Dan's blue 1VJ

[cadno]

I'm just coming to the end of returning a blue 1VJ back to the road.
This was bought off Geoff back at the end of 2018 according to the V5
Bike was a three owner machine in generally nice condition for it's age and certainly not an abused field bike example. She had the normal issues of a disassembled bike, with bits missing and in bits and boxes, but with the bottom end built. It had a 3AJ motor, so no kick start.
In short a nice start to a project bike.
So I roughly assembled it to get an idea of what needed sourcing etc.
This write up will appear a little topsy turvy with the inspiration being detailed first and the bike rebuild second, sorry.

This was what kept me focused, Chuck Stearns factory bike.

I love the look and colour of these Sonauto / Gauloises bikes.

Wheels.
So I sourced some spare rough wheels for the black rim conversion.
These were stripped after noting the offset etc on the rims. The rear hub was drilled to accept the next up on spoke diameter, and the rear drum was machined to make it perfectly concentric.
Both hubs were blasted and powder coated. New bearings and seals, new brake shoes, new front disc, new sprocket retaining tabs, new Renthal rear sprocket which had to be anodised black after a mate said I hope you're not leaving it silver .
Stainless spokes and new black Excel rims were bought and my mate Doug built them for me, even fitting the new Michelin Anakee Wild tyres
They look even better in the flesh....

I'm not fitting these yet, she has a perfectly usable set of standard gold rims on her with some enduro tyres that I'll use to run her in on.

Seat.
The bike I bought off James in Edinburgh came with some interesting spare bits, an extra seat being one of them. I did quite a bit of research on the best guys to recover a seat and Viking seats kept coming up. So I sent them a few emails and photos of what I required, no problem came back. Sent two seats to them, one for this and one for the white resto mod 1VJ, both to be covered exactly the same Alcantara tops with vinyl sides.
This is what came back...

Stunning. I can't recommend them highly enough.
https://viking-motorcycle-seats.co.uk/
Again I'm not fitting the seat until I've got through the shake down stage.

Bodywork.
The bike's original bodywork is down with my painter mate at the moment. My tank has been in the deox tank for a few days to remove every last bit of rust before painting.
It's being finished in bog standard Yamaha 1VJ yellow and blue. I had to buy a pair of new reproduction side panels from Australia as the single white side panel that came with the bike wasn't very special. Certainly recommend them for a bike that's going to get used.
I may add the Sonauto / Gauloises decals at a later date over the lacquered standard paint on the tank and mudguard.
This guy is supposed to offer Sonauto / Gauloises decals...
https://bikesandbackpacks.com/
Sent him an email last week but haven't heard anything as yet.
Bodywork photos to follow when I get the panel set back, but I'll run around with the second partial set of bodywork for now.

Motoforms tanks.
Anybody got any for sale?
I may have to get round to persuading my fabricator mate to replicate the rear and side tanks in alloy, that'll be a big ask. He's agreed to fabricate the engine bash plate like the Stearns bike.
For those in the know the Stearns bike image above isn't quite finished the bash plate should have more lightening holes, it's shown part way through a restoration. I also like the lack of decals on the rear half of the bike.

I'll get some more done over the weekend including some photos.....

[GeoffD]

Looking good Dan.... I like the seat

[cadno]

thanks Geoff, the bike will be put back on the road fairly standard, for now
It makes a nice change with theses types of bikes for it not to be hanging when you start.

[Bowler]

Nice write up! I'm curious about the finished bike!

[jibber]

[cadno]

I had a bit of a play with this bike today.
Slight problem, it starts fine, but bogs down just off idle. If you can manage to rev it through that, say going down hill it rev's fine.
It's like the primary is blocked, but isn't, I've checked that, and the little filter.
I've got the air screw three turns out. I think it's this.
I'll have a play with it tomorrow, what an awkward place to mount the airscrew

[motorang]

Its not an air screw, ist a fuel screw. If you turn it out the mixture will get richer.
May be worth checking the air channels from the air filter side od the primary carb, sounds like one may be blocked.
Or fuel level, possibly?

Andy

[cadno]

Back on it now, seems ages since 17th May when I last posted on this bike, the world's a different place.
Haven't been entirely negligent, I've reinstated the relay that somebody had removed, it hasn't got me any further towards sorting the odd neutral light problem. Basically I've bridged the clutch switch, and side stand switch, if you try to start the bike with neutral light on, it won't.
If you disconnect the neutral switch it starts no problem....I'll get to the bottom of it.
It also seems to be very lean, runs ok if you really gently feed the throttle in, but if you use it normally it bogs. There's no air leaks or anything like that, should probably lift the needle.
But, drum roll, I've got some of my bodywork back from the painters, and there's nothing better to focus the mind.


and another view of the same

I also have a TDR250 in the same Faraway Blue
Tank and side panels will be retrieved before the end of the week. The painters have had all the bodywork since Feb and I'd stripped the tank and rubbed the panels down. You can't rush a craftsman

[cadno]

In my defense I've finished an Yamaha RD350 LC2 YPVS I've had for a while, and I'm building a motorcycle workbench thing.
Space is a premium and I'd like to have a long term project up on bench that I can wheel into the centre of the garage and put back flush to the wall when I'm finished.
I'll post some photos when it's finished.

[Mezo]

Noice, im guessing you used some sort of flex agent in the paint or primer? or both? those early XT`s front guards flap away as i`m sure you know. And on the note,,,are you going to get one of them alloy mudgaurd braces? i think they look the part & also function.

Mezo.