PanzerWomble

Sorry but all of that is dog puke to me , the cafe racer nonsense has destroyed many good classic bikes. ...IMHO. This FJ has survived 40 years ...it deserves to survive for another 40 . People should go ruin modern crap bikes for thier fads , leave the 40 year old bikes to people who appreciate them . They ain't building any more . I made a bunch of CR's based on Viragos .....sold them all to dreaming idiots who I doubt anyone did more than 200 miles ...... no one will miss Blandits or Diversions etc , GS500's or half the "adventure " rubbish sold today. It's like making a stretched Limo from a 1970 Mustang .....just ...no .

More spanner nonsense ....GS 1000 is running nice , got 600+ miles up now so that my summer rider for now . Turning attention to my other bike , 1986 FJ1200 . Bought this 2 years ago, looks good from 10 feet but....... has been sat too long . Tyres were 23 / 18 years old ....everything rubber had perished , so think engine seals, foil seals, brakes , clutch etc. Previous guy took a paintbrush to everything inc all the fasteners to "restore it "about 20 years ago from my guesswork . Thankfully the bodywork is pretty good, and it's low miles and not been too mucked around . So....time for me to strip it down to the frame and do it properly without hopefully loosing too much of the original bike . I had an FJ1200 about 9 years ago & loved it ! It was much higher mileage , but still could uproot trees . Hopefully will have this one back up and running in around 3 months unless disaster strikes. Today then , cleaned the workshop , made room for all the boxes of parts ...and into the rabbit hole I go .

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So true esp whilst 1/3 of the world's population collectively couldn't give a hoot about climate change .

Just bobbing in with a brief update . The '79 GS1000 now has a few hundred miles under it's belt . I'm absolutely loving it , the laid back power delivery , the nostalgia . She's a loyal old thing , esp given being parked up for a long time . So far , new tyres , new chain and sprockets, a lot of new bearings , changed the oil, been over the brakes & replaced the fluid, replaced the tacho, fixed the fuel gauge sender , balanced carbs etc . Wiring is pretty good , unmolested , and it charges the battery which was Suzi's big weak point in this era. Points and condensers working fine , so won't be swapping them out, just bought a strobe light for the first time in 20 years .. 🙃 Original colour was the dark blue ( as found under the tank hidden away) so a fresh coat of paint is in the cards as I have had way too many black bikes. These came factory Red or Blue , so the black is someone else's paint job, I won't feel bad about loosing it. Lol - me back to 1:1 painting instead of the usual airbrushing on here ! I'm fighting the urge to strip it down for a frame up restoration as I have way too much other stuff to be on with this summer (inc my FJ1200) , but think come winter this will be a prime candidate for some powder coating and fastener plating . I would like to keep it pretty original as there are plenty of modded GS1000's , and the L version wasn't imported to the UK so rare here. I need to find a cissy rail which maybe a hunt for a model made for 2 years only . Have fun gents Laters PW Sat in the sun like it's 1988..... Float and Gauge now in communication ! Back master got need seals . Good to brake at both ends now . Tyres were old enough to vote .... Seen better days........ no wonder it was making odd schwlerp schwlerp noises on the overun

Yay . I wish one of mine had gone into the services. No to try to steal your thunder |Scott , but my middle daughter announced last month that she had biologically booted me into the "Old Man" tickbox . Goddam I'm still 25 .....

That is a beaut .

Car... bike ...bike.... car thread ??? I've been off doing anything other than modelling recently , 3 stalled / failed builds .... I need a break , probs too much time on line as well . 🙃 Bought this 1979 GS 1000L , US Import - we didn't get this model in the UK . I last had a GS1000S in 1994 ...it was only 14 years old then . This one is now 45 . ..Being so old it's inspection exempt and taxes free. Needed a lot of maintenance, been sat a good long while 4-10 years , so been working my way through it . New fluids everywhere , new tyre ( last pair were old enough to vote) , chain and sprockets up next. Numerous fixings / cleanings, some small electrics , and just getting out and running it . Amazing how machines 'come around' when you use them daily. Plan is to run it over summer and consider a restoration during winter. Huge Grin / Nostalgia factor here , the ride is laid back but with some power , delivery being lazy rather than on / off as with younger bikes . Sounds and smells like a real bike to me . Keep up the glueing - I'll be back at some point! cheerz PW

Gonna be 1:1 scale for the next few months

I've just had a go with the MRP Super Metallic 2 as I refuse to buy Alclad from Ammo for 3 times the price it use to be - still all made 100 miles from me by the same people ...go figure. In the jar very thick , needs to be thinned 50/60% to spray . Looked finer pigment than Tamiya, bit tougher than Alclad. Tamiya's laquer thinner worked ok is , nothing water based (like X20A / IPA )worked & I don't own any MRP self levelling . I do cheat and use proper cellulose thinner ( toluene) when running laquers. Have to be careful as it can strip acrylics quick. Alclad as you know sprays straight from the bottle .

It died Living up to it's realife subject this one crashed and burned. After three hours of patchworking metalics yesterday , TBH wasn't really working out very well , so stopped and then gingerly held it vertically whilst peeling the making tape off as the paint was still soft ....and .....slipped out of my fingers hit the desk and the wing snapped off cleanly . Given how thin the wing is , and the angle of the join , pinning it looks to be a real PITA even if it's doable . So the thing lived up to it's reputation as a lawn dart and back in a box it goes. I can sit there for a while until I decide if I can be arsed with it again . Laters PW

Not my first rodeo on this one ..just kinda got bored with it 🤔 Will finish it up and sell it one at some point , but just found the whole thing a bit dull .

Outstanding , love that micro precise work . Making one , difficult. Making 4 the same , thats a real skill job ! ( More than I would attempt TBH) They do look the mutts nutz, gonna fit real nice with the snappy paintwork 😀

I'm so sorry Scott , cancer is a terrible diagnosis , but my hope is that they will be able to give her the best care now discovered. Like Carl we have friends who have had breast cancer and are healthy and happy 15 and 20 years later. Prognosis and treatment these days is very positive, way beyond where medicine was even a few years ago . All my thoughts and best wishes with you guys at this time .

Print it onto tamiya making paper sheet might work?

If you play it ...they will come , good catch on the lyrics 😀 I first heard this when a mate of mine came around to my student house with a copy (the same one I still own) in the week Bob Calvert died. ( Aug 1988) I was big into Hawkwind but not familiar with this album . We wedged the speakers into opposite corners of the front room , dropped , and then lay on our backs listening as the whole bloody Luftwaffe flew around the room for about ...oh....must have been 12 hours .. Absolutely Frakkin' Glorious . In no way do I ever describe my youth as "mispent ". Never saw Jim Bloom again after 1991, do wonder if he's still kicking around somewhere wondering what sod pinched his album .🥷

Nice radar , makes a huge difference .👍

Outstanding , one of a breed of men sadly in short supply these days . Born same year as my father , 1928 a good vintage.