Shop Update

I’ve been slacking at posting updates to the blog.  With this cold weather, I’ve been getting a lot of work down in and out of the shop.  The shop is now setup as a dealer for a lot of great products.  If you need a quote on anything, reach out.

Crazy to think it’s almost February which means it’s almost time for Mama Tried Motorcycle Show & Flat Out Friday Indoor Flattrack Race!  I’m finishing up a 73’ Honda CB350 Scrambler for the show and will be racing a 78’ Yamaha DT400 in the Amateur & Vintage Classes.  The cb is just about finished with wiring and then will be fired up and put a few cold miles on it.  The seat is getting upholsterer right now and tank is just about ready for paint.  The DT is about to be a rolling chassis and will be painted very soon.  I’m still waiting to get the motor and chamber for it.

My ZX7-H2 triple is coming along.  the chassis is together and bodywork is mounted up.  I have locked in Flannery Motorsports to do the top end for the motor and machine the cylinder for reed valves.  Hoping to start on the cases and bottom end soon.  Then it will be ready for some custom chambers.

There are some other bikes and projects to complete soon.  A Ducati Single for lacing wheels and paintwork.  XS650 Motor refresh for Ryan’s Chop.  Indian MX bike rebuild.  Painting some parts for a couple Victory Motorcycles.  And finishing up 74 CB350f.

I’m going to try to update this page more often.  Stay tuned!

 

Innovative MotoSports is now a dealer for the following companies!

Innovative MotoSports is happy to announce the addition of some very great Brands. If you need any pricing, please reach out.

BST Carbon Fiber Wheels

Rotobox Carbon Fiber Wheels

Brembo Brakes

Braketech Brakes

Marchesini Wheels

Bursig USA Motorcycle Stands

Woodcraft CFM rearsets, clip ons, stands, tire warmers, sliders/armor, etc

Armor Bodies Bodywork

Sharkskinz Bodywork

Catalyst Composites Bodywork

TighTails Subframes and Fairing Stays

Termignoni Exhaust

Power Commander

These are in addition to the brands that I already carry;

Dymag Wheels

Speedcell Batteries

All Balls Bearings

Ricks Motorsports Electrical Components

Air-tech Streamlining Bodywork

Baxley Wheel Chocks

Moto Tote Motorcycle Carries

Finishing the build

With any project, it is incredibly easy to get off track and distracted.  Most of us have plenty going on in our lives, so it can be very taxing to stay focused to finishing a motorcycle.  I want to share some of the things I have found that work for me, with the hope this can help someone else with time management.

With everything that won't stay on the bike removed, you can start to brain storm.

With everything that won't stay on the bike removed, you can start to brain storm.

 

The first thing I do with any custom work I do, is get the bike on the lift with plenty of room around it.  Then I remove all items that won't stay, so that I can start to visualize the end state.  Once I have my plan in place, I start to make two list.  The first is a list of all tasks I can think of, the second is a parts list that I need to order.  Now these are one and done, type lists.  These will always be evolving.  These list help keep me on track and focuses on what's next.  

Everything you do at this point, starts to drive home the shift from vision to reality  

Everything you do at this point, starts to drive home the shift from vision to reality  

For me, I keep task lists for just about everything.  I have a small notebook that is around me at all times.  You never know when you will have something you think of.  This is what helps me balance my day job, my family, and my business.  The also have two white boards near my bike lifts for anything that comes up while i'm working.

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At this point, I know what I need to do and what parts to order.  Also be thinking of anything you have to send out to vendors.  You will want to reach out and check their turn around times.  With this information, we can start to think about when.  I try to dedicate specific days of the week to my own builds.  Think about all the things you have going on and what works best.  From there you can start to see how many hours you have each week/month.  Now gauge the amount of work you have to do.  Lay out the steps and also add in the timing of sending parts out.  Be generous with the amount of time you give yourself.  There will always be something that was missed, a task that fights you, or something unforeseen that comes up.  

With everything disassembled, it may feel daunting but don't worry, it's all downhill from here

With everything disassembled, it may feel daunting but don't worry, it's all downhill from here

With a solid game plan, it just comes down to holding yourself accountable.  I really helps to have a loved one or friend that will push you.  It can help to post your build to social media and/or forums.  Believe it or not, there are times where you don't want to go out to the garage and work.  Keep pushing yourself and crossing off those items on your task list.  There are a few milestones that I think really solidify what you are doing.  For me they are; 

  1. Rough design of the bike
  2. Tear down
  3. Bodywork progress
  4. Rolling chassis
  5. Assembled motorcycle
  6. First Fire
  7. First Ride 
With a rolling chassis, the excitement really grows.  It will be a finished motorcycle soon!

With a rolling chassis, the excitement really grows.  It will be a finished motorcycle soon!

If you have a better idea while you are building the bike, evaluate the pro/cons of doing it.  If the good trumps the bad, then go for it.  None of this is written in stone.  Don't let others feedback deter you, build the bike you are happy with.  

If anyone has tips/suggesions that have helped them, please put them in the comments below.

 

 

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And of course, the best part is the completed bike.  All of your hard work is not a functioning work of art. 

We are now a speedcell dealer!

