I started with the task of finishing up the front end of the bike. I had already sanded and painted the headlight bucket, but the chrome ring still needs to get the scratches buffed out of it. I thought it would be nice to tidy up the headlamp area with some new "ears", going with a more modern look. I found some nice billet aluminum brackets on eBay, but I'm sure they're made by the same factory that cuts for Speed Moto Co. If I had really spent time thinking about it, I would have preferred to get the brackets with the turn signal holes, but it's not a deal-breaker.
I finally had a chance to check out the speedometer and the tachometer. On my original set, the tach stopped working. I probably broke something loose when the bike went down before. So I had purchased another set of speedo/tach off of eBay 10+ years ago, complete with a meter bracket. I hooked both items up to my cordless drill via appropriate cable and indeed they did work. It's nice to know after all this time that I didn't purchase duds. But as it turns out, the meter bracket was one belonging to a different RD model. I tried to reuse my old bracket, but it was way too bent to salvage. So I purchased another used one off of eBay, one that claimed it was "not broken or bent". When the part arrived, it was definitely bent. I just dropped in the mail today to do the refund/return process. The seller was very good about taking the item back. Over this past weekend, I was able to find another used one on eBay, complete with lights, covers (albeit chipped), and with screws! I really just need the bracket and the screws. A fresh coat of paint for the bracket and the speedo and tach covers and I should be good to go!
I have been looking high and low for plugs to go into the center side of the clip-on bars. I took a chance on some cheap ones on eBay coming from China. They arrived and were way too ugly- they fit the inner diameter of the bars, but the outside plug area was too huge. I finally broke down and called Woodcraft. They were able to send me a set for $8, which included shipping. When they arrived, they fit way too loosely! so I emailed Jan from Woodcraft about the issue. Tim took over thinking there might be a production problem. I took a bunch of pictures and emailed them to him. Then we found the problem- the used Woodcraft clip-ons I bought did not have Woodcraft bars!! The wall thicknesses were too thin, so the inner diameter was bigger! Tim was good about offering me new bars at a discount, plus free shipping. The bars just arrived today.
My front Galfer brake line showed up yesterday. Last night I had a chance to mess with them and get them on the bike. As it turns out, the caliper side of the brake line didn't come with a banjo fitting- it came with a 10x1.0 thread fitting meant to thread directly into the caliper! Sweet!!! (Actually, if I had just looked at the picture, that should've clued me in.) Now, I don't have to order another banjo bolt! A pleasant unexpected surprise. I'll take it!
Yesterday, my Tarozzi rearsets arrived. I purchased them directly from Fast From the Past. They really are a work of art! When I opened the box, I was stunned. Most all of the parts were vacuum wrapped against a cardboard card- a nice way to ensure they won't get banged around in travel- very clever! This morning, I broke them out and got them onto the bike. Installation was pretty straight forward. I did have to fight with the brake side fitting on the spline, but after a really good cleaning and a little help from a C-clamp, it got on there with little damage. The workmanship is remarkable. I did not Loc-tite the bolts yet, as I will be tearing this build down after it gets registered, so I can swap it to another frame that I plan to cut. I plan to keep the original matching numbers frame whole and unmolested.
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