Project Retro Racer
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:16 pm
Not a ZXR400, but if Baz is allowed, I'm damn well going to as well.
Right then, as you know I've got an old 1978 Suzuki GS400 kicking around. Basically I bought it shortly after passing my test as a 33bhp bike. Rode it around for a couple of years and put about 10,000 miles on it, then the restriction came off my licence and I bought my ZXR. Simple enough so far.
Somehow I never quite got round to selling it (I'm not good at selling bikes), and it has ended up sat in various gardens and garages for a few years, and probably been ridden about 200miles. Carbs are full of stale fuel goo so it runs like toad, and the battery's flat/dead now so it doesn't actually run at all.
Here it is as of yesterday (before I took a whole load of stuff off it!)
If you go here, then you can see the photo with a load of notes on it detailing what I plan to do.
Basically, I want to achieve something of the look of a 70's racing bike (although probably not going so far as a fairing). It'll be converted to single seat and the pegs moved up and back. The aftermarket stainless exhaust, which has a habit of grounding out on roundabouts, will be modded to fit closer to the engine and a new link pipe made to move the can up and back. In addition, I will obviously be sorting out the carbs, battery, shitty wiring, headstock bearings, and anything else knackered.
This isn't going to be a particularly fast or amazingly handling bike (although hopefully it'll handle slightly better than stock), just a bit of fun to play with on summer days, and hopefully something pretty unique. I've stripped the bike down a bit further this afternoon, and tomorrow I'm going to get a few more photos and start sketching in a few details.
Something like this (minus the fairing) in terms of shape perhaps, but we'll see what happens:
Right then, as you know I've got an old 1978 Suzuki GS400 kicking around. Basically I bought it shortly after passing my test as a 33bhp bike. Rode it around for a couple of years and put about 10,000 miles on it, then the restriction came off my licence and I bought my ZXR. Simple enough so far.
Somehow I never quite got round to selling it (I'm not good at selling bikes), and it has ended up sat in various gardens and garages for a few years, and probably been ridden about 200miles. Carbs are full of stale fuel goo so it runs like toad, and the battery's flat/dead now so it doesn't actually run at all.
Here it is as of yesterday (before I took a whole load of stuff off it!)
If you go here, then you can see the photo with a load of notes on it detailing what I plan to do.
Basically, I want to achieve something of the look of a 70's racing bike (although probably not going so far as a fairing). It'll be converted to single seat and the pegs moved up and back. The aftermarket stainless exhaust, which has a habit of grounding out on roundabouts, will be modded to fit closer to the engine and a new link pipe made to move the can up and back. In addition, I will obviously be sorting out the carbs, battery, shitty wiring, headstock bearings, and anything else knackered.
This isn't going to be a particularly fast or amazingly handling bike (although hopefully it'll handle slightly better than stock), just a bit of fun to play with on summer days, and hopefully something pretty unique. I've stripped the bike down a bit further this afternoon, and tomorrow I'm going to get a few more photos and start sketching in a few details.
Something like this (minus the fairing) in terms of shape perhaps, but we'll see what happens:
