Oily Purple - End Game
The engine fired up 'on the button' and sounded very healthy - other than all the oil dripping out the weep hole on the water pump cover. At first I was concerned that the small plastic drain line from the vent space in the water pump had cracked - they are getting to be a bit ancient now after all. If that had been the problem then the only way to repair it would have been to pull the engine and tear it down again completely as one end of the drain line is located under the shifter drum. I noticed that the oil was only dripping when the engine had fully warmed up, so I decided to first pull the water pump and double check the top oil seal. This I found in three pieces and so not sealing at all ! After replacing it and then very carefully reassembling the water pump it tested OK and the engine was oil tight.
Once the snow and ice disappear a bit, I just need to do a few laps around the neighbourhood to double check everything works properly, and get the engine dialled in and then the plan is to pile a few miles on it this summer. Should be fun !
On to the next one !
Update - late summer 2016:
It runs well ! I now have about 2000 miles on the bike (roughly 3220 KM) and other than a few minor niggles, I'm quite pleased. The front drum brake is actually better than I had expected, and the steering feels lighter to me than the disc braked models. Now that the engine has a few miles on it, comfortably cruising at the legal limit (typically 100 or 110 KPH here in Canada) with the occasional hooligan moment at higher speeds is no problem at all. While the front forks work well, I do need to do something about the 'spring holders' at the rear, as at least some dampening would be nice to have. I expect I will likely install a set of IKON replacements at some point as they look like the originals, they work well and I've used them on several other GT750's I own.
The reaction to the bike is sometimes entertaining. The cost of the rebuild was about $6000 CDN (roughly £3500 in GBP), which is more than I could sell it for here in Canada, but it is hard to see where the money was spent as very little on the bike is shiny. I've actually had a number of people ask me when I plan to restore the bike as they think it looks terrible. I just smile and tell them it will be a future project. I've also had a number of people tell me they love the purple colour, which only proves to me that there is no accounting for taste. But the best part is that I've also had quite a few people compliment me on not having restored the bike, as it is 'only original once'.
Little do they know !
Next on the bench is the first of the consecutively numbered 1972 GT750's – the fun continues !
Update - Spring of 2017:
The bike is featured in a series of articles appearing in 'Real Classic' magazine, published in the UK. It appears in the January,February and March issues 2017. To say I'm pleased would be an understatement - but it still looks rough !
Back to Top