Hi Guys,
Not posted in a while. New job and working away during the week is leaving me with little time for two wheel fun. Last Oct i foolishly bid & won a 1987 Cagiva Elefant monofaro without seeing it. At about £500 with some tax & mot and starting on the kick i thought i might have a winter bargain.
I live in West Yorkshire so jumped on a train to pick the bike up from Bracknell. took a battery with me and despite the idle being too low and choke slipping off it fired up. It started, stopped and the lights all seemed to work.
I set off on my epic trip just as the crisp day turned to rain and the light faded. I set off and started to consider my new purchase. No speedo so was using my iphone for that job, was loosing oil through a leaking oil pressure sensor and the headlight was bouncing around in its bucket.
After a couple of hours and stops to check levels etc everything seemed to be going well. Not terribly fast but enough to overtake. Seat padding is shot as i felt like i was rolling back in th seat. Just as was leaving a Motorway i discover there was no resistance in the clutch. Cold sweat poured down my back but i was able to change down matching revs and stop the bike with the brakes. All hydraulics gone i was able to limp home.
Kicking the bike into my shed i retired to bed to dream of the fun to be had on my new "adventure bike". The following morning i set about striping the bike down and inspecting the systems identifying the following faults:
1. Bearing in clutch slave gone resulting in no hydraulics.
2. Speedo cable snapped.
3. No warninig lights whatsoever and non original clocks.
4. Tank leaking and bodged with some poor fiberglass type putty.
5. Oil pressure sensor goosed.
6. Front sprocket not secured!!
7. Chain roller snapped in half.
8. Rear shock knackered.
9. Airbox bodged beyond use and non original.
10. Throttle cable not connected properly.
11. Seat foam brittle.
12. Exhaust non standard and rusted through completly.
Cosmeticaly the bike has had a very hard life being over painted time & time again with hammerite so will all need repainting. Every pannel has been broken and repaired with some kind of fiberglass repair.
So, where does this leave things? In many parts on the garage floor for a start. It has taken me some time but it is in a state where i am now confident what needs remedial work and how i am to go about it.
The rear shock is with MH Racing having the remote reservoir removed and a complete rebuild (close to what i paid for the bike has gone on the shock). Tank is going to be lined with POR15 to seal & proof to prevent any further ethanol rot. Frame etc off for shotblasting & powder coating leaving the carbs & electrics for a bit of DIY treatment.
I have a trailtech dash unit to replace the non functioning Honda jobbies and some nifty led's to use as warning lights. I intend to make a new loom as i have some fantastic manuals thanks to the elefant following and should be able to upgrade some of the cabling.
Pannels are the tricky one. I have no intention of returning this bike to concourse as its simply too ugly and not worth it. What i need is a bike i can thrash & have fun with. I have seen several kevlar/carbon sheet kits that i am considering to line the inside of the fairings to give them strength and will sand down and paint to achieve a reasonalbe look. Or maybe vinyl wrap of some description.
The seat will be rebuilt and i have a laser produro end can to replace the rotten aftermarket item that was there before. Ths will need some form of 2:1 link pipe building.
I have a few pictures of the poor thing on my phone and will have a go at uploading a few for you voyeurs.
Not posted in a while. New job and working away during the week is leaving me with little time for two wheel fun. Last Oct i foolishly bid & won a 1987 Cagiva Elefant monofaro without seeing it. At about £500 with some tax & mot and starting on the kick i thought i might have a winter bargain.
I live in West Yorkshire so jumped on a train to pick the bike up from Bracknell. took a battery with me and despite the idle being too low and choke slipping off it fired up. It started, stopped and the lights all seemed to work.
I set off on my epic trip just as the crisp day turned to rain and the light faded. I set off and started to consider my new purchase. No speedo so was using my iphone for that job, was loosing oil through a leaking oil pressure sensor and the headlight was bouncing around in its bucket.
After a couple of hours and stops to check levels etc everything seemed to be going well. Not terribly fast but enough to overtake. Seat padding is shot as i felt like i was rolling back in th seat. Just as was leaving a Motorway i discover there was no resistance in the clutch. Cold sweat poured down my back but i was able to change down matching revs and stop the bike with the brakes. All hydraulics gone i was able to limp home.
Kicking the bike into my shed i retired to bed to dream of the fun to be had on my new "adventure bike". The following morning i set about striping the bike down and inspecting the systems identifying the following faults:
1. Bearing in clutch slave gone resulting in no hydraulics.
2. Speedo cable snapped.
3. No warninig lights whatsoever and non original clocks.
4. Tank leaking and bodged with some poor fiberglass type putty.
5. Oil pressure sensor goosed.
6. Front sprocket not secured!!
7. Chain roller snapped in half.
8. Rear shock knackered.
9. Airbox bodged beyond use and non original.
10. Throttle cable not connected properly.
11. Seat foam brittle.
12. Exhaust non standard and rusted through completly.
Cosmeticaly the bike has had a very hard life being over painted time & time again with hammerite so will all need repainting. Every pannel has been broken and repaired with some kind of fiberglass repair.
So, where does this leave things? In many parts on the garage floor for a start. It has taken me some time but it is in a state where i am now confident what needs remedial work and how i am to go about it.
The rear shock is with MH Racing having the remote reservoir removed and a complete rebuild (close to what i paid for the bike has gone on the shock). Tank is going to be lined with POR15 to seal & proof to prevent any further ethanol rot. Frame etc off for shotblasting & powder coating leaving the carbs & electrics for a bit of DIY treatment.
I have a trailtech dash unit to replace the non functioning Honda jobbies and some nifty led's to use as warning lights. I intend to make a new loom as i have some fantastic manuals thanks to the elefant following and should be able to upgrade some of the cabling.
Pannels are the tricky one. I have no intention of returning this bike to concourse as its simply too ugly and not worth it. What i need is a bike i can thrash & have fun with. I have seen several kevlar/carbon sheet kits that i am considering to line the inside of the fairings to give them strength and will sand down and paint to achieve a reasonalbe look. Or maybe vinyl wrap of some description.
The seat will be rebuilt and i have a laser produro end can to replace the rotten aftermarket item that was there before. Ths will need some form of 2:1 link pipe building.
I have a few pictures of the poor thing on my phone and will have a go at uploading a few for you voyeurs.
