Show us your rat bikes.

[John Backlund]

Originally Posted by caferacer

water Buffalo

Yep! 1974 GT750L.....it appears in the photos to be better than it really is in detail, needs a lot of cosmetic work that isn't readily apparent in the bad light of these pictures. It has 'potential' though.

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by John Backlund

Yep! 1974 GT750L.....it appears in the photos to be better than it really is in detail, needs a lot of cosmetic work that isn't readily apparent in the bad light of these pictures. It has 'potential' though.

Do you have an RE5 also ?

[redstringuitar]

[caferacer]

WRONG! oh so wrong, on SO many levels
I need to go wash my eyes out with soap now,

[robt57]

1982 XV925RJ getting ratty these day. The perfect seat after I ride it when I put a new battery and gas in it came apart during the first ride. I got on with no crack in a perfect original seat, when I got off it cracked in 8 places... Got it in 1993, longest vehicle ownership for me and then some.


Seat does not look as pretty as just last year when I took these pictures...

[Daddy Hojo]

Originally Posted by caferacer

rip out that hondamatick engine and find a wrecked 450 nighthawk
the 6 speed 450 engine will drop right in (I have done this mod a few times)

Would a nighthawk be easier to find parts for?

[alvis]

Oh, the money pit
Was goin along quite well until I had a bunch of tools STOLEN
Kinda took the air outa me

[Coffeemutt]

Originally Posted by Daddy Hojo

The hot rod hullabaloo in Danville, KY. It's awesome. There are straight restorations there, but mostly rat rods and things like that.

Check www.Dillehaystreet.com for the info.

Thanks for the link! Getting a bit tired of going to the SomerNites cruise all the time (I live in Somerset).

[robt57]

"it appears in the photos to be better than it really is in detail"


My XV920 too, it photographs well, but the lack of polish/cleared cases all dull and paint crazing, switch bits broken off from getting dryed out an brittle, it is headed toward ratdom..

I may strip it down and do some cafe thing full rat with pipe wrap and up mufflers etc...

[scantron81]

Mine is too clean to be a rat but it has enough of a hodge-podge of parts and chops to be one. Mostly '75 Honda CB500 Twin. Removed all stock lights, center stand, fenders, mirrors, stock air boxes, electric start. Installed Clubman bars, Dunstall style exhaust, bar end mirrors, Dyna-S ignition booster, smaller lights all around. New paint on tank


This new Bell Custom 500 helmet arrived today:

[robt57]

Originally Posted by flathd

75/79 XS 650 Yamaha - no need to relic this one.

I'd have to grab one of those if it showed up for a good price...

Quintessential ride IMO...

[caferacer]

Originally Posted by Daddy Hojo

Would a nighthawk be easier to find parts for?

the easiest to find parts for of that series would be a 5 speed CM400,
I think they made a million of them, the early 78, 79 ones even had a kickstarter on them, so that alone makes them cool

the Honda CM400 motor is also virtually indestructible! I have pulled them out of junkyard's un seized them and used them for years! short of duct taping a hand grenade to it I am not sure it is possible to kill one

[DesmoDog]

Here's mine...

[caferacer]

Originally Posted by DesmoDog

Here's mine...

Duck season!
I go past Ferracci all the time

[flathd]

Originally Posted by robt57

I'd have to grab one of those if it showed up for a good price...

Quintessential ride IMO...

There are lots of them around, so you can get one pretty cheap. They remind me of a big dirt bike, so I might go the street tracker route. Check out this website, some pretty radical 650's of all genres. www.650motorcycles.com

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by caferacer

Duck season!
I go past Ferracci all the time

If you want to have some fun , stop at FBF and ask Eraldo for some Wilbur Buds .
They are almost like family to me down there . I can remember the old shop where .....

[caferacer]

Originally Posted by otterhound

If you want to have some fun , stop at FBF and ask Eraldo for some Wilbur Buds .
They are almost like family to me down there . I can remember the old shop where .....

the old shop looked like a hole in the wall
on a hill it was cool new shop is to .....new

[charlie chitlin]

I don't know if Wilbur qualifies as a rat, but he's been ridden hard and put away wet.
Certainly never babied.
Done his share of off-roading.
That's right...off-roading.

[DesmoDog]

Originally Posted by caferacer

Duck season!
I go past Ferracci all the time

Eraldo Ferracci and Doug Polen are two big reasons I became such a Ducati freak. I bought a few things from Eraldo at BIR when the superbikes came to town back in the day.

I've bought a couple other Ducati ratbikes too...

250 Monza


160 Monza Jr


Since you guys are Ducati fans I'll let you in on a secret, but don't tell anyone else. I'm not a fan of ratbikes.

Here's more info on the 750


And a recent shot of the 160
http://www.teamyikes.com/160/Resources/img4223m.jpeg

...BTW, the 250 is now a 350, has an Oldani replica front brake, and bodywork by Evan Wilcox. It's not done yet though.

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by caferacer

the old shop looked like a hole in the wall
on a hill it was cool new shop is to .....new

Backing the bikes through the lower level , down the ramp and around the massive piles of inventory just because you couldn't turn one around to get it on the dyno . They built world class race bikes in that place . It reminds of the shop in Italy where my Superlight got a swingarm replacement . F Illi Marsigli was the man's name if I recall correctly . A real life Italian small race shop that had two Supermono's sitting in it . Alex told me that it would be at least two weeks if the work was done at a regular dealership , but this man could do it the next day and I could pick it up the following day .
I stopped in last week when I was going by on the Tpike and dropped off a pound of mixed buds . Eraldo told me that he was headed to Italy to be presented an award by the World Superbike people for a few achievements that have yet to be bested .
Two friends of mine got married on Saturday . Her dad is George Dosch . He and Eraldo used to travel to the races together back when Eraldo was new to the US .
If you do get to stop by , please tell them the Wilbur Bud guy said hello .