Innovative MotoSports Llc is now a Speedcell dealer.  Their lithium batteries are hands down the best out there.  They are also offering solid state regulator/rectifiers.  Please contact for pricing.  

www.speedcell.com

 

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Meeting a legend

I've always said that one of my favorite things about buying and selling motorcycles, is the people you meet.  Recently i saw a ad for a vintage motorcycle auction in Omaha.  I was tied up that weekend, so I planned to attend virtually to bid on a few 2 stroke street bikes.  I ended up winning a pair of 1972 Suzuki GT550's and a 1971 Kawasaki H1.  I had two weeks for pickup and setup a time with what I thought was the auction house.

So rewind back about 2 years.  I'm at work and come across an article on a guy that makes a living buying & selling motorcycles.  I things that blew my mind was the size of his network, and the shear volume of very collectible motorcycles he had. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2015/10/article/backmarker-finishing-mikes-collection/ The pictures made my jaw drop and it did something for me.  It validated that there is a strong market for these motorcycles here in the states.  I forwarded this to my wife and a few friends.  I used it as motivation to keep building and dealing with 70's Japanese motorcycles.

So back to the auction.  I made the drive to Omaha and planned to be in and out quick.  I pull up and it's large building.  Rich opens the door and backs me in.  We shake hands and he shows me the 3 bikes I bought.  We begin talking and I mention how hard these 2 strokes are getting to find.  He begins telling me that he finds them all the time.  So naturally, I have to ask what all he has for bikes.  He starts rattling them off and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  He just named quite a few Grey Market bikes that you don't see hardly anyway.  He mentioned NSR's, Gamma's, RD/RZ500's, and a slew of other bikes.  At the time, I was hunting for an RZ350 and asked if he had one.  He said he was down to about 7, but that he typically has about 15-16.  So my next question was, "Wow, how many bikes do you have?"  He replies that has about 1000 at his place.  Now I can't help but start to think, this has to be the guy I read about.  Unfortunately I couldn't remember the name from the article.  

Rich was beyond helpful and we talked about the three bikes as I wheeled them onto my trailer.  He also talked about making a place for Vintage Once I was all loaded up, I stopped into his office to let him know I was all wrapped up.  Rich asks if he could take me to dinner and then show me his collection.  Thankfully my wife is amazing and was fine with me taking alittle longer to get back.  I couldn't want to see his bikes.  

Rich and I went to eat at Catfish Lake in Bellevue.  The food was amazing and we sat and talked all things bikes.  Favorite ones to right, importing and exporting them, and trends we hate.  After dinner, I followed up a few miles to what I will call his Motorcycle Compound.  It had multiple buildings full of eye candy.  The first building he showed me was jaw dropping.  

As you walk in, he has shelves with perfect condition Kawi Z1R, h1, and h2 bodywork.  Once you're past the office, it's just rows of bikes.  And these aren't piles of scrap, they are runners and in great condition.  There is a slew of early sport bikes, Katana's (the good  ones) Gamma's, Rd's, Rz's, GSXR, NSR's, Z1's, Z1r's, Ducati, Mini Bikes, Some Enduro's, GPZ's, and about anything else you could think of.  Words can not describe it.  It was amazing!  

Then we walked over to another building.  Before we even got in there, I spotted a two seater sidecar with a removable canopy!  One of these days I'll have a sidecar on something.  So we go into the building and it's decorated so well.  There is a setup that looks like a car dealship show room in part of the building.  This is just jam packed with early sportbikes.  I know know where 80's sportbikes go.  Then I noticed he has a crazy Snap On Tools Clock Collection.  Once I stopped drooling over these bikes and the old drag bikes he had, we went to another shop where he kept his parts stash.  These looked at is they hadn't been used at all.  h1/h2 parts, z1, gt750 motor sitting there, it was beyond impressive.

We talked some more about what's coming up for Rich and his business.  He's getting ready for another auction in the coming months and always on the prowl for more bikes.  It was amazing seeing his bikes and talking with him.

So keep an eye out for bikes and enjoy the people you meet.  The stories and experiences are priceless.  And Rich, thanks again for everything!  

 

Gas Tank Cleaning & Sealers

After spending the last 3 weeks to clean a Goldwing gas tank, I thought this would be a great topic for this week.  In messing with any motorcycle that has been sitting, you will encounter a one of the following scenarios;

1-Rust on the inside

2-Old Gas still in the tank

3-A bad tank seal job

4-Pinholes in the tank

I hope for just some rust on the inside of the tank if it's not clean.  This is quite easy to treat.  I use metal rescue in the tank for 2 days.  I've had great success with this and it looks brand new right after it.

If there is old gas, depending on how long it has been sitting, you may be able to dump it and give a quick rinse with acetone.  I had one that had gas that sat for about 20 years and was now some type of gel on the bottom of the tank.  I have seen some that leave a hardline where the gas line is and have a type of scale on the tank above the fuel level.  In both of these scenarios, I used apple cider vinegar to clean the tank.  When you dump the vinegar, odds are it will flash rust quickly.  Once this happens, I do a treatment with metal rescue and then a quick rinse with acetone.

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If the tank had a bad seal job, get ready to have some fun.  I have had some come loose in 3 days in vinegar with some bolts to slosh around and another that took 3 weeks and also had rounds with air craft stripper before the vinegar.  Make sure you get all of it out.  Then follow the same steps are before.

If the tank has been welded to repair pin holes, or from repair work, then I always use a good quality gas tank.  I've tried POR15 and Caswell.  That being said I only use Caswell now.  Follow the instructions to a t and it will work great!

Keep in my mind this is my approach, there are some many methods you can use.  I hope this helps some people.