October 2008
It didn't take long to realise that I would need to find more parts to finish this restoration. In fact, I would need a miracle to find the parts. As so often happens in restoration the parts were found. Basket-cases were located as far away as Sydney and as close as the next suburb. Within a short time I had located a number of Benellis and, together with eBay, I was relatively confident I that the restoration could begin and, with luck, have a reasonable chance of completion. The project is to be the combined effort of Don, Jim and me. I have this suspicion it will take the efforts of all three to get through this! |
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Up on the Bench - December 2008
I find the strip-down the quickest but most disheartening part of a restoration. Nights are spent getting very greasy and each step uncovers another minor disaster. This bike proved to be no exception! Much more was missing than I originally envisaged - hopefully the donor bikes would cover most of it. For the rest there was good old eBay! |
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Instruments Off
Off with the 'bars and the instruments to reveal rust, corrosion and more rust. Everything on this bike is either corroded or rusty. Those triple clamps will really take some polishing to get them back to their original shiny alloy state. |
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Magic Marzocchi
And here, on the lower triple clamp, after a bit of rub, emerged the Marzocchi logo. Finding these pearls was one of the reasons I bought this bike. Pity it's covered with a plate when reassembled. Might have to do something about that! |
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Some Electrical Bits
I promised not to dwell on this, and I won't. However this is the best of the electrical looms we have! Every bike we have examined has a spaghetti of wiring, owners' bodging and unidentifiable components. Getting the electrics right may prove to be our greatest challenge. On a positive note, we've looked at six basket cases and every bike had less than 6,000 kilometres on the odometer. The story was always the same - the electrics failed and no-one could make them work. This may mean the engines have seen little work. Good theory, huh? |
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