Gilera's Attention

Christmas is over.
Sunday, the day after Christmas Beth was sick, up all night with the flu.
I played my bass guitar at church in the morning and when I got back she was camping in my bedroom and wanting to be taken care of.
I camped on my computer reading ride reports at advrider.com
ChiTown's Winter Madness
kerncountykid's Go West Young Man
CannonShot's CannonTracks - Great Divide
The alley is iced up and I can't get out. Only one day on the motorcycle this month ... so far?

Today, Monday, I fired up the heater in the cave and got started, at long last on Gilera. Gilera, 1980 R100T  was parked months(?) ago so that she could give up parts for other for-profit projects. I needed the headlight ears and some other parts so that I could make the R80RT a bare bike and swap the red R80RT fairing with the slightly damaged black R100RT fairing. I needed the wheels because I couldn't afford new tires for the RS in the middle of summer. The R80RT sold, the 1982 R100RT (now with the red fairing has become "Toad") has been used so much that a new set of tires just went on. Back to Gilera, she gave up parts that were to be swapped out anyway and much needed repairs are due. That being said, procrastination set in and this has set on a lift longer than almost anything that I have ever had. All spring, summer & fall I was riding or repairing the RT and RS. Now I am not riding. The RS is leaking oil from the final drive seal into the wheel. The RT needs a battery. So what ... I need to get Gilera going.
I wanted the forks back on before anything else so that the handlebars are not flopping around stressing cables and wires. This gave me the chance to mock up the machined aluminum top plate on the triple tree. See, everything that goes back on Gilera is going to be an improvement. Tomorrow I plan to start stripping everything else almost to the frame.
Here's the planned recipe:

• reinforced swing arm
• new Lester mags, (the original ones are on Huckleberry)
• Nikasil cylinders
• replace the leaking rear main seal
• replace the cam chain gasket
• set up the new reinforced triple tree
• change of clothes, put the "new" Polaris Silver w/blue pinstripe on
• lots of cables, gaskets and hardware to be replaced as seen fit along the way.
• new battery
• new tires

that should do it. This won't be a quick one. Hopefully if I start now and persist I could be done by ... Pecatonica Swap Meet? ... Slimey Crud Run? 

I went out and bought myself a Christmas present today, David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling". I'm gonna learn how to ride! Seriously, any new or reinforced safe riding techniques are to be valued.