Between long drives to see family, and a case of N1H1 or the Bubonic Plague, I managed to get a couple of things done. I forgot the roll of shitpaper, but with this disease I contracted, I had a wad of snot rag in my bathrobe pocket that shows up in two of the three photos.
I do appreciate the nice comments, however I appreciate NOT hearing the comments from the fluffy strokers, or their buddies, :thefinger: or accolades for my shitty welds, judicious use of paint stripper and snappy passes with a Makita angle grinder. :grind:
Tank is stripped, etched, and sealed with Ken's sealer. It really didn't need it, but with an old tank and solder sealant, it couldn't hurt. I took my time with this, and maybe for the first time, it will actually work.
Soaked the wheels over night in a 1:4 mix of muratic acid/water, then soda ash and water, sanded, stripped, etching primer and a coat of rust prohibitor paint. Tires are on the way. Carlisle 5.70 rear, and 4.80 front. Original sizes, but rear will be more "trail friendly."
This is my second try at the center stand. Though I did have some measurements taken of another stand by a member, those dimensions didn't work on the 780. I ordered the wrong size of tubing, and spent a day notching and welding, only to realize I'd put the cross piece in the way of the rear wheel.
Shown upside down, this is the second try, using what I had left over, as well as cannibalized pieces from the first try. I'll hit it with the welder again and figure out the spring return geometry and weld that together. After I return the wrong spring to ACE.
This is proving to be one of the more tedious builds I've done, because I really don't know what I'm doing, and keep forgetting to turn on the argon/o2 tank.