tt500 build : part 1

Well, it's officially put up or shut up time. I've been going back and forth about what bike I wanted to build for next years Ozark Mountain Scramble. My choice was between a tt500 I scored in trade, or a cb350 parts bike from last years leftovers that helped create the cl350. Both would be fun projects starting at $0, but the biggest factor that pushed me over the edge towards the tt is a sense of unfamiliar territory. That and the tt500 should wheelie whenever I ask it to. The cb could be fun, but I just couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to build, and it seemed too easy to do another 350. I'll dig into the cb at a later date, or just make it my build for 2014, we'll see

With that said, I finally figured out how I want to approach the tt. Originally I wanted to go all out with a wheel swap, USD forks, etc. I've crunched the numbers, and that just isn't going to happen on a $1000 budget even if I start out at $0. Parts add up fast, and at the moment this bike isn't even a runner yet. I do however have a brand new coil, points, and condenser set that came with the bike, so that's a bonus. The shift lever is welded to the shaft, so that will have to be sorted. I'm still missing a shim needed to re-install the points cam I got a while back from ebay. Once I get the shim in, I can get it running and see where I need to go from there. It's a 6 volt system, so I'll have to decide if I want to swap it all to 12v or not. Still on the fence about it.

Cosmetic wise, I'm keeping it simple. A cruddy cb350 tank I had lying around looked good on the backbone, so it's staying once I figure out some mounts. The rear seat frame needs some mods including moving the upper shock mounts back a bit. I've got a duck bill style kz400 fender from my 2011 OMS build that should look good. The stock shocks in the back will stay, but the forks up front will be replaced with a non leading link type from an earlier year. The 21" and 18" wheel combo will stay for now with some cheap enduro style tires.

Now:



Later:



Money is tight right now with the dragbike project coming up, my Ghia, and a decent sized house remodel. That's about the norm around here, so in the spirit of frugality it works out great when building a scramble bike. Anyone else got anything in the works?

Derrick