Blood Sweat and Gears (BSG) 76/78/83

[Motowalt]

Thanks Easter.
It has been a real rewarding learning process....

[Motowalt]

Found a pair of HD mufflers…the muffler brackets were offset and not identical so I had to cut one off, install the bolts and then re-weld one side…the welds are not pretty, but I think they turned out ok for an amateur…they sound good…are not too loud, and I like the shorty look…

[Motowalt]

Had the headers silver ceramic coated - pricey, but a huge improvement!

[Motowalt]

I prefer the bodywork on the Gen 1 (75-77’s) bikes so I used those for the shelter and side covers…the early shelter frame bolted right up, but I had to alter the '78 side mounts to accept the early covers…

Had an old '77 frame that was too rusty to put on the road so cut off the side panel mounts and cut to fit and bolted them to the 78 frame and wollah! It worked! And they can be removed and the '78-79 side panels re-installed…but why would you ever want to?

Side Cover Brackets cut from old frame:



Right Bracket trimmed:



Left Bracket Trimmed:



Right Bracket Installed:



Left Bracket Installed:

]

I should insert the "blood" pic here...those cut pieces are really sharp
Luckily, no stitches were required.

[Norbert R]

Well, the thread is called B,S & G
Well done saving an otherwise doomed good motor !
I agree fully about the '75 to '77 body styling being the nicest.

[ericheath]

Rodger, did you see that last post??? You have been neglectful of your psychological brain washing about the 78's. Okay back to our show.

[Motowalt]

Plus Eric, everyone knows the 1st Gens are the fastest...

OK, it was finally time for paint…so the motor has to come out of the frame one more time…

First I sanded, primed and painted the motor. Red Scotchbrite pads, dust blown off with compressed air, wiped down with Duplicolor Prep wipe.







Then carefully spooned the motor back into the frame to avoid scratching anything:
(don't forget to install the crankcase breather cup BEFORE installing the motor...it's nearly impossible to bolt it up once the motor is in the frame...don't ask me how I know that!)



I did a lot of the initial bodywork prep by sanding off the old paint and decals before taking everything to my painter…'75, '76 and ’77 bodywork, 83 front plastic fender (a huge decal needed to be sanded off there)…and 78 chrome rear fender which I chopped and shortened. Had my painter weld and grind several holes on the rear fender since I would
be mounting a different tail light.



Went with gloss black for the fenders and House of Kolor Candy Apple Red for the bodywork along with a 2013 OEM GL1800 tank emblem (looks deep red to black, depending on the lighting) to finish it off…



Lucas hooded style tail light for the rear in gloss black to match the new fender paint…

Superbike handlebars powdercoated black. Ran the control wires inside the bars.

Aftermarket headlight brackets

New, custom length Galfer SS front brake lines along with a Nissin Racing Master Cylinder allowed me to get rid of the OEM brake pressure switch and crossover tube which can be a real pain to bleed. Plus, there's no sanitary way to mount the 77 pressure switch on the 83 fork.

Rebuilt all three calipers with OEM Honda seals.

Then I cleaned and lined the tank using POR 15. New drain crush washer, drainbolt threads coated with aviation gasket sealer to prevent leaks.

Painted the radiator and hose covers.

Polished the carb caps and intake runners.

Reinstalled all the bodywork and fenders…

Sourced a Harley Sportster seat and modified it to fit.









I'm really starting to like how this old girl is turning out!

[Norbert R]

I'm really starting to like how this old girl is turning out!

Me too! That red is magnificent

[77Wing]

That's awesome!

[Easter]

You make it sound so simple, you must have done this before! Now I know why I can't figure out where that breather cup is supposed to go! Looks really sharp!

[Motowalt]

Thanks guys.
This bike has thrown alot of roadblocks in my way as I was bringing her back to life...

Stay tuned...there's more to come

[Roady]

Lovin' your color scheme.

[ericheath]

Sweet, you're hired.

[Barney T Weasel]

Sheesh you really have done the work on that bike. Hope its reliable now and worth the effort. You've done an amazing job.

[desertrefugee]

... and bolted them to the 78 frame and wollah! It worked! And they can be removed and the '78-79 side panels re-installed…but why would you ever want to?

I agree fully about the '75 to '77 body styling being the nicest.

Plus Eric, everyone knows the 1st Gens are the fastest...

Rodger, did you see that last post??? You have been neglectful of your psychological brain washing about the 78's.

Ouch! Well, in spite of the negative press, there are a few of us who like the 78/79 style. I'll admit that it wasn't my favorite either - until I picked mine up recently. Thinking about it, the shelter lines mimic the early CB750F - a bike I had and loved decades ago. I'm liking it more and more...even though it won't see the road until this fall. (Sorry, I digress).

Regardless of year, the ravishing red beauty (and subject of this thread) will be a delight to ride and show. Congratulations on an outstanding result!