Suzuki update

Well with the encroaching warmer weather I'm getting rather anxious to get the motorcycle finished up and ready for the road. I still need to paperwork transferred and maybe I can get that done still this week. Everything is coming together and I've been able to spend a few more hours in the shop lately since it is warming up outside.

The original tail section didn't fit the back of the seat worth a damm and when I got busy trying to make it fit better, I discovered that it was broken in such a way that a good repair was going to be difficult. Turns out, it was the wrong tail sectionanyway. I purchased another piece from Ebay and when it arrived I discovered that it matched the seat profile much better than the original. So that turned out really well.

I also purchased a stock airbox from an Ebay seller, with the intention of replacing the 4 individual foam filters presently on the bike. The airbox arrived yesterday and its condition was what is generally referred to as "barn find." That is, its all in good condition and all the parts are there, but, boy, was it grimy! The inside was filled with 25 years of oil-soaked dust and rust. I did get it cleaned up last night after scraping, brushing, blowing and sanding out the offensive gritty bits and its ready for some black paint the next time I can get out to the shop. Like any restoration project, its not the purchasing that is the expensive part of the effort, it’s the refurbishing. I paid just over a $20 bill for the airbox and shipping but when I looked up the needed rubber air tube parts and a new filter, I'm going to quadruple my purchase price! Good grief! I'll call my buddy Darin who says he can get the parts I need for less, later this morning and see if he can't reduce the costs for the parts I need.

Its also time to start making decisions about how much I am going to care about the cosmetics on this motorcycle. Right now, the gas tank and tail section are original color and pinstripes but pretty scratched and worn. The front fender and the side covers have a dark grey, rattle can paint job applied by the last owner. I have to decide if I'm going to paint it all or leave it mismatched and "weathered" or if I'm going to hit all the parts with a matching rattle can, quickie paint job or if I want to spend a weekend giving everything a good sanding and smoothing and a proper, air gun applied, buffed out-shiny and re-striped paint job. Chances are pretty good that I'll take the time to put a decent paint job on it. I'm not a big fan of the "rat bike" look and painting it up nice won't be that much trouble. The spouse says that I have to paint it up right just for bragging rights when I ride it into work for the first time.

The spouse also says she is not riding on it with me- period. That's disappointing. I suppose I'll have to start interviewing some potential, less uptight passengers if I want somebody along for the occasional ride.

And, last night I bought another of those loud air horns from Harbor Freight for the bike, just like the one I installed on the scooter last year. The horns that are on there are worn out, not loud enough to alert any cell-phone talking minivan moms and pointed down at the engine. I'll figure out a good spot for my loud horn and get it wired up in the next couple days.