Newbie questions (1988 Africa Twin 650 XRV)

[Betterl8thanever]

Angebote - BMW, Honda Transalp Africa Twin Artikel in eBay.de Shops zu günstigen Preisen

Loadsa stuff here, though im not sure how to put correct link up.
Hope this works, if not maybe some body cleverer than me has a look they can sort it out.

[mhouck]

SOME bits are available new, so you could probably sell your house to finance a new front fairing from Honda!!!

Some good UK suppliers are David Silvers for OE parts, WEMOTO for pattern parts. In Holland you have CSMNL who are good stockists. All will probably mail to Canada no problem, and you are guaranteed quality with new purchases.

Kitped (on this forum) was manufacturing the RD03 Marathon rear side panels, and I've just started reproducing the OE headlamp guards.

You can be really lucky with eBay (German eBay is usually very good) and you can get caught (I've been punked twice with Italian eBay purchases) but it all depends on how much you need the parts.

Make a list, place an ad in the WANTED area, and keep your fingers crossed. There was a guy in California with an RD03, and years ago I had my first RD03 sent over there for a TV makeover programme. They removed and trashed the entire bodywork and tank on my RD03 which broke my heart and his, as he was a few miles from the place they did it!!!

Keep us posted.


Bob

What's a TV makeover programme??

[BobA]

What's a TV makeover programme??

A TV makeover programme (as they're called in the UK) is where they take an overweight, bald, sad-looking individual LIKE ME, and an abused, dent ridden, rusty dirty bike, LIKE MY FIRST A.T, put us both in crates, and whisk us from London to Beverley Hills, apply loads of paint and fake tan, remove as much roadgrime and excess bodyhair (using as much pain as possible) humiliate me, and transform my original bike into something I didn't really like. THINK, PIMP MY RIDE.

Humiliation aside, it was worth losing all my pubic hair and dignity, as I had a fantastic all-expenses paid trip, got a few wardrobes full of clothes, ate in fantastic restaurants, and pretended to be a star for a couple of weeks! I'd do it again tomorrow!

Sold the bike within months of getting back though, although I doubled my money on it!!!

[mhouck]

Wow! And I thought TV makeover was some technical program for import bikes! ha ha ha.

[mhouck]

Got her....
Will post some pics when I get her home.
I better subscribe soon!

Murray

Here she is...
Needs some work and I look forward to making her mine...

[mhouck]

Well I finally got to spend a bit of time with my new to me XRV. I've been busy with work since travelling to the Coast to pick her up, so it was good to go over her a bit closer and start taking stock. She's no beauty queen, but she is also in fairly good shape considering....
I've posted a few pictures of her and would appreciate any comments on the missing bits. For practicality and keeping shipping costs down, I'm trying to make an inventory of parts and then (if possible) get as many from one vendor. Initially I thought I might go down to the frame and start from scratch, but not sure if I need to at this point...
I do want to get the instruments back to stock as well. As I say, a few bits missing and once I get some feedback and spend more time with her, I'll be posting some "Wants"....

[R0vers]

looks a brilliant bike - and very original too - you have been lucky on the price. youll realise just how rare these bikes are especially in us/ canada..

the fairing will be an easy fix to do - plastic welding or some cleaverness with fibreglass...

congratulations and look forward to seeing your progress on it all!!

[R0vers]

A TV makeover programme (as they're called in the UK) is where they take an overweight, bald, sad-looking individual LIKE ME, and an abused, dent ridden, rusty dirty bike, LIKE MY FIRST A.T, put us both in crates, and whisk us from London to Beverley Hills, apply loads of paint and fake tan, remove as much roadgrime and excess bodyhair (using as much pain as possible) humiliate me, and transform my original bike into something I didn't really like. THINK, PIMP MY RIDE.

Humiliation aside, it was worth losing all my pubic hair and dignity, as I had a fantastic all-expenses paid trip, got a few wardrobes full of clothes, ate in fantastic restaurants, and pretended to be a star for a couple of weeks! I'd do it again tomorrow!

Sold the bike within months of getting back though, although I doubled my money on it!!!

Bob was that really you - i remember watching that years ago on TV.... brilliant

[deanwilson]

Great idea newbie, if you need inspiration check out www.aimforthehorizon.com Hope you enjoy and good luck, just do it!!!

[mhouck]

Murray


My first impressions are that it's not that shabby for a 22 year old bike thats obviously got a lot of miles under its belt.

I'm a bit anal about originality, but the Acewell kit is nice, even though it's not been installed very sympathetically.

The front fairing is cracked, but should respond well to plastic welding as there are no obvious parts missing. The mudguard is an AT one, just from the wrong model, but you could happily wait for the right one to come up on eBay or paint the one it has fitted. The air filters I guess work OK, but I'd probably want to fit the original airbox etc which come up cheap on eBay because people rarely need them. The silencer is a bit nasty, but the original is pure unobtanium, and there are few correct pattern ones around.

If you've done your research on the forum, you probably know what you need to watch out for, namely, the front sprocket welded onto the output shaft and wheel corrosion. These are the biggest gremlins of all AT's.

That bike is in need of TLC, but to be honest looks OK. If it was me looking for it (but I'm not as I already have 2 of them!!) I'd certainly consider buying it on first impressions.

I've had quite a few bikes, but none of them have had the unique grin factor of an Africa Twin, and I've always found the RD03 (XRV650) and RD04 (early 750's) the ones I prefer.


Go on, go for it



Bob

Frame serial number checked out. It had another 650 dropped into it. It also corresponds to the identification outlined on XRV650 Story

I think we're good to go with the output shaft???