I had a friend that I grew up with. His name was Jeff Palmeri.
We were great fishing buddies and seldom missed coffee on Sunday mornings as we listened to Rock & Roll and poured over fishing magazines and tackle boxes. We were also motorcycle aficionados. Even before we could drive we would go over to the next town and pick up Bridgestone Motorcycle pamphlets and talk and dream of two wheeling it. As I remember it Jeff’s first bike was a Yamaha 350 and mine was a Honda 450. Then he was off to college and I was running wild. After his college days and my wild days we hooked up and forged a solid friendship again.
Back in 1977 I was riding a 1976 Yamaha XS-650B and Jeff was buying a new bike. He bought the bike of the year the 1977 Kawasaki KZ-650. It was billed as a "750 killer". For a 4 cylinder inline it was narrow and it developed 65 horsepower. It came in two colors Emerald Green and
It wouldn’t be long before I bought a Gold Wing. We rode many miles together and like everything else Jeff owned he meticulously kept the
His widow Lisa had wanted me to take the bike saying he would have wanted it that way but I couldn’t do it. I did accept his fishing gear and use it to this day. His younger brother got the bike.
Not long after, he slipped out on some sand on a corner and laid the bike down.
The handle bars were ruined there was a ping in the tank, the mirror, clutch lever and turn signal took a beating. The point cover and the speedometer got a rash also. Jeff’s brother put the bike into a shed and forgot it. He did drive it home. Now during this time I went through a few bikes and ended up with a 1100 Honda Sabre. That was up until four years ago when I came down with an aggressive arthritis. During two particular bad flare-ups of this problem I thought that my riding days were waning. And riding a 170+mph crotch rocket was not a wise thing to be doing so I sold the bike to a co-worker. I was bikeless..
It’s very hard to give up a passion. I had been riding bikes since 1969 and had always owned one or two. Well in 1999 Jeff’s brother came to me to fix his laptop. He mentioned that he still had the bike. He wanted to give me the bike but instead I took it in trade for fixing his laptop. His computer wasn’t really broken, it just needed a good file cleaning.
So he told me he had just rolled the bike into the shed about 15 years ago. Horror must have drained into my face at that point. It had been filled with gas and oil and the tires had been sitting on the ground for 15 years. I was prepared for anything. He said to just go pick it up cause he was on the road a lot and my mothers house was about a thousand yards up the road. So I got my nephew and a tire pump and went to get the poor old girl.
When I first saw the bike my heart sank. There was the Emerald Green gas tank covered in dust and dirt. I could see where brake fluid had gotten on the tank and ruined the paint. What was worse was that the side covers and tailpiece had changed color due to the fact that they are plastic. Over the years the sulphur in the plastic outgassed and changed the paint color. They were now a funky blue color that faded to the edge into the old emerald green. Really, really hideous! There was also surface rust everywhere. The tires were flat and weather cracked like a dry lake bed. The seat had a couple of rips and looked dry...real dry.
Well I could see a sort of painful look in my nephew’s eyes as he looked it over too. So I put the pump on the front tire and started pumping. To our disbelief the tire pumped up and held air! Then the back tire did the same Well I could see a sort of painful look in my nephew's eyes as he looked it over too. So I put the pump on the front tire and started pumping. To our disbelief the tire pumped up and held air! Then the back tire did the same and I realized that Jeff was not too far away. Well, we rolled the poor thing right up the street into my mothers yard. We sat looking at it as my brother came back from a walk in the woods. His response was "Looks like it went through a war!". My nephew and my brother left and I went to work.
There are days I can do a lot and days when it's hard to do basic functions, then there are days I should be locked in a dry warm cave and left alone. Slowly I brought the old girl back. While I worked on her Jeff was over one shoulder urging me on and over the other shoulder was my father telling me how crazy I was being.
Soap and water, spit and polish helped her beauty and reduced her rust . I was lucky most of it was surface rust and there was minimal pitting. The carbs were varnished up and their removal and installation proved to be quite a challenge. It is the tightest fit I have ever seen. I was ready to give up many times in re-installing them but perseverance paid off. The drive chain was squeezing out o-rings like spaghetti from a pasta maker. Of course the rear wheel must come off and also part of the exhaust. Cool!
The oil was like roofing tar and when I drained it I didn't get a lot out so I changed the filter and added the proper amount. I slowly hand cranked the engine about 1 cycle per day to free up the rings and minimize cylinder scoring. Of course the tank was filled with scaling rust so I sealed the openings poured in a couple boxes of BB's and did the mambo every day for a couple of weeks. Finally I bought a tank sealing kit and it worked like a charm. After 4 new plugs I got the bike running using an intervenious like set up.
She ran for a while and smoothed out quickly then there seemed to be a setback. She started to backfire and run ragged so I shut her down. After shutting her down I noticed a puddle of oil under the bike. I was bummed. I found out it was coming through my breather. Then it dawned on me and I checked the oil level. Sure enough it was way over full. Now I drained the oil again and WOW was there a lot of oil in there. When she got warm she had re liquefied the old oil that had not drained out the first time. I did two more quick oil changes and filters and the problem went away. I could have done some real damage with that much oil in her.
I've been working on her for about 5 months now and I just got her painted. I didn't paint her Emerald Green but I was tempted. I gave her a sort of flame color scheme without the garish flame graphics. It's like the
Here it is 2001...I hope you like it. She is a sweet 23 year old lady and a tribute to a best friend. I don't know how far I can ride it. But if I can ride it once a week for only a mile or two it will be more than enough. And if I can only look at it ......that will be enough. BTW it only had 14,000 miles on it. Jeff, I hope you're going to be my co-pilot and Pop .........I got room for a navigator .....howsaboutit?
Now it’s December 2005 and Sunny Side Up is finally finished. She is a beautiful bike that gets comments and looks wherever we go. Since 1991 there have been many bikes come and go here. Seems like my brother caught the bike bug and we have been restoring them at a pretty good clip. The list includes
1. 1977
Pre 1991 bikes includes:
1. 1971 CB450 Honda
2. 1976 XS650B Yammie
3. 1974 GT380 Suzuki
4. 1976 GL1000 Gold Wing
5. 1968 BSA Gold Star
6. 1985 1100 Honda Sabre
and about 20 other less mentionable scoots
Like I said it’s now late 2005 and Sunny Side Up is finished. I took a few weeks this summer to freshen up the top end with new gaskets. The addition of a Derail oil cooler, Lester Mags, a DynaS Ignition, Blue Goose Coils and a headlight visor have added to it’s good running and looks. One problem is I put a new set of Dunlops on her two years ago and they are all cracked up so it looks like a set of Bridgestones are in order. I was very disappointed in the Dunlops.
I have a feeling my buddy is riding with me whenever I fire her up and he forgives me for the yellow/red paint. As for my father I think he took the navigator job cause I hear this voice occasionally telling me where to go and once in a while a very loud "Whoo Hoo!!".
Be Well
