My buddy Jake Hayhurst brought “Frank” (short for Frankenstein,) a 1971 Bonneville frame with a 1973 750cc engine. Frank and Goldie seen here in front of Jake’s tent, just hanging and dreaming about the desert.
Our group of eight minus one (I was behind the camera.) These guys were awesome to ride and hang with, and are now my brothers. Our group was made up of three Ducati Scramblers, two modern Triumph Bonnies, a lone Kawasaki 250, and two 1971 Triumphs. Big Bend is an almost surreal environ, with a stark beauty that is hard to forget.
Goldie’s exhaust bracket with a stress crack and the bush-fix that allowed me to keep riding after the pipe completely fell off while riding. Just prior to this we were running somewhere North of 80MPH. Certainly glad it didn’t happen then!
Jake’s brother, Daniel and Paul Risse up the side of a mountain, and our bikes seen as small dots on the roadside below. The Rio Grande river can be seen on the left, with Mexico on the other side.
On a particularly deep sand and gravel wash, where riding was akin to being on ice. That’s Jake on Frank, ready to ride.
Some changes on the 1999 Honda Z-50 “Hater” bike since the July post. A heavy-duty manual clutch and Takegawa hydraulic clutch actuator, a freshly repainted tank with the underside reformed to accommodate the Mikuni VM26 carb, and fresh graphics for the whole bike were some of the changes.
A larger 17 tooth counter sprocket, new Renthal Gold MX chain and chain roller, alloy footpegs, new folding shifter, and a larger air filter rounded out the rest of the changes.
The 1948 BSA WM-20 came back to the shop briefly to find a loose tail light wire. While it was here again, a custom snap-on air filter was made.
The filter was made from two different sizes of brass mesh and a brass strip making the bezel. An o-ring inside keeps it quite snug on the velocity stack.
Custom tail light and license plate bracket, rear grab bar, kickstand lever, sorted electrics, new carb, gas leaks fixed, and an engine revival, and she is ready for riding again.