New LC project.... Restoration... I know, I know...
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 12:22 am
*** Website now updated with the forum posts into a more condensed and rewritten form:
http://2smoked.com/Yamaha_RDLC_Restorat ... m_250.html
----
PLEASE NOTE:
And then in July 2017 Photobucket came and fucked it all up for everyone...
This build started off with Imageshack hosting the photos, they got greedy and while they continued to host the photos for a while I moved to Photobucket and all was great with the world until they decided we needed to pay $399/yr to post our pics across the net.
So, Thanks photobucket, you trashed this thread and thousands (more like millions!) of other around the world.
IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS THREAD WITH THE PHOTOS AND MY REHASHED TEXTS (BUT NOT THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE THREAD), HAVE A LOOK AT MY WEBSITE, 2SMOKED.COM.
-------
Many people may remember this bike:
And yes it was almost done.... but... it going to come apart!
Yeah, that's crazy on the face of it, but somewhat sensible once you dig deeper. Over the past few years values of LCs have gone up in Aus. Thats not in itself a issue, but the problem I have is that the frame I used for this bike also has its original matching numbers motor stored in a box in my garage and it now makes total sense to re-unite those two items and build a restored LC, while at the same time not at all affecting the value of the yellow 421 as its very much removed from standard and a random frame number isn't an issue as it has RZ cases of course. So... with that in mind I always said that if I could find another complied frame for sensible money that I would swap the parts over onto a loose frame and build a standard-ish LC with the matching numbers parts.
I had a few aborted attempts at finding one; the first was bent, another was too expensive and another had all its lugs cut off. Most people wont sell a frame on its own either and I dont need the rest of the bike. That all changed a few week back a local lad offered for sale a complete LC in pieces as he was breaking it up. All good so far, and nice for him.... until I realised that he was about 20mins from my house. He was offering most things, including the frame... hmm.... yes, the frame....
I dropped over to check out the parts and on the seller's (Im not sure he's on this forum) driveway was his Mars Bar LC... oh my giddy aunt! I now want to own one of those... Sooo classy. Damn.... I dont think I had ever seen a mars bar in the metal before then, its quite something really.
Long story short the seller, lets call him 'Paul', and I did a deal on his frame and some other bits when he is ready as he is also going to be swapping the parts around on his mar bar LC, as he is using the matching numbers frame and motor from the bike that he was selling, so im getting the unloved frame from his LC for my 421. Everybody wins, perfect.
So... Yes... I did say a couple of things to people over the past few years:
1, I will never build a standard LC, I prefer modified bikes and the LC has spindly forks and thin rubber
2, I would never build a motor on the LC cases with LC cylinders, its old technology
3, If i ever do a standard looking LC I will do it white with blue stripes
4, I wont build any more LC/RZ motors, Ive done enough over the years
To all those people I have to admit it looks like I lied... yeah, sucks to be me... sorry....
Paul has already stripped his 'new' frame down and is getting it ready for coating and then I will help him move all the parts from one frame to another, its a ton of work to rebuild one but you can rip an LC in bits quickly enough, its also good practice for me doing it to my 421 and I can only think my bikes win in the end, and in fact Im quite looking forward to it! LB also offered to come and help me do my 421 swap over, so what goes around comes around, gotta love karma. :)
Since then Ive been right through all my boxes of parts and dig out a bunch of LC parts that I was originally thinking of selling, but now I need to keep. I had actually sold off and given away a bunch of them the past few months but that now has to stop and Ive already sourced some replacements for those that have gone, but not all of them.
I havent been idle though, I've already tracked down a bunch of new/nos parts including; foot rests, switchgear, throttle cable, headlight with bezel. Yes you read that right, I said a nos headlight with bezel! eeek! That is the sort of find that makes you want to do a really clean nos resto bike... I need to resist that urge, I cant afford to get caught up in green passivating bolts!
Ive fully cleaned and rebuilt a dirty-but-still-red-in-the-rev-range rev counter I swapped with Paul (he had my old one for his project) and I also painted the temp needle on that unit, and been cleaning up and making nice a few other parts.
I have also cleaned off about 5 layers of paint, repaired and primered a set of nice side panels and just need to do the same with a rear cowl I have. So with my dented and horribly lined (kreem :( ) tank I have just got to find a mudguard and ive a full set of bodywork.
Ive also been scouring the globe for more parts and am in discussion with forumers about a few bits and pieces. Happy days!
