Things to come...

My self-imposed hiatus is over! Keep checking for more updates on this kind of thing!

Whats Your Favorite Thing?

75cc Gilardoni
Metrakit Head
Doppler 21mm Intake
Dellorto 21mm PHBG
Korado Crankshaft
Homoet 8p
Fake LTD parts
Real LTD style

Flickr
Moped Army

Sneek Peek

Thanks for the photo, Tim and Brian.

5 stars

I'm so self indulgent.

Instead of purchasing something useful and sensible for my new post-college Adult life like a good suit or a plastic mat for my desk chair to roll on so it stops ripping up my hardwood floor, I bought a set of 5 stars to remind myself what enjoyment feels like before the next 70 years of mind numbing existence ensue.

...These rims (one of which was graciously sold to me by Tom Schaible of SwitchHandSignal in Pittsburgh after a failed attempt on my part at getting a cracked one welded) look like crap. I wanted them to look like beige crap though, so I didnt sand them or prep them in any way before I painted them. My hope is that as they get knocked around, they'll eventually catch up to how beat up my gas tank is and the whole bike will look like an original (but unkempt) Limited.

The paint is ACE hardware brand Water Cooler Beige and the pinstriping is 1/8" red vinyl from Advance Auto Parts.

LTD Dash

I got this dash from a dude in town who was "using it" on a perpetually "in progress" Maxi project. I didn't know if he'd be willing to part with it or not...I only hoped that he would find it as heartbreaking as I did that there was a legit LTD tank and dash in Cincinnati that weren't together. As it turned out, I didn't even have to get mushy or buy him a bag of candy hearts first; he agreed to trade me the dash for a set of regular chrome clubman handlebars.

I'm too cheap and lazy to order anything from overseas so I replaced the tach with what European automakers replaced their tachs with in the 80's for cheap and lazy American buyers - a stupid analog clock. I got it on ebay for 20 bucks and hooked it up to a little 12v battery in a holder I got at a very depressing RadioShack.

Super cute! Now I'll always know how much time I have to get to the liquor store or the nearest Wendy's before they close!

IRBR

Big update soon. Until then, check out this kitten!!!

He loves you.

Sachs G3 Forks (trial fit)

The XK forks that were on my Magnum had to go. They were less rigid than a wet paper bag full of Twizzlers and I spent almost as much time straightening them out as I did making excuses to my friends about why this bike wasn't done six months ago. I wanted a set that was inexpensive but beefy, and that looked similar to the way nicer MKII forks.

Around that same time, I was working on a Sachs G3 for someone and it's forks caught my eye. They had the look and the quality I was after and (after a quick ebay bid) the price too. Fortunately the measurements were super close and they went on with only a little bit of hassle.

The biggest issue with them is that the brake stop is on the wrong side of the forks and too high up. There are a couple ways around this. You could mount the wheel the opposite way and modify a rear brake plate to catch the stop, or you could do what I did and really test your luck by just welding on a new stop where it's supposed to go.

The new one is on the right, and is shiny. I can't weld that well. I just started on Tuesday. I'll be lucky if this doesn't break off and send me flying over the handlebars and straight into the hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone or arm or something. I beat on it with a hammer pretty good though and it didn't budge so I might be okay.

The lower bearing race is built into the G3 forks and is fortunately the same size as the Magnum one, so the cups and bearings are still useable. The threaded head tube is longer on the G3 forks though and will for sure need to be cut, but has the same thread pitch and diameter as the Magnum so again, the stock hardware is good. Due to the G3's longer head tube, I had to use this spacer up top, but other than that everything is clean.

I also just scored a legit LTD dash (#073) so I was forced to use the XK top brace. The Sachs top brace has a different style handlebar mount, and the hole spacing is different so it wouldn't work. I had to grind the two holes on either end out so they'd meet the fork tubes, but other than that it went right on.

All in all, the end setup is way better than the XK forks. Granted they aren't hydraulic but at least these won't bend if you look at them the wrong way and they look stock. Pretty clean for a cool $50.