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My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 8:49 am
by 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:
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Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:29 am
by 2StrokkenDokken
One of the first things I've done is address that nasty chain guard. To my surprise, there was actually metal under there!
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Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:40 am
by 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......
Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 4:35 pm
by 2StrokkenDokken
Alan H wrote: ↑Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:40 am
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!
Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 12:18 pm
by 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.
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Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:46 pm
by 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.
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Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:17 pm
by karl pa
Looking Good
Re: My first restoration - '77 GT185
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 7:07 pm
by 2StrokkenDokken
karl pa wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:17 pm
Looking Good
Thank you!