While this project wont be done fast, and for now its just a bit in a holding pattern as parts get put in boxes while the frame is 'coming', this should be a nice bike when done. Question is... will it be white or black?
http://2smoked.com/Yamaha_RDLC_Restorat ... m_250.html
----
PLEASE NOTE:
And then in July 2017 Photobucket came and fucked it all up for everyone...
This build started off with Imageshack hosting the photos, they got greedy and while they continued to host the photos for a while I moved to Photobucket and all was great with the world until they decided we needed to pay $399/yr to post our pics across the net.
So, Thanks photobucket, you trashed this thread and thousands (more like millions!) of other around the world.
IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS THREAD WITH THE PHOTOS AND MY REHASHED TEXTS (BUT NOT THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE THREAD), HAVE A LOOK AT MY WEBSITE, 2SMOKED.COM.
-------
Many people may remember this bike:
And yes it was almost done.... but... it going to come apart!
Yeah, that's crazy on the face of it, but somewhat sensible once you dig deeper. Over the past few years values of LCs have gone up in Aus. Thats not in itself a issue, but the problem I have is that the frame I used for this bike also has its original matching numbers motor stored in a box in my garage and it now makes total sense to re-unite those two items and build a restored LC, while at the same time not at all affecting the value of the yellow 421 as its very much removed from standard and a random frame number isn't an issue as it has RZ cases of course. So... with that in mind I always said that if I could find another complied frame for sensible money that I would swap the parts over onto a loose frame and build a standard-ish LC with the matching numbers parts.
I had a few aborted attempts at finding one; the first was bent, another was too expensive and another had all its lugs cut off. Most people wont sell a frame on its own either and I dont need the rest of the bike. That all changed a few week back a local lad offered for sale a complete LC in pieces as he was breaking it up. All good so far, and nice for him.... until I realised that he was about 20mins from my house. He was offering most things, including the frame... hmm.... yes, the frame....
I dropped over to check out the parts and on the seller's (Im not sure he's on this forum) driveway was his Mars Bar LC... oh my giddy aunt! I now want to own one of those... Sooo classy. Damn.... I dont think I had ever seen a mars bar in the metal before then, its quite something really.
Long story short the seller, lets call him 'Paul', and I did a deal on his frame and some other bits when he is ready as he is also going to be swapping the parts around on his mar bar LC, as he is using the matching numbers frame and motor from the bike that he was selling, so im getting the unloved frame from his LC for my 421. Everybody wins, perfect.
So... Yes... I did say a couple of things to people over the past few years:
1, I will never build a standard LC, I prefer modified bikes and the LC has spindly forks and thin rubber
2, I would never build a motor on the LC cases with LC cylinders, its old technology
3, If i ever do a standard looking LC I will do it white with blue stripes
4, I wont build any more LC/RZ motors, Ive done enough over the years
To all those people I have to admit it looks like I lied... yeah, sucks to be me... sorry....
Paul has already stripped his 'new' frame down and is getting it ready for coating and then I will help him move all the parts from one frame to another, its a ton of work to rebuild one but you can rip an LC in bits quickly enough, its also good practice for me doing it to my 421 and I can only think my bikes win in the end, and in fact Im quite looking forward to it! LB also offered to come and help me do my 421 swap over, so what goes around comes around, gotta love karma. :)
Since then Ive been right through all my boxes of parts and dig out a bunch of LC parts that I was originally thinking of selling, but now I need to keep. I had actually sold off and given away a bunch of them the past few months but that now has to stop and Ive already sourced some replacements for those that have gone, but not all of them.
I havent been idle though, I've already tracked down a bunch of new/nos parts including; foot rests, switchgear, throttle cable, headlight with bezel. Yes you read that right, I said a nos headlight with bezel! eeek! That is the sort of find that makes you want to do a really clean nos resto bike... I need to resist that urge, I cant afford to get caught up in green passivating bolts!
Ive fully cleaned and rebuilt a dirty-but-still-red-in-the-rev-range rev counter I swapped with Paul (he had my old one for his project) and I also painted the temp needle on that unit, and been cleaning up and making nice a few other parts.
I have also cleaned off about 5 layers of paint, repaired and primered a set of nice side panels and just need to do the same with a rear cowl I have. So with my dented and horribly lined (kreem :( ) tank I have just got to find a mudguard and ive a full set of bodywork.
Ive also been scouring the globe for more parts and am in discussion with forumers about a few bits and pieces. Happy days!
While this project wont be done fast, and for now its just a bit in a holding pattern as parts get put in boxes while the frame is 'coming', this should be a nice bike when done. Question is... will it be white or black?