If you’ve read my About Me page, then you’d have picked up that I’m an amateur petrol-head, and all-around DIY fiend. I also haven’t posted anything here for a while, because of a combination of being overly busy at work, and not feeling like writing anything (possibly related to the 1st point) – so I thought I’d change tack and write about something other than “SQL stuff” to break the writer’s block.
Just last week I sold my Suzuki SV 650, and while I’m still on the hunt for a larger replacement bike (thinking along the lines of a VTR1000, VFR800, SV1000, etc), I found a little 1980 Kawasaki KH-125 on Trade-Me. My wife thought it was “cute”, and while I don’t quite agree, I decided to get it as a weekend project to restore, and eventually for my wife to learn to ride on.
So I drove up to Auckland (from Wellington) this past weekend to pick up “the KH”. I drove 8 hours, had a cup of tea with the ex-owner (who actually owns an IaaS company), and then turned around to drive back. The bike only fell over on the trailer once (and trust me, with the way I drive, this is a testament to the strength of modern nylon tie-down straps), but luckily no damage was done.
Arriving back home, I wheeled it into the garage, chucked it up on the centre-stand, and kicked it into life. The puff of 2-stroke smoke was a welcome site, as was the fact that it sounded pretty strong for the 20 seconds or so that it ran.
Well, where to from here? I’ve stripped the bike almost completely, with just the engine and rear wheel still attached to the frame. I’ll post about specific challenges over the coming weeks (and I’m sure, months). 🙂 So prepare for much talk of de-rusting, buffing wheels, high-temp paints, and re-packing bearings. Exciting times!
Cheers,
Dave
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