1976 175 Cross Country Project

Here's the correct link regarding my forks mod:

https://books.google.com.au/books?i...signed & Manufactured By Steve Simons&f=false

Max and Binx,

Here is my 175 as I picked it up. It was in fairly good shape but not very pretty.


I have not done a lot to it so far other than clean it up and make adjustments and put a pipe and aluminum tank I had lying around on it. I didn't care for the big plastic tank and the stock blue one was in rough shape.



I have rode it some and really like it. I plan to give it a full going over after I get a Penton project I'm working on a little farther along.

For frame prep we always sandblast and then spray with automotive paint, I'm not a big fan of powder coating a frame on a race bike. Keep the pics of your progress coming and I'll post mine when I get started.

The guy I got my 175 from said it ran but I seriously doubt it. I never even tried to start it, as I figured I'd wear my leg out kicking and getting nowhere. All the little pieces are coming together slowly but I hope to hear it run and ride it in the next month or so. My major issue now is the rear wheel. I need to relace it. Unfortunately I didn't take pics as a road map to reconstruction and I have tried the instructions from the Husky shop manual without much success. As far as tanks go, I will try to restore mine as original as I can ... but I'd love to have a maroon one like I saw on Heikki Mikkola's bike at the '72 Trans-AMA near St. Louis. Maybe Santa will bring me one ! LOL !

Binx:
Actually, my cables are in very good shape. One little stroke of luck there ... Almost time to start spending some money on replacement fenders, handlebars, grips, misc rubber parts and a gas cap. Other "pretty up" cosmetics may be added after it is running.

Kanur - I'm hoping to end up with a bike that looks close to what you have now. Not looking to do a sanitized showroom restoration. Just want a working trail bike.

A few questions for you:

• What kind of shocks you have on your bike? You add them? Or they came with the bike?
• Looks like you have the enduro light kit installed. After-market LED, or original lighting? All powered off the original electrical equipment?
• Why not a fan of powder-coating a race frame?
• What is the black frame on the back end of the rear fender? License plate holder? Was that bike plated when you bought it?
• Finally, am looking for a good source for clutch, front brake, and throttle cables. Appreciate any recommendations. Binx

Binx, the shocks are Konis and were on the bike when I got it along with the Preston Petty lights and license plate holder wired to the stock Motoplat. It had a plate from the 80's on it but I don't know if it was registered.

We like epoxy primer and automotive paint because we can do it ourselves for less money and it is easy to keep touched up.

Husky Junk, Vintage Husky, or a lot of other vintage suppliers can furnish cables as well as Terry-Cable direct. I have another alloy tank that need painting and plan to do it in the stock blue.

Have fun with your project, I'm looking forward to this one.

Here is a pic of my newly completed step of my restoration. The swingarm has new bushings in place, the pivot bolt actually lined up and went in with a minimum of resistance and the cleaned and painted original Girlings in place. Again, this is just a dry fit, motivational assembly to keep me inspired to finish. The Betor forks have new seals (but not installed yet) and are being cleaned . All the parts need a little TLC but I should have them done by next weekend.

Some more pics from today. I just had to assemble everything I have done so far ... I feel good about my work so far , not up to Husqvarna Museum standards but very nice and I can't wait to get it ALL done and show it off to my friends that saw the bike as "beyond help" or "Mission Impossible".

Nice work, Max. Really nice! Two thumbs up!

Unfortunately I hit a bump in the road with my 175. I rebuilt the Amal, substituted a new Uni filter for the mouse nest, and threw in a new plug just to see if the bike would start and run. It started on 2nd kick and now starts on first kick every time. So I put new rim strips and tubes under the original Trelleborgs and took it for a ride.

Now's a good time to mention that when I drained the crankcase oil a small piece of a cog tooth fell out with the oil. Goes without saying this is not a good thing. Took the bike out for a spin anyway. The motor is really healthy and pulls like crazy in 1st and 2nd but 3rd gear is a problem and is no doubt the source of the missing tooth. You can feel the tranny "snatching" in 3rd. 4th, 5th, 6th are fine.

Hadn't counted on this complication. So now I have to decide if I want to continue with the restoration or pass it along to someone who knows what they're doing. Splitting cases and tranny work are not part of my skill-set. Don't have the experience or the specialized tools to do the job.

Already put $360 into the bike and don't know if I should go any further. Will post this general question to the group and get some advice.

Keep going!

Binx:
I think you should keep going. I knew my project would be a drawn out affair, as I don't often have spare money for these things. I have about $1200 in my 175 so far, with probably another $500 or so to go. I can understand your caution at splitting the cases ... If I could find a CR set of gears, I'd put 'em in my bike and have an "almost MX " bike ! You are lucky the Motoplat works, so there are some bucks you can put off spending, at least for a while. I am sure you can find someone who would take your 175 and restore it as it should be.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YY8APrYU2Gs

Dartyppyt! That link was good for a genuine LOL! Nice one!

I've decided to see this thing through. Let's just say, the challenge is part of the appeal, if you know what I mean.

I've seen pics of home-made crankcase splitters. I think will be manageable for me to fabricate one of my own. Don't know what special tooling I will need for reassembly tho. Any good pics, descriptions, etc on this forum?

Where's a good source for the new cog?

Thanks again, lads. Binx

Max - so you'll have $1700 in your bike when it's all done. What are they worth in restored condition? More or less than $1700? Is the eventual resale value of your bike not even a consideration? Did you set a restoration budget limit? Is there a tipping point, beyond which you say, no more? You can tell this vintage bike restoration thing is new to me.

When the UPS packages start arriving (cog, seat cover, cables, levers, etc) my wife's gonna be curious how many $$$...

I had a 175 a few years ago... great bikes! Looking forward to seeing both of them finished! (Binx- it's worth it!)

Binx:
The value is minimally important to me when finished. I wanted a '74 to '80 250CR but the prices were too high for an "all at once" expenditure. When I might have been able to swing the bucks, I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere. I guess I could have made a "Buy Max a Husky" 250CR rainy day fund but too many other things pop up when I put aside money... I raced Husky's in the '70's, had another '74 250 Mag in the mid 80's and gave it away cuz the motoplat died. I just love riding 2-stroke dirt bikes - 4-strokes just don't have the thrill for me . I got this bike to fix up and ride. I figured that I could make it look really good with just a little elbow grease and good luck and then I would have a good looking ride to boot !

The forks are done, all cleaned inside and out, lowers and triple clamp polished and clear coated. No leaks. Another step done.

catch the ups man and hide em in the shed!. a good bike has to worth 3+k usd ?? so you've got some fat to play with I rekon (help me out here guys...)

tell the chancellor of the exchequer that you will have a 5k masterpiece when your finished....

Just sit her down and just lay it out there and tell her approx what you need to spend and the time frame.

One week,two weeks, month, 3 months.

But stay away from anything over a month cause sleeping on the sofa and no supper is long time!