Today was a garage day full of swearing and pain and some success.

Started the morning by taking apart my top tripple in my hoopty set up.
Would have been easier if the vice was attached to anything.

Then I pulled the swingarm to check the bushings.
Stock ones are plastic, so people usually replace them with either steel or bronze.
Mine still has the plastic bushings.

Of course I got a little over-excited about taking something apart (yay disassembly or destruction!), and I forgot to check the swingarm play before I took it off. Der.

So, guess I’ll put it back on (hell, it’s only three nuts) and check. Then I’ll take it back off and paint it.

Now this is a naked bike:

I wanted to take the wheels in to get sand blasted, but first I had to get the rotor and sprocket off the rear wheel and the tires off. I needed leverage cuz the damn thing kept rolling around! So, I set it on a box and wedged it between the wall and some shelving.

There are little tabs that hold the nuts in place. Since I have no chisel… I had to make do.

Each time I hit the screwdriver, I thought, “please don’t shatter the handle!” It worked great! I got the rotor off with only a little swearing.

The sprocket proved to be a little more stubborn. I got the nuts off with only minor injury to my pinky finger from it crashing into the sprocket after a particularly stubborn nut decided to loosen abruptly. I probably should put some ice on it. It’s still kinda swollen.

It took me a while, a lot of sweat and swearing, but I got the nuts off. (that just does not sound right)

However, there is a pesky and rather large circlip holding the damn thing on. I also have no circlip pliers and my round-about efforts were in vain.

Luckily, the fine folks at Apache Motorcycle Scottsdale (7340 East McDowell Road) got the circlip and sprocket off for me when they took my tires off.

Once that was completed, I dropped them off at the Arizona Powdercoaters to get sandblasted. Whoohoo!

It would cost $45 per wheel to get powdercoated, so I’m just gonna paint em with the hardcore PJ-1. (and do touch-ups when necessary. heh)

Onward and forward.

Sunday was welding day! YAY!

The frame and I went over to my friend’s house to weld in cross sections for the seat mount.

After we did mock up and measuring, Jan cut the sections we needed.

We decided to put a mount in the front and one toward the back.

Time to weld ’em in!

I put on some gloves and a helmet. For the first time in seven or so years, I welded metal. What a good time!

First attempt was pretty ugly.

but then I got back into the swing of things on my second round.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

Time to smooth ’em out, but otherwise done with this part!

Jan made a piece for under the back of my seat. It’s some support, but mostly aesthetic. I’m still not convinced I like how it looks, but we’ll see once it’s all painted.

I failed to get a final photo of it all mocked up…. Oh well.

After we welded the seat mounts in, we noticed the gap between the bottom of the seat pan and the mounts. I’ll have to get some spacers for that space so that the bolts holding the seat on won’t stress the fiberglass too much.

It was a long, hot day and a very good one.
I’m exhausted!