Senora Gringo's new bike ~Better pics added

Thanks Chris I wish I was as sure as you are that she will like bikes. As for getting her involved in the restoring of the bike I think I'd have a better chance getting my Scottie involved. So far the only thing he has ever done is make off with sockets and a couple of parts. Do you know how irritating it is to be hunting a tool that you just had only to find the dog has carried it away to his cage? I think Senora Gringo is going to have her hands full restoring the inside of my house to something that passes for how most "normal" humans live.

You are right though the 305's are not too shabby in the get up and go dept. I truthfully like them better than I do the 440's. I'm planning on getting my 14 year old stepson involved in finishing the rehab of the other 305 that's in the basement now. I'm thinking of teaching him to do some of the more tedious things like wet sanding and polishing engine covers and the like.

In the back of my mind I'm also thinking if I end up taking that job bartending on that mega-yacht, this might be the bike to take aboard. Gas in the islands costs a fortune and space on vessels is always tight. This would make a great bike to tool around the islands.

Edit: New Pic added

I left Tuesday morning for Chi-Town to fetch my two latest purchases and arrived home at 3:30 AM Wed. morning. What a butt kicking, expensive trip! Between the cost of gas and paying around $50.00 in tolls I'm feeling pretty broke at the moment. I didn't unload them till Thursday morning and I've only had time to do minimal cleanup to them. I still need to drag the pressure washer out and give them a quick bath. I'm planning on doing that Monday which is my next day off.

I think I'll make the 305 the next porch dweller once I give her a quick blast. Overall this bike is one of my best finds yet. I'm going to need to acid wash the tank but I'm thinking I may just get lucky and not have to clean the carbs. I got a copy of the repair bill from the seller and the PO spent $532.15 on this bike back in 97 having the carbs cleaned, new plugs, flushing and bleeding the front brake, new plugs etc. I did hook a test tank with new gas and seafoam to it to fill the bowls up. One carb was pissing a little gas but a quick rap with a deadblow hammer fixed that. I'm going to leave this mix sit in the carbs for a little while and then drain them and see what comes out. All this work was done 4 miles ago. There is a small bit of road rash on the end of the right muffler, the right rear turn signal is slightly rashed as well and it has a very small crease in the rt. side of the tank. The bike isn't perfect but it's pretty darn close.

I'm going to want to polish up all the engine covers and the fork lowers too but this looks to be my easiest resto yet. A very worthy addition to "The Gringo Collection".

Things are looking good on the mega-yacht job as well. The owner stopped in my bar tonight to get a couple of drinks to take out on the golf course and I asked him how the build was going. He said it looks like now it will be October before it will be done. I told him to just let me know I'm ready to go. He showed me the baseball cap the company sent him with their logo on it. I said that's pretty cool, and I was surprised they didn't put the name of the boat on it for him. He said he hadn't chosen the name yet when they sent him the hat. A few minutes later the caddie master walked into the bar and said Tony wanted me to give you this. Turns out he went into the pro shop and bought a new hat so he could give me his. Now that's the kind of guy I want to work for! That has to be one of the nicest things a club member has ever done for me.

Pic of the engine:

I added pics by editing my earlier posts because I'm not smart enough to put more than one pic in a post. Just start at the top and work your way down.

Should have let me know I live here in Chicago could have given you a hand or helped you out somehow! I am about to marry a Brazilian girl here. Similar to your situation. I guess i could be know as Ese Branco. lol

Well I finally fessed up. I was chatting with my wife on MSN messenger today and she was feeling a little down so thinking I might lift her spirits a little I told her I bought her a bike. I even sent her a pic of it. Her response was that it was pretty.:S Like a dummy I also told her the true number of the herd (currently :laugh: ) funny thing is from thousands of miles away I think I can hear the sound of my/her credit card being swiped through the machine . Her response, needless to say was somewhat less than what I had hoped for.

This evening I was chatting with my stepson about the bikes and I asked him if he thought his mother might like to learn to ride. He doesn't seem to think so. When I told him how many I currently have his response was, y tu le haces mantenimiento, translation, and you do the maintenance? I told him yes and he said cuando yo este aya te ayudare, translation when I am there I will help you. All I can say is that's my boy.....another vintage Kawi convert.

I think my work is done here.