Couple of interesting projects at Vintage Motorsports pictures

[vintagemotorsports]

Hi Guys,
Been a while since I posted some of my projects ,here are a couple that are pretty interesting . the first one is really nothing special but it came out good its an 87 200x I just need to installe the tank shrouds and rear brake master and she is done . lots of time in this one , pretty happy with the results , the other project is going to be cool I have a customer in Ar who is sales manager at a big honda dealer . This is going to be a retro 82 250r racer and it basically will not look like any stock 82 250r when done we did alot of research from old mags etc and pulled the good things out of some of the early race bikes and am incorporating them in one build . the first thing you will notice is the colors its going to be basically all white with a red engine the frame was stripped and i cut every unneeded mount and bracket off the frame and machines it smooth it will be real clean no fancy switches basic push button kill w teather, twist throttle , we eliminated the clutch lever and went with a period 81 CR450 e setup real clean . the triples were powdered in a magnessium ronze color with a satin clear, I am waiting on a vented front plate , the engine will get a reanodized gold DG head , dura blue ext swingarm , durablue ext axle lonestar billet hubs ( a little modern but they look too cool) polished aluminum douglas wheels with old school carlise knob in front and wide as american racer rears . DG pipe , no air box open K&N , I am doing a real cool custom paint job on the tank designed by the customer and will flow into the exhaust gaurd on the right side , I had the owner Mike from High flite make me a custome seat that will fade from white to red , works rear shock with billet rez. I am dead in the water till my zinc comes back from the plating shop hopefully tommorow this thing should look pretty cool up on its wheels i will post more as it comes along Mike

[vintagemotorsports]

racer pics

[vintagemotorsports]

couple more

[Orangecnty250r]

Nice job on both!!!!......Ive heard quite abit about the racer from your customer and that is killer machine!!!!!!!(cant believe hes not going with the H traks and going with a newer make tire) did he consider one of those mugen pipes or is he trying to keep consistent with DG which is another good era choice. cant wait to see this one done!!!!!!

[Black86tri-z]

that air cooled r looks like it will b 1 hell of a nice trike when done,keep up the top notch work!

[Orangecnty250r]

Are you guys tracking down vintage decals for it or going with a cleaner look???

[250rfan]

WOW!, :drool: :drool:

[Chevy200s]

very nice 82 R, great idea too love to see something different. Oh and that 200x looks brand new, I dont think I've ever seen one that looked that nice. Great job on both!

[vintagemotorsports]

Hey bill, thanks . yea we opted not to use the h-tracs they sat real low and skinny I felt this thing needs a big ass wide tire in the back these tires are real cool yea i know we are breaking way from the era part of it , but he is happy with it we wnt with the dg mainly for the works look and it was a real popular pipe back in the day , plus with the dg head kind of goes i think we are going to get some of scott stegers decals from vintage factory he has some real old school race decals , in fact I am basing the tank paint job around the 81-82 Honda CR tank decal it got a cool look to it . its going to be real light and clean looking we are obviously axing the e brake set up and are running stainless braided line instead of rubber , this thing is going to be soooo wide in the back with the ext axle , offset lonestar hubs and 2 in offset wheels this thin will be hanging off my lift on either side . I will put up more pics when its on wheels should be cool looking I like this project because i dont have to get every detail correct because there is no model to go by its a different mentallity Mike

[Bryan Raffa]

top notch there!! outstanding work!;) :drool:

Dg racer special!!:naughty:

[edog]

God those look nice!!!!!!

[Orangecnty250r]

Yes ....I cant stop looking at the skeleton....I just cant wait to see it with its skin....just awesome!!!!!

[Brockey]

Sweet. That 82 is gonna be sweet. I want to see more.

[oldsking86]

Looking very sexy!! Can I borrow those AM Racers hehe

[rally4x4racer]

SHWING!

What else can I say?

Your a bad influence Vintage - those bikes are beautiful!

[vintagemotorsports]

thanks,
yes that is one of the bikes we got ideas from the trickest part will be the gas tank will be all hand painted its own design . I will post some more pics as it comes together . To answer your question huffa no employees all work in done by me I do every part of the resto right in shop from the engine overhaul to the paint work , powder coating etc the only thing I have to sub out is the plating . these things are very time consuming as you know but I like to do 4 at a time to keep all lifts full and i can squeak in a paint job or engine rebuild between full restos thats the only way you can make money doing restorations I will check my stock to see if i might have a chain slider for you Mike

[brapp]

hey huffa if you can give me a descritopn i may be able to make soemthing dependign on the shape and design. i ahve made a few for other bikes and trikes le tme know wwith the design .

