Project bike!

Last week we bought a used 2002 Buell Blast for Katie to start riding on. It's small size and light weight will do well for her I think. It doesn't have too many miles, just under 4,000, but definitely shows signs of being someone else's learning bike! I hadn't counted on a few things when I agreed to buy it, so there are a few "projects" to do on it. First up is to replace the broken rear turn signal. I've got a set of Shock LED signals to put on there. I've never been a fan of LED signals whose purpose is to be small and not seen, but these Shocks are very bright - perhaps brighter than stock. Next on the list is to replace the rear tire. The previous owner thought it would be fun to do a burnout so it's got a nice tread-free flat spot in the middle. Next the barend mirrors will come off and be replaced with the originals. I want her to see as much as possible. Then I guess we'll need some bar ends in there.

The most challenging aspect will be the color. It started life as a darkish purple color (don't know the official name). The last owner, being the manly man that he is, decided that the Barney color would not do, so he painted it black. The only problem is that the Buell body panels are all plastic. The paint didn't take to the plastic too well to start, and in the few months since then has degraded, starting to flake and peel off and bubble where gas has dripped on it. I tested a small area with some paint thinner, which took the black off, and then polished it with some regular automotive wax, and it seemed to work very well. I don't know how that will affect the areas that have decals. Unfortunately, Katie doesn't think her gear will match the original color, so she's not in favor of stripping it.

Pictures and progress reports to follow.