A friend of mine has been trying to get me to look at a bike for a friend of his that I don't know. He informed me that it was a 1979 Honda 750, so I was thinking it was a 750F or maybe a K model. Apparently it doesn't like to start and they have tried everything but neither of them are strong technically speaking. So eventually I agreed to have a look at the beast but I made no promisses as it sounded like they had some electrical ghosts that came and went. Well nothing prepared me for what rolled in the driveway last night in buddys trailer. It wasn't a Honda, not by a long shot. Nor was it a 750 and it was far from original. It turned out to be a shaft drive Yamaha XS11 that someone had bastardized into some sort of a bobber / custom thing. Everything is painted flat black and the wiring harness has been chopped, cut and taped together. So I'm thinking in my head, awe shit what a mess. :hss: After removing the tank and seat I had a look at the wiring and it just confirmed my initial reaction. Well, it's here now so I started checking the circuits related to cranking the engine and firing the ignition. It's all kinda there and it works but every connection is either loose or corroded. If I put the charger on it, the bike fires up but without the charger, it cranks really slow so the battery needs a charge and all the connections need some love. Once I get her running I can check out the charging system to see if it is functioning properly. That will be tonights goal. Ah what we do for friends...with 34 year old bikes.
True, I could spend months on this hard luck case. I've never even met the owner but I hope he carries good life insurance. It looks like a Jardine header on it but the head pipes are cracked so very little exhaust actually reaches the outlet of the megaphone. LOL So she is a wee bit on the loud side!