[Yamada]

Hey Mike, can you re-explain what you do with the clutch handle, I don't really understand what you did??? thanks

[vintagemotorsports]

OK guys ,
today was very productive I got all my zinc back and i went to town here is where i am now this thing is so wide looks real cool , its a flashback to a dirt wheels mag i have pretty cool Mike

[vintagemotorsports]

here is some more

[vintagemotorsports]

its a dura blue +4 ext swingarm it has no provisions for a slider , it is being setup for racing Mike

[vintagemotorsports]

I dont have to worry about any chain rub on this one it will never be run , being built as a show bike for a Honda dealer . if we were going to race it I might consider reto fitting something but it does not rub even in the unloaded position Mike

[Brockey]

I want to see it with some skins on it now.. Keep the progress pics coming.

[vintagemotorsports]

here are some pics with the rear plastic layed on it ,

[NINJA]

You really do some nice work Mike. I wouldn't be able to stand it though, I'd have to ride it. It would be like being married to Kate Beckinsale but not being able to sleep with her!

[vintagemotorsports]

Huffa, I checked my stock I do not have one sorry , Im sure there is one out there keep looking Mike

[blue27]

Nice work as always Mike, Keep it up.

[JethrowMan]

where did you get that rear shock? i just found out( by reading this) that i also have a dura blue +4 rear swingarm and i need that shock!!

[vintagemotorsports]

we had works build us the rear shock to our specs they can do any configuration you want , rider weight type of riding etc , you can call them direct Mike

[Billy Golightly]

You are familiar with PM's correct ?

....and if so have you read mine, I had a few questions.

Wow chill with the 'tude a little bit Huffa.

[vintagemotorsports]

yea no kidding!!! He will get no where talking to people like that, and yes i did get your PMs I am not interested thanks Mike

[Louis Mielke]

I don't think he means to have a tude, just comes off that way sometimes.

Huffa remember some people don't check PMs and emails as often as others. Some people see the computer and the internet as spare time kinda things and don't read messages and respond everyday like some of us do. Just because you don't get a reply don't assume someone is being rude, or that they aren't paying attention to you.

[Huffa]

yea no kidding!!! He will get no where talking to people like that, and yes i did get your PMs I am not interested thanks Mike

I'm sorry if I came across to you as rude or a smart ass, I didn't know if you read it or not and am not sure if they automaticaly come up for everyone reguarding telling them they have one.

That's all I wanted to know.

[Huffa]

I don't think he means to have a tude, just comes off that way sometimes.

Huffa remember some people don't check PMs and emails as often as others. Some people see the computer and the internet as spare time kinda things and don't read messages and respond everyday like some of us do. Just because you don't get a reply don't assume someone is being rude, or that they aren't paying attention to you.

Understood, I never assumed he was being rude though and I should have worded it different, I guess that sounded like an insult, certainly didn't mean it to be, sorry Mike.

[chris200x]

Geez Huffa... You chased off Aussieduner... Don't Scare off Mike!:eek: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Huffa]

Geez Huffa... You chased off Aussieduner... Don't Scare off Mike!:eek: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Naaah, I just come across wrong sometimes by my wording, you know that ! :D

[chris200x]

haahaa! just messin with ya bud. :beer

Any updates or other cool projects your working on Mike?

[team-red-rider]

ah my old swinger looks great!!! oh yeh the bikes AMAZING

[1upfront]

Hey mike can you tell me what type of chain is on that wicked aircooler.

[vintagemotorsports]

hey red rider , yea the swingarm cleaned up nice huh, I think that is one of the ky parts that changes the look of the bike , no more updates yet waiting on some more parts before i continue , lots of cool jobs in the shop most of them are just licking off noting exciting by way of pics got a 74 XR75 and a 75 Z50 , starting a 75 XR75 soon as well as a 73 ATC70 and a 1970 US90 this is my winter lineup , the gold chain i actually bought from a guy on ebay its a 520 o-ring I liked the all gold look alot of them are black and gold Mike

[Dirtcrasher]

Absolutely fantastic restorations MIKE!!

How the heck do you continue to find these OEM fenders for everything?? Not to mention all the discontinued parts that you seem to get your hands on.

