New member needing help

[JDFitz]

JD, you said it had been abandoned in the woods.

That is an interesting story, did you just find it, or are they your woods. Do you know when / who / how it was abandoned, what sort of condition is it in ? I can imagine a bike being out in the woods for a long time would be in real bad condition. Can you tell us anymore about it, does the engine turn over etc etc ?

Regards

The wooded area is not mine, it is near a good friend's home.  My Dad was a Deputy Sheriff so I gave all of the info on the bike (year, make, model, engine and frame numbers) to him and the bike was definately not stolen, just abandoned and for how long, I don't know. The frame isn't in bad condition at all, the paint is shiny black and really thick, though it will be getting stripped and repainted later on. The 19" rear wheel's chrome is flaking off badly, but the old goodyear grasshopper is still holding air. The engine and trans are in unknown condition. I have removed the rocker box, and stripped down the head - looks like someone had done a top end rebuild as the combustion chamber is clean and valves look new. The tops of the pistons are fairly clean but so far, thats as far as I've gotten. I cannot turn the engine over. The engine may be toast (good reason for tossing it out). I'll have to make an engine stand to put it in so I can finish tearing it down to find out what's hiding inside. I'll be removing the trans and tearing it down also.

[RichardL]

Not that I normally use this term, but, "Saints protect us!"

Throw nothing away. One of the themes in this forum is that there is a limited pool of parts out there and that which might be restored by someone else should be sold to or given to such a person to keep the parts pool alive.

Richard L.

[JDFitz]

Not that I normally use this term, but, "Saints protect us!"

Throw nothing away. One of the themes in this forum is that there is a limited pool of parts out there and that which might be restored by someone else should be sold to or given to such a person to keep the parts pool alive.

Richard L.

Whoa there manosound, I didn't mean that I would ever throw it away, not a hardcore packrat like me. I meant that engine damage MAY have been the reason for it having been discarded in the woods in the first place. Believe me, if there's something I don't want/need, I'll offer to others, either for a reasonable price, trade or even sometimes free.

[scotty]

Greetings JD and welcome to the forum

I came across these pics on the web and it looks a bit like what you're contemplating doing.
This rig has Ceriani forks and Yamaha racing hubs/brakes.

As much as I appreciate the work and ingenuity of mods like this I couldn't do it...largely  due to the fact that if I go faster than 40mph I get a nose bleed thus the factory front end and brakes on my 55gf will do just fine !...
 
..but hey....it's whatever floats your boat...I see nothing wrong with improving your ability to brake and having a smoother front end.

I second what the learned fellows on this forum have already mentioned.....keep all the original stuff...you may need them some day.

Good luck with the re build and safe riding !

Cheers

Scotty

[A10Boy]

JD, Thanks for your story, by the sounds of it, you have a long way to go before you have to worry about what forks and front wheel to run.. Good luck with it.

[JDFitz]

JD, Thanks for your story, by the sounds of it, you have a long way to go before you have to worry about what forks and front wheel to run.. Good luck with it.

Yeah, I do have a long way to go. I'd like to get a front end on this thing soon so I can move it around easier and so it can start to look like a motorcycle. I have already picked up a set of triple trees for an A10, so I'll be using BSA forks, probably.
Thanks for the pic Scotty, a front brake like that is something along the lines of what I'd like.