It only needs an mot....

[mick858]

I got this in December 2014, I'd been looking for a small, lightweight bike to just ride and have fun on and this seemed to fit the bill.

According to the seller all parts had been powder coated, it had a really good paintset and he'd changed the crank. Fully rebuilt and all it needs, mate, is an mot.
I'd done loads of research beforehand and then ignored everything I'd told myself to do and bought it unseen. Anyway, I wanted it for riding and not just to look at so convinced myself the fact it wasn't mint didn't really matter. Besides, I already had a very nice original bike that looked pretty,

and the LC is a matching numbers UK bike so with a bit of tidying you can't lose. I really should have got my money back but no-one forced me to buy it so lesson learned and it didn't look too bad once it had an oily rag wiped over it.

[17again]

nice bikes

[mick858]

I worked away from home quite a bit back then so it was three months later when I was next home. It was a bit rattly on first start up and several opinions were bandied around and it wasn't long before it looked like this.

The pistons were 1.5 over and the left one was flapping about like a pr1ck in a shirt sleeve so much that boring it to 2.0 over still hadn't cleaned up the wear. Only thing for it was a fresh pair of barrels and an engine rebuild. But, being totally p1ssed off with myself for buying such a Pile of Sh1te it was banished to the back of the garage and hidden under a sheet to hide my embarrassment.

I went back to work and took a few bits with me to while away the evenings and weekends.
These were looking a bit sad.

So I took a few parts with me to try and improve their appearance,

A bit of dismantling,

Out with the old, in with the new,


And back together,

[mick858]

I packed that job in just a few weeks later so for the first time in 25 years would be home full time, but such was my hatred for the Pile of Sh1te, hereinafter referred to as the PoS, it was the end of 2015 before I could force myself to look at it. I started with this sorry little lot,


A decent selection of mismatched, crudely cut down bolts held the calipers on,

along with a pristine set of hoses.


More spares,

And because I couldn't get a new sight glass for the master cylinder it had to be replaced, but got there in the end.

Now I am no electrician but even I have standards and the ability to produce something better than this in my sleep. Not only had I bought a shonker the PoS was just a tad dangerous.

[mick858]

A few more bits were removed,


And once down to the bare frame it was obvious a repair was needed to the centre stand mount,

I got another frame, saw the old welding foreman from where I worked many years ago who welded the section in for the stand, powder coat redone, forks rebuilt,


and it wasn't long before the PoS was back on it's wheels.

[mick858]

Just four days after getting the PoS back on it's wheels life took a different turn and the PoS was again ignored. It was to be a full 8 months before I could force myself to get back to doing anything, and it was clear I was in no mood to get on with rebuilding it. In the meantime to fill the gap I bought this as a put you on,

I eventually got back into the garage in November 2016, the engine was stripped and the crank taken to BryanH for checking/rebuild.
It only needed a few bits,

and came back good as new, thanks Bryan.

Casings vapour blasted and the rebuild started,
[/a]



The head and replacement barrels painted,

and fitted



A new Power Dynamo ignition and charging system was fitted as the old stuff looked to be well past it's best and it didn't cost much more to replace everything than just a stator rewind. Thanks to Muttsnuts for fitting and timing.

Head bolts replaced with stainless,

in fact almost all fasteners on the PoS are stainless as they're easy to get hold of and I'm just too lazy to be chasing after loads of green nuts and bolts. Life's just too short to be worrying about the colour of your nuts!
The engine and rolling chassis were finally reunited.

[mick858]

The paintwork eventually came back,

I went for the three stripe as even though this is just a rebuild, not a restoration, it is an 82 model so should have three stripe graphics.
Fitted,


And finally, after almost three years of ownership I got to ride it,

I was surprised just how good it is to ride, this being my first LC, it handled better than the N2, but I'm yet to find out what full performance is like as winter arrived before it was run in and it's been here since November,

After all the work and strife the PoS has caused me I've still not learnt from my mistakes. I've completely ignored all my own and everyone else's advice about buying the best and most complete bike and stay away from projects and gone and done this.


The latest project means come the better weather the PoS will have to be moved on, I've no room in my half a garage and it can't live in the dining room for ever, which is a shame but you can't keep all your toys.

[earthman]

For some members on here, it's more about restoring/putting these bikes back together rather than using/riding them.
I kinda get that but to go through the constant cycle of finding parts etc must get tiresome?

Why not keep this now sorted bike for a few years at least?

[Deleted]

Mick, after all that toil and finding the motivation to carry on you have built a cracking stock bike. Well done
And so to your next project....

[mick858]

It has taken a lot of effort to get it to a reasonable condition but something has to give. I've got two other projects on the go, the YPVS and the other LC I got, and moving four bikes around a single garage to do any work is no fun. Besides, who really needs 3 x 350 Yamaha 2 strokes?