A “New” ‘85 Comes Home to Roost

[desert_max]

Well, I do have a bad habit of bringing home orphans that come available at reasonable prices. Today was no exception. Picked up a once loved, but recently neglected 85. Needs everything. If nothing else, it’s a nice parts locker. Got a complete Kerker system with it! Practically stole it.

you guys are a bad influence…

 

[Fire-medic]

It doesn't look that-bad. Does it run?

 

[desert_max]

It doesn't look that-bad. Does it run?

Negative. “Electrical” issue. He wasn’t kidding. Harness has been molested. Ignition switch MIA. Unterminated wires dangling. Handed the man $200 and loaded it up.

Heck the Kerker is worth more than that. Plus, this one has some extra chrome and nicer scoops than are on mine. I will be cherry picking.

 

[user 16790]

that's a great find and looks pretty good under the dust

 

[Parminio]

Nice scavenging. I never get that lucky.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Nice find !

 

[hogfiddles]

Yep, that’s how I get a lot of my bikes..... and it’s how I got my first vmax (‘85 w/ only about 12k mi

 

[desert_max]

Since you guys are really the only ones even mildly interested in my Vmax shenanigans, I might as well show you the first sacrificial part that has migrated over to my 86. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen a chrome one.

Grab bar, scoops and lower instrument cluster housing will be next. Kerker most likely at some point. Which would mean I will have a Holeshot system to raffle off...

 

[one2dmax]

We're no strangers to stock chrome parts! You can spot the stock chromed one in the pic.

 

[Fire-medic]

Sean's chrome quality shows the preparation done before the 3-part plating process, which makes all the difference in how it turns-out, and how-long it lasts. In my experience, chrome on aluminum is a finish which looks-best when first-done, and it slowly degrades over-time. I've seen where pieces are baked repeatedly, and more impurities come to the surface: "time is $," and the plater wants to get it done, and to get it out the door. Most people aren't willing to spend the $/time to get a piece that will have a better-chance of lasting the longest.

 

[desert_max]

Title is officially signed over today. Had to be processed through DMV under the new covid protocol. But the indicated 9400 miles is actual! The guy told me it was, but I was skeptical since the bike is rougher than one would expect for a low mile example.

I don’t think I will park this thing out…Deserves another chance.

 

[Dorney]

I don’t think I will park this thing out…Deserves another chance

That's good to hear .

 

[Parminio]

Title is officially signed over today.

Title? On an '85?

Wow. Here in Georgia you wouldn't need one at all.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Good to hear you will be fixing it

 

[desert_max]

Yeah, Arizona is pretty anal about titling vehicles.

And trust me, I have so much crap in the pipeline that I won't be getting to this one for a while.

 

[desert_max]

Going to add another quick blurb to this thread, but not the kind of blurb I’d like to be adding. My son was moving the bike in the shop slipped/tripped and dropped the bike over onto a box of stuff. Dented one of the nearly pristine OEM mufflers. Damn things survived 35 years until my son came along. Dag nab it.

 

[totalcomfort]

Bummer, sorry for you man.

 

[Fire-medic]

Oh well. Partz is partz. I have a NOS take-off, not an '85, I'm storing for when I decide to do a restoration on one of the hulks I have. I think I may build it, and never start it. Just have it as a restored bike. Of course, at some point in its life, it was run/used, but my thought is to have it as-good as it can be, in a restoration. One of those that gets its miles from being pushed-around. What's the fun in that? It's as-good as you can get it.

 

[Parminio]

My son would be lucky to survive such an occurrence.

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

When I was 11yrs old my parents bought my brother and I a weight bench, weights and a bench press bar for Christmas. They set it up in our garage. We got right to it. Eventually it was time to change weights and I started pulling them off the bar. As I pulled the last plate off, the bar flipped up and over, denting the chrome headlight housing on his 1978 Porsche 911 Targa. Dumbfounded I starred at it like it wasn’t real, couldn’t be real. I was sure that I “would be lucky to survive such an occurrence”. Eventually my parents came down to the garage and I showed my dad the dent. Deep it was, about 3 inches but it didn’t break the headlight glass. Rather than take the easy weak path he took a breath, showed some kindness and talked to me about the why and how not to have it happen again. My mother wanted blood but for my father it was over, done. Time to move on. It sucks dessert-max but I have a feeling you handled yourself better than parmino might have. We don’t really remember the beatings, the why or the possible lesson but those moments when a parent gets past their anger and puts their feelings aside, keeping their hands to themselves, they stick with us for life.