My first restoration - '77 GT185

[2StrokkenDokken]

Hi all! I'm still fairly new to motorcycles but I caught "the bug" a little over a year ago and can't seem to stop finding good deals on bikes I've been doing most of my own maintenance but wanted to take a little deeper dive and "rescue" a classic bike. This crusty guy popped up on Facebook and after some back and forth it followed me home. Pics when I bought it:

PSX_20210604_104625.jpg

PSX_20210604_104705.jpg

PSX_20210604_104820.jpg

[2StrokkenDokken]

One of the first things I've done is address that nasty chain guard. To my surprise, there was actually metal under there!

PSX_20210604_132822.jpg

PSX_20210604_132832.jpg

[Alan H]

Welcome to the forum 2SD, you'll find that the 185 is very interesting with the charging system being a DC generator that also acts as a starter motor. Powerwise, it's quite placid until the rev counter hits 5k, then all hell breaks loose and it's a little flier.
Where are you based in the US and what sort of biking experience do you have?
It's good to know which area folks live so that anyone local to you can help with advice, parts and drinking your beer......

[2StrokkenDokken]

Welcome to the forum 2SD, you'll find that the 185 is very interesting with the charging system being a DC generator that also acts as a starter motor. Powerwise, it's quite placid until the rev counter hits 5k, then all hell breaks loose and it's a little flier.
Where are you based in the US and what sort of biking experience do you have?
It's good to know which area folks live so that anyone local to you can help with advice, parts and drinking your beer......

Thank you. I'm in Maine. I have only a little over a year of biking experience but I dove in head first. I love riding and it's more fun and cheaper to tinker on bikes than cars...

And yes, the "charge" light is certainly a strange phenomenon!

[2StrokkenDokken]

Seat cover time! I find one for like $40 on eBay and it was easy to install--no staples required! I've never covered a seat before and I think it turned out really well.

PSX_20210605_141607.jpg

PSX_20210605_141659.jpg

[2StrokkenDokken]

So in the past few days, I've put on new shocks, mirrors, and I'm proud that I've now mounted my own tires for the first time. The rear is a Heidenau K33 and the front is a TRC TR1 dual sport tire. I went back and forth deciding what tires to get, and since I'm planning on doing some light trail riding in addition to fairly low speed street riding, this was the best compromise. We'll see if I was right, haha. In my opinion they at least do look good together.

PSX_20210607_234427.jpg

PSX_20210607_234553.jpg

[karl pa]

Looking Good

[2StrokkenDokken]

Looking Good

Thank you!