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Like a hole in the head...

chuck hahn said:
Plan it thru so the Duc parts will retro fit and NOT compromise the original frame and seat hinges..that way, the bike can be switched back to either the OEM or Caf? style by just swapping body work.

I think that what I would do anyways....the OEM original bike is worth saving in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree, Chuck. I'm pretty sure I could even retain the original seat latch and hinges with this tail section, which would be very cool.
 
tkent02 said:
Actually with the original fender on there it looks stupid. IMHO.

Looks great without it.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna try it both ways. The stock Ducati '76 750SS that this tail came from used a rear fender and tail light, too. I also think it would look cleaner w/o the fender and I could sink a tail light into the back of it. It would cover the frame ends, too, and sit there real nicely, but part of me thinks it would almost look factory with the fender retained..we'll see. ;) If I decide to ditch the rear fender, I'd also replace the chrome front fender with a painted plastic one from an '82 Honda CB450 Hawk..wheels are turning..
 
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tkent02 said:
On second thought keep it stock, I haven't seen one of these in decades.
Click to expand...

That was the plan. I don't own one single totally stock-from-the-factory bike, and thought this would be the one to do a correct restoration on right down to stickers..then the voices in my head started speaking again..:D

If I do end up modifying this one, it won't be anything that couldn't be switched back over a couple of hrs. It's still gonna have stock exhaust, paint and everything else that's cool about these things.
 
Hey, Steve..your seat strap and buttons look great on there..:D



Something so simple can do so much.



I'm going to ride it to a vintage bike gathering this Tuesday, so I wanted to clean it up a bit. Spent a few hrs. SOSing all the chrome and polishing all the spokes and hubs-n-stuff. Every part had either a layer of patina or even a little bit of surface rust, but it all came off and looks great. De-grimed the engine and took a scotch brite to it..it'll do till the repaint this winter. The headers are perfect..not a single ding or scratch in em..too bad the collector is so rough.









Threw on a coat of wax just for the hell of it, and it actually shined up pretty nice.



I'm still pinching myself at how nice this bike's condition is for being almost 40 yrs. old............man, that muffler's gotta go, though..:lol:

 
Very nice, Larry.
Ride it for a bit and you can patina-up the seat cover to match the strap. lol.
I see you even have the chain guard sticker. That guy really looked after the bike.
 
Ok Larry, I changed my mind... don't do the Ducati seat/tail, just leave it stock... it looks spot on the way it is :D
 
..it was then that he decided to pull out the big gun..the most feared and hated of all tools to most GSers..the HACKSAW..:eek:







I wacked the slash-cut end off the muffler..looks way better I think..:D
 
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nvr2old said:
..it was then that he decided to pull out the big gun..the most feared and hated of all tools to most GSers..the HACKSAW..:eek:
I wacked the slash-cut end off the muffler..looks way better I think..:D
Click to expand...
Thank you, that was bugging the heck out of me:clap:
 
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Heaps better Larry!

The only way you could have done that better would be if you used a Sawzall :lol:
 
pete said:
Heaps better Larry!

The only way you could have done that better would be if you used a Sawzall :lol:
Click to expand...

I had one at my disposal... Chrome is a b--ch to get a hacksaw started on. Managed to keep it down to just a couple of scratches..:-\\\

I took it out for a 100 mile loop this morning through the mountains and lakes of north Idaho and western Montana. Beautiful day for it. I got back home and thought, what the heck, might as well see if I can get the collector to look a little better. Big ugly patch welded on just as it narrows to the muffler, right at the seam that separates the upper and lower parts. Scrubbed off all that black paint then I grabbed a Dremel and blended it into the rest of it a little better, smoothed the welds a bit, sanded it with 180-600, hit it with a mini buffer, and it actually shined up pretty well. Good enough so that I'm not gonna worry about replacing it for now. Still has a few rust through spots on the very bottom, but they don't make any noise, so I'm just gonna run it until I can justify spending almost 400 bux for an aftermarket replacement. The repro muffler will make a big difference, too.




At least acceptable now..gotta get on your belly to see it..













Not much of a "project" so far, but it sure is fun for the first time in several years to sit down with a bike of my own and just dink around at a relaxing pace. Thanks for looking, guys..
 
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Great stuff Larry, sure made a difference!

I wonder if it would be worthwhile sanding/grinding it back a bit further, welding it up, and getting it re-chromed?
 
pete said:
Great stuff Larry, sure made a difference!

I wonder if it would be worthwhile sanding/grinding it back a bit further, welding it up, and getting it re-chromed?
Click to expand...

That's a good question, Pete. I was wondering the same thing. The front half of that weld is the factory weld, which is actually pretty ugly. I managed to smooth it out a bit with the Dremel and blend it into the cobby PO (not the guy I bought it from) patch/weld. The bad part is it's slowly rusting through on the bottom. It doesn't so much have holes (yet) through it, the chrome is just peeling off, so the question is, as you mentioned, can that be ground off, and re-chromed? Everyone I've posed the question to says the same thing, chromers don't like to do any kind of used exhaust parts because it "pollutes" the dipping chemicals. I was hoping they could just dip the collector in right to the seam and not do the pipes which are pristine. And, how much would they charge to do it if they would? Might be cheaper in the long run to replace it. I'm going to investigate further in the coming months. If not, I may have to bite the bullet and save up for the replacement header system from David Silver..$400..:eek: I so love the look of the stock pipes and a Mac 4 into 1 system wouldn't even be considered, however, I've seen some Yosh replica pipes for a 400F which are very cool for about the same price as the repro. My last 400F had a beautiful black Kerker on it. It sounded great and produced a little more power, but those are almost unobtainable, too. The exhaust is the biggest unknown at this point.
 
I get ya' Larry... if a chromer was able to do that then it would be worth while giving it a go for sure.

Otherwise, Yoshi systems are always nice ;)
 
Stashed the Corvette into winter storage to make room to work on the 400F. Set it up on an old piece of carpet. Nuts, bolts, washers and things don't seem to bounce or roll away with carpet.



Thought I'd let the GS keep it company this winter.



Came apart pretty easily over the course of a few hours. To take the air filter/battery box out I found that I had to disconnect all the wiring and take it out the back of the frame, which required removing the rear wheel and the exhaust first. Hope I remember to reverse that sequence when it comes time to re-assemble it..:rolleyes:



A little grungy and a little rust in spots. I'll repaint as much of the frame as necessary after the swing arm comes out.



Parts are starting to pile up







Not bad for a couple of hours






First thing to do probably is to get the frame and engine cleaned up and repainted to get it back to a roller. Then start on the body parts. I think I'm going to go ahead with the Ducati tail and a plastic CB450T Hawk front fender I picked up on eBay. Overall this bike is in great shape. Shouldn't take more then a few months to do it stem to stern.
 
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Love the idea of an old desk in the garage!! Fantastic option, especially if you are a one bike at a time guy, like myself.

Rebuild the parts comfortably, while sitting down and drawers for the parts!

I still can't get over the transformation of that stator cover emblem.........extraordinary work Larry!
 
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