to stock at cruising speed.



Rear shocks are ordered and should be here in a couple of weeks. I also have some EBC full sintered brake pads on the way. Last thing I need to complete the brakes will be stainless hoses.

The shocks came in. These are the cheap eBay RFY shocks, rebuilt and modified by CL MotoTech. They started out as 375mm, but I had him machine them down to 365mm for a better fitment on this bike. They are fitted with 120lbin springs and 7wt oil.



I got a cafe seat from Dime City Cycles. It's a beautiful seat, but I think it may be a little too small for the bike. Instead, I'm going to modify the stock seat pan and shape the foam how I want it. I'll have it professionally covered.

Modified the seat pan and shaped the foam. I think it looks ok, but it disrupts the foundation line of the bike. I may cut the sides so they are on the same plane as the bottom of the gas tank. I also don't like how the back of the seat "floats" above the frame. It will look better once I chop the frame, but I'll have to figure out how to fill the gap. I'm going to coat the seat pan with POR-15 before it gets upholstered to prevent any further rust.

Nice, that looks awesome. You are doing a cool job there. Check out my build. Its an 83, very similar bike to yours.
I like that cafe look on yours. Keep posting pictures.

What kind of shocks are those?...do they come in variable lengths? thanks..........Mike

JaFlo wrote: Modified the seat pan and shaped the foam. I think it looks ok, but it disrupts the foundation line of the bike. I may cut the sides so they are on the same plane as the bottom of the gas tank. I also don't like how the back of the seat "floats" above the frame. It will look better once I chop the frame, but I'll have to figure out how to fill the gap. I'm going to coat the seat pan with POR-15 before it gets upholstered to prevent any further rust.

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I agree, the shocks and chain look like excessively good!

Thanks guys. The shocks are from CL MotoTech. They are available is several different lengths and colors.