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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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Number 6 (12/03/2007)So here's the question - what is the most crap bike ever customised by forum folk? OK, how's this for starters: A Jawa 634 model (maroon 350 two-stroke twin), which was the victim of rust, poor quality components and a young owner who wanted something "different" but couldn't afford the XR750 flat-tracker that Bike magazine raved about as the Next Big Thing in 1975. - Motor rebuilt on new bearings and pistons, with matt black exhaust paint on the fins
- Exhaust headers shot-blasted and painted with red exhaust paint
- Reverse-cone megaphone exhausts
- Frame and mudguards stripped and painted gloss black
- Tank and side panels stripped and painted blue (actually these last two were rather good)
- Original bars scrapped and ace bars fitted - upside down
 - Wide Dunlop K70s to replace the original plastic tyres (front same section as rear, à la Harley)
It was a custom job in the sense that I customised it to my own taste, which was a) horrible, and b) constrained by having no money. The ace bars were narrow, high and raked steeply back when fitted like that, but were surprisingly OK to ride with - better than the low and wide originals which were more like a reminder of a Russian tractor of 1951. It actually looked quite cool, if I say so myself, and the young lad who bought it off me was thrilled. However, I now know that reverse-cone megas are for FOUR-STROKES and that two-strokes need SPANNIES, and therefore why the performance was totally sh1t afterwards. Remember, we didn't have the interweb thing in them days - just local parts suppliers who put their profits above helping out a clueless newbie. I did learn quite a lot doing it, mind. I did the work in the summer of 76, when Britain had the longest drought for centuries. I was dying to get it finished so that I could go out and tear round the Yorkshire Dales in the hot summer weather. It had taken about 3 months in my parents' garage. One night I actually tightened the last bolt and then went to bed planning all the wonderful places I would go the next day, the bends I would swing through, the women I would impress. That night, the drought broke, and for the next three weeks, it p1ssed down. I blame Labour and that Harold Wilson.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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| Oh, and I forgot the twin red air-horns mounted either side of the headlight. I gave one old guy in Leeds heart failure when he tried a bit of careless lane-changing on a roundabout with his window open (see thread on mobile phones). My front end was RIGHT alongside his door and 12 inches away. Excellent.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4th September 2008 09:43
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Top work Mr Dog!
Apart from my dashed dream of turning the Z200 Custom back into a road bike, and sticking noisy cans on an FZ, the only top notch custom-job to my credit is sticking a Kawasaki 'Red Rovolution' sticker on the side panel of my lovely green MZ TS125. Or was it the black CZ175 (remind please, Mr Black).
Either way it was a hilarious dual-level ironic statement and everybody laughed. Maybe. Oh happy days.
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I'm only trying to help you, Roland.
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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Number 6 (13/03/2007)
Or was it the black CZ175Already customised. They only came from the factory in green and red colourways. IIRC, obviously.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4th September 2008 09:43
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Black Dog (14/03/2007)
[quote]Number 6 (13/03/2007)
Or was it the black CZ175
Already customised. They only came from the factory in green and red colourways.
IIRC, obviously.[/quote]
Ah, but they didn't come as standard with the natty sticker - that was the highlight of my personalised steed. Actually both MZ and CZ (I owned one of each) were pretty decent bikes for hacking around -better than throwing the plastic fantastic down the road mid-winter anyway - most fixes could be effected with a small hammer .
What is IIRC?
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I'm only trying to help you, Roland.
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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Visits: 1,795
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| If I Recall/Remember Correctly. Yup, they were certainly robust. A mate had a CZ125 and it was awesome. Never let him down, and you could do a full service with a nail file and a couple of hairgrips. The hammer was for running repairs. Whereas my Jawa - from the same factory and it seemed the same basic design - was the most unreliable, soul-shrinking pile of wombat poo that I have ever seen. Ridiculous design, shockingly poor materials, put together by retards on a kopeck a day. Strange.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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