GST with PSI
DSM Wiseman
- 2,729
- 1,509
- Jul 27, 2005
-
San Diego,
California
I sold off all of my bikes a few years back, and have been itching to get back on 2 wheels since I moved back to SoCal about this time last year. After seeing a bunch of cool cafe builds in the interwewbs, I've had the itch to build something that feels like it's my own. This thread is my attempt at building something cool, with also sharing it with you all.
I started the search for a donor back in June of this year (2018). I've always liked the Virago, and like it even more when turned into a cafe. The mono rear suspension, shaft drive, and overall availability were all factors in choosing the Virago. My Dad also had one when I was a kid, which added a nostalgia factor.
Anyways, after searching for a while, I finally found a donor on OfferUp. She was in rough shape from sitting for who knows how long in the previous owner's back yard. But, it was bone stock and intact, so I pulled the trigger:
After a short haul, I got the bike home and rolled it into the garage on flat tires (which sucked ass):
Once in the garage, I got to work! I started by stripping off all the 80's : :
Next up was a front end swap. I got a set of 05' Bandit 1200S forks, which were almost a direct swap. For better braking, I also added dual 3 pot Tokico calipers from a 99 GSXR 750.
The tank was pretty crusty, so I went to work removing the internal rust. Sadly, during the process, I found the rust issue was worse than I initially thought. I found some holes in the bottom, so I sourced another used tank and repeated the same process, which essentially entails filling the tank with Muriatic acid and nuts, giving it a good shake, then rinsing and repeating until clean.
Tank #1
Second attempt on tank #2
I started the search for a donor back in June of this year (2018). I've always liked the Virago, and like it even more when turned into a cafe. The mono rear suspension, shaft drive, and overall availability were all factors in choosing the Virago. My Dad also had one when I was a kid, which added a nostalgia factor.
Anyways, after searching for a while, I finally found a donor on OfferUp. She was in rough shape from sitting for who knows how long in the previous owner's back yard. But, it was bone stock and intact, so I pulled the trigger:
After a short haul, I got the bike home and rolled it into the garage on flat tires (which sucked ass):
Once in the garage, I got to work! I started by stripping off all the 80's : :
Next up was a front end swap. I got a set of 05' Bandit 1200S forks, which were almost a direct swap. For better braking, I also added dual 3 pot Tokico calipers from a 99 GSXR 750.
The tank was pretty crusty, so I went to work removing the internal rust. Sadly, during the process, I found the rust issue was worse than I initially thought. I found some holes in the bottom, so I sourced another used tank and repeated the same process, which essentially entails filling the tank with Muriatic acid and nuts, giving it a good shake, then rinsing and repeating until clean.
Tank #1
Second attempt on tank #2