[Alonco]

Bought in May with 13k miles on the clock! Rae San fitted and working through carb restore as symptoms suggest slow jet clogged. Also had overflowing carb due to cracked overflow tube, now fixed with solder.
Torn as to whether restore as original or go cafe racer route!

 

[bahn88]

Mileage mighten be whats on the clocks...for all bikes as instruments get changed or some bikes go round the clock..
Id say keep it as presents not a 100%resto but not a chop...BUT yours to do as u wish..😁

 

[Alonco]

Mileage mighten be whats on the clocks...for all bikes as instruments get changed or some bikes go round the clock..
Id say keep it as presents not a 100%resto but not a chop...BUT yours to do as u wish..😁

Your prompted me to check mileage MOT history as the guy I bought it off said it had been barn stored for years. Last MOT’d and taxed in 2006 and the mileage correlates! Pretty confident it is genuine miles

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Welcome!
That's a beautiful bike. I'd enjoy it as it is.

 

[bahn88]

Your prompted me to check mileage MOT history as the guy I bought it off said it had been barn stored for years. Last MOT’d and taxed in 2006 and the mileage correlates! Pretty confident it is genuine miles

All good...
Didnt mean to worry you..
These days adverts often read speedo readsXXX....
These bikes can handle 2 maybe 3 speedo circuits/revolutions if well looked after....

 

[kawazywingr]

do the maintenance and service, check the age of the tires, you will be amazed at how much difference this makes. then ride it for a season and decide what needs to be altered to make it better.
Steve

 

[Sidecar Bob]

Welcome to the forum. Please add your location and your bike's model and model year (NOT year first registered as UK paperwork shows) to your profile so that you don't have to remember to tell us every time and we don't have to keep asking when you forget (see Forum Settings link in my signature).

And welcome to the world of antique vehicle ownership (they own us, not the other way around). Your bike is about 4 decades old and may or may not have had all of the maintenance necessary to keep it safe & reliable so it is highly recommended to download the Factory Shop Manual for your model (available through the CX Wiki - link in my signature) and go through all of the service procedures, regardless of whether your bike has reached the specified mileage.
I also recommend looking on all rubber parts with suspicion because rubber does not age gracefully. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old no matter how good they look & feel (old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet). It looks like the original rubber brake lines (should be replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes = 5 or 6 years) have been replaced with modern stainless braided ones (they last practically forever and double the life of the fluid) so you don't have to worry about them but don't forget things like the rad hoses and the boot between the engine and swingarm (they can crack on the bottom where you don't see it).

The best advice anyone can give you about customizing any vehicle is to get it safe & reliable in more or less original condition and use it for a while before you start making any changes so it can tell you what changes it needs to make it do what you want/need better. That approach almost always results in something that is more unique than any style based custom and you actually want to keep and use but making changes based on style or on what someone else (who may or may not really understand how the changes affect the way it works) has done often results in a piece of expensive yard art that you can't stand sitting on for more than a few minutes and might even be dangerous.

 

[Cobram]

Nice bike, wish we had the dual front disks on this side of the pond.
That bike is in way too nice condition to cafe, keep it stock. She's already sporting the 2/1 exhaust, and stainless brake lines.
The cafe craze has somewhat subsided, and you can probably find one ready to roll for much less than you'd spend butchering such a nice original example.
You should consider adding crash bars, the ones with a skid plate come up fairly often for sale. Rear grab bar/luggage rack comes in handy too.
Great looking bike, welcome to the club.

 

[D-Fresh]

Welcome to the forum Alonco! That is a fine looking ride for sure. You mentioned you are on the fence with what to do with it. I vote take care of the little niggles and ride as is. They are only original once, it seems better to make a custom bike out of a something that is in poor shape and needs lots of repairs to make it ridable again.

Cheers and enjoy

 

[Alonco]

Welcome to the forum Alonco! That is a fine looking ride for sure. You mentioned you are on the fence with what to do with it. I vote take care of the little niggles and ride as is. They are only original once, it seems better to make a custom bike out of a something that is in poor shape and needs lots of repairs to make it ridable again.

Cheers and enjoy

I had bought it with the intent on customising it but the more I work on it the more I like the original look. I’m going to work on a restoration and getting running well. Then I can buy another in less good condition 😀