Things can be rebuilt, painted and plated but fenders are another story.

I guess if your willing to pay the right price you still have sources for these parts? I'm just amazed that your still able to get them. Why can't I find them!!

Do you think in 10 years you'll still be able to find plastic for ATC's??

[Orangecnty250r]

Absolutely fantastic restorations MIKE!!

How the heck do you continue to find these OEM fenders for everything?? Not to mention all the discontinued parts that you seem to get your hands on.

Things can be rebuilt, painted and plated but fenders are another story.

I guess if your willing to pay the right price you still have sources for these parts? I'm just amazed that your still able to get them. Why can't I find them!!

Do you think in 10 years you'll still be able to find plastic for ATC's??

NOS OEM Plastics...I wont speak for Mike but I have found almost all OEM plastics for every restore and have stockpiled some for machines I plan to build. This is my experience

1. COLD calls Dealers rarely successful but once in a while you hit the needle in the haystack. I found one dealer that had a good stock of more than just fenders and bought them out.
Found 81 R rear fender
350 x mudflap
red 110 fender
84 r front headlight

2. FRIENDS & CONNECTIONS with other collectors ..helping each other out....trading off rare parts. I have purchased parts I dont need in the hope of trading them off for other rare items I need and have done so.

NOS Green Tecate 85 front fender
NOS 81R front fender
NOS Blue 110 front fender
Bought 5 sets of NOS 86/87 200 rear fenders off a member of the boards ...sold them all when I found my new 87 200x
passed up a trade for my extra Z white front fender for an NOS front yellow wish I did now
86 red headlight new take off with the embossed lettering ( not the decal)


3. Ebay Over three years I have bought a ton....

all 3 colors of pairs of NOS tri Z shrouds
NOS tri Z black and white front fenders....actually 2 white ones.
84 R front fender
Bought a whole 350x because it had NOS not ridden front and rear fenders
NOS tecate right shroud
NOS Tecate headlight
NOS blue 110 headlight
NOS honda short shrouds
NOS fairings
NOS 350x headlight

Coolant bottles fall into the plastic category because they get fugly
Found NOS 86 Z bottle online (Not ebay)
Found NOS 86/87 bottle on ebay over 200.00 bucks!!!!

I am sure there are more plastics I just cant remember


Missed the black Z airbox GRRRR went for 158.00

Tires are the other items that you cant paint, plate, or polish....see the sneaky sneaky thread ....Seats fall into that category as well

10 years ATC/3 wheeler parts will be mch more scarce then now.....old dealer inventories get lighter and lighter every year ...it will be the collectors that have it all and sell off or trade with each other is my prediction....Like me having plastics for a build I never get to (hope I get to them all), bolted on our restorations etc etc....

Am I close Mike????

[vintagemotorsports]

thanks Steve,
yes these parts are dissapearing fast just like what bill said I never commit to a showroom resto till i get my hands on all the nos plastic needed for the project I can make everything else new by restoration but plastic you are jammed . I dont have any special source other than networking with people i have met over the years all over the country most of the times if you call enough people you can track down what you need , to what price ?? well thats going to be going up in the years to come I hate to say it but at some point on some of these sport bike restos we may have no other choice than to run aftermarket plastic witch if done right doesnt look that horrible but nothing like OEM I have been involved latley in remanufacruring Vintage parts for several models and have seen first hand the cost of tooling if someone wanted to injection mold say a 350x rear fender you are looking at $200,000 in hard tooling costs then your per unit cost I hardly think avid collectors will be willing to step up to the plate to do that , finacially its just no feasable , thats why these $2000 rear 350x fenders might not sound too bad in a couple of years . I am curious whats going to happen in the next 10 years I can tell you this I get triple the calls i did 7 years ago from people wanting to restore there ATC s so that means one thing this stuff is going to dissapear even faster . we will cross that bridge when it comes Mike

[tri-Z ripper]

Wow Oh Wow!

[bigpimpin]

lets see the finished pics

[Saul]

Any finished pics?!

[scooterroo]

hey saul, do a search under members, the owner is or was razorbackatc. i think he might have sold it though, if i remember correctly i saw it up on ebay a few months back.

[Saul]

hey saul, do a search under members, the owner is or was razorbackatc. i think he might have sold it though, if i remember correctly i saw it up on ebay a few months back.

Thanks! I'll look now.

[WaimakRydah]

That 250R engine looks like its never been used before. Awesome.