Hi. Justin said to drop by here and say g'day. Have posted a couple of things but still really new to the forum.
I bought a 1983 R65LS new (back in '83, of course) and after a string of different bikes and makes in the intervening years, I hadn't forgotten it. Then, when one came up for sale a couple of years ago, I had to have it. Several years on, it became pretty tired, I was distracted and it sat for a year. The frame was not getting any younger, the paint was bubbling and peeling, the motor had a couple of oil leaks. So, I've bitten the bullet and stripped it down with plans for a custom cafe racer restoration.
At the moment I have a front end, back end, gear box, motor, frame, exhaust system and all the bits and pieces all over the garage. And so the fun begins. I've done a fair bit of research and have put together quite a shopping list. Fortunately, the internals of motor and gearbox are good so not going in there - except for what's required to replace badly leaking pushrod tube rubbers. Only has about 72,000 klms (that's 45,000 miles for those in the US)
It's a bit of a pain doing all the prep for powder coating the frame and swignarm, but that's all part of the deal, I suppose. I've purchased both a Clymer and Haynes manuals, but have a fairly rudimentary workshop, have purchased a few new and very handy tools and I'm on the learning curve!
Wish me luck!
