my unbobber project almost finished

Project is almost done. Its going to be a month or so til i am going to be able to afford $200 plus in carb rebuild parts from chacal so i pulled it off the lift and put one of the other bikes on it to work on. Its real dirty and i need to do a quick polish on the polished parts to get the dust and greasy fingerprints off. I have the right crank cover off so i can machine the casting smooth and sand and polish it . Here are a few pics when it was bobbed and now pics big change. As it sits i have about $600-650 total investment Who said you can't polish a turd lol

 

Awesome looking resto, Cutlass. She's purrdy!

 

thanks tskaz about 2 months worth of work . I am glad its almost done ready to start other projects

 

I really need to get someone to show me how to polish correctly! That X looks fantastic. Great Job!

 

Its very easy to do it just takes time. A buffer helps also. The stuff i do by hand i use Purple metal polish. works better then mothers in my opinion

 

Cutlass, thats really fine looking work from what I can see. I especially like the round headlight and tack & speedo. Oh, and by the way, now that is what I call a real comfortable looking seat while at the same time really adding a fine look to the bike. Now does she run as good as she looks? I'm sure from what she looks like that's not a question-right? grunt007, 81' Yamaha 750 Seca R, Mi.

 

grunt007 all the parts are factory except the header 85-86 came that way. I just picked up that seat on ebay for 40 bucks that is the correct seat for the x i have 2 of the n seats in good shape but they don't have the button leather so i wanted the correct seat it looks better then the others do. It ran fine but it sat last summer when i was sick and the carbs gummed up. Finally got around to working on it about 2 months ago. Still have to do the carbs and a few little things but it will be running like a top in about a month when i can afford the carb parts

 

Hey Cutlass, there is one thing for sure, these bikes do take time if you are going to do it right. My 81'XJ750R is a long way from my being able to just hear it run for the first time to see if the engine is worth the work. The things about these Yamaha's (4 cylinder) that amazes me is just how many versions there are out there of modifications which have and are being done with these bikes. The Bobbers have particularly taken my attention. Some of them when they are done properly just amaze me in how well and up to date they look. Some of them I personally would rather have than a new bike with the fuel injection and all the junk that go's with it. Personally I think a man that buys one like mine and say pays $500-$1,000 for it and then say puts another $1,000 into it doing a complete restore is still way ahead of the game compared to buying a new one, spending way more just to go down the road and seeing another person riding the same bike. Keep up the good work, looks to me like you have a fine machine there for sure! grunt007, 81XJ750R, Mi.

 

I say to each their own build the bike the way you want it your the only person you have to please. Personally i am not much into bobbers i must say i like the way people on here have been doing them lately. They are giving them personal touches weather it be custom paint or other things that make them look different. I have seen so many done flat black with flat black wheels. When they are done that way they all look the same weather its a honda yamaha or what ever. I guess maybe its because i am getting older hard tail with a metal seat straight pipes just doesn't sound like a fun ride it hurts just thinking of it. But then again i am low key i dont want all the attention focused on me when i am going down the road. I know sometimes a bike is best off being made into a bobber when they are in rough shape. But if you have a really clean bike i hate to see it chopped up. People keep saying its only a 550 or what ever. But they are a dying breed the more that are hacked up the less originals there will be.
The main reason i bought mine was because i felt sorry for it. And Back in 85 was working at the local yamaha shop we got the first maxim x and vmax in the southeast the week before bike week living in the daytona area we took them out all bike week had photo shoots on the beach and all the festivities felt like the Tutels that week so i have fond memories of the bike. They were only made 2 years you can't find a cruiser under 1000 cc that touch it performance wise and its 26 years old now. Take my word they will be worth some money down the road. And the fact they did such a horrible job bobbing it. I am one of the people that gets off taking something fugly into something nice looking. I am starting to collect bikes that i think are rare and will be worth some bucks later in life. I have enough work to keep me busy for about a year. My rd its dirty but starts on the 1st or 2nd kick have a lot of polishing to do to it but there is no dents rust less then 5100 miles not bad for 38 years old. I have a 75 water buffalo i am going to do a ground up on it. And don't ask me why i have an 81 cm400 automatic i always wanted one. Its just weird in a fun way

 

Getting ready to finish the project in the next month or so. The bike has been sitting under a sheet for the past 9 months all complete except i have to polish 1 cover and rebuild the carbs. Last summer i wanted to get my rd finished when i started having foot problems. Where the had to brake a bone in my foot surgically keeps re braking not healing back together right i guess its from the way i have to walk damn CMT so have been off it. It was a bad 2 years after the dr mis diagnosed me treatments messed me up so badly i had to retire and collect disability couldnt stand or walk for almost a year after the treatments. I get around now about 50 percent normal lost so much muscle mass in my hands i can't start small bolts ect thumbs are almost useless.
Thursday it was 75 degrees outside and started up the honda took it for a short ride. Started up the rd on the lift both started right up after sitting 3 months. I have to fabricate a heel to shifter for the rd since lifting up with the front of my foot is not an option anymore if this does not work i will probably have to get rid of the two yahahas and drive the automatic but not giving up without a fight. Here a few pics of the projects. Lots of restoration pics of both here on my pic website
http://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp18 ... torcycles/
Of coarse i picked up another hobby since i have been laid up. i Have 12 aquariums over 700 gal worth been raising breeding fish hopefully in the near future i can recoup some of the money i have spent selling fish.

 

Lord almighty!!! Those are some nice bikes, keep up the GREAT work!

 

Very nice work and I hope your health improves -- embed those photos in your posts, they will be larger and of better quality (they're tiny on the photobucket site)?

Keep it up

Thanks