Mark G's Cat Dominator Re-do

[Mark G]

I picked up this Cat a while back, got it in a trade from a buddy. I wanted to tear into it right away, but I got it as a roller and it was missing a few pieces. Not to mention I had a few other projects torn apart at the same time, so it was going to have to wait. After I finally got my Scat Bat done, it was time:thumbsup:
This is how it looked when I got it..

Still sporting it's original paint, fork decal, seat, fenders, wheels, shocks and grips. It's missing quite a bit however- the engine, clutch cover, sissy bar, rear brake, gas cap, and kickstand. The forks are bent(slightly), as well as the bars. The front fender is tweaked (looks like someone tried to pick up the bike from the front with a pair of pliers:doah The chrome and hardware are rusty, and the tires are cracked very badly. The frame is in nice shape, nothing extra welded to it or cut off. The paint is chipped and worn, this bike has definitely been USED. The seat is pulling apart at the seams, and the wood base is trashed.

Like I did with the Bird, I'm only going to clean/detail/repair the original paint and parts. Even though it's far from original (missing a lot of the right pieces) I have a few tricks up my sleeve:wink:. Follow along as I clean the bike up and bring it back to it's former glory.

 

[Mark G]

More pics...

 

[YOOP]

nice one mark.cool your just cleaning it up and not repainting

 

[Jamie1972]

More pics...

Is that a "Recliner" for a seat!!:laugh:

 

[minibikin']

Way to go Mark. I love watching how you methodically preserve the original bikes!

 

[lil indian chopper]

im in the process of restoring my 71 cat dominator also.. original owner had painted it yellow back in the 70s.. i got and had it sand blasted and repainted.. all i need to do it a few things and should be ready by spring... original clutch guard to with decal.. no hs tec but i have a few to use.. now ill have all 3 cats eliminator. slingshot and dominator...

 

[derekbmn]

Awesome....

 

[buckeye]

I too like the way you save them. Nice bike Mark.:thumbsup:

 

[bikebudy]

Great Bike Mark ! :thumbsup:


Can anyone help me with the degree of the Cat_Eliminator/Dominator sissy bar angle?

I have it figured at 60 degrees , but ever time I look at a bike, I second guess that angle.

Thanks in advance

 

[lil indian chopper]

hows the slingshot sissy bars coming along bikebudy?

 

[derekbmn]

Great Bike Mark ! :thumbsup:


Can anyone help me with the degree of the Cat_Eliminator/Dominator sissy bar angle?

I have it figured at 60 degrees , but ever time I look at a bike, I second guess that angle.

Thanks in advance

I should have just sent ya one....:doah:

 

[bikebudy]

I should have just sent ya one....:doah:

Not enough room in the box for another bar, :laugh: :lol:

 

[Mark G]

nice one mark.cool your just cleaning it up and not repainting

Thanks, sometimes it's just easier to repaint but I like to "save" them if I can:thumbsup:

Is that a "Recliner" for a seat!!:laugh:

Years of not having the sissy bar..I will end up rebuilding the seat, using the original vinyl and new wood:thumbsup:

Way to go Mark. I love watching how you methodically preserve the original bikes!

Thanks Chad!

im in the process of restoring my 71 cat dominator also.. original owner had painted it yellow back in the 70s.. i got and had it sand blasted and repainted.. all i need to do it a few things and should be ready by spring... original clutch guard to with decal.. no hs tec but i have a few to use.. now ill have all 3 cats eliminator. slingshot and dominator...

I have a Eliminator I plan on restoring, but that bike needs almost all new parts...I hope to re-use most everything on this one:smile:

Awesome....

:thumbsup:

I too like the way you save them. Nice bike Mark.:thumbsup:

Thanks Tom!

Great Bike Mark ! :thumbsup:


Can anyone help me with the degree of the Cat_Eliminator/Dominator sissy bar angle?

I have it figured at 60 degrees , but ever time I look at a bike, I second guess that angle.

Thanks in advance

PM sent!

Thanks for all the kind words, most people walk into my house and think I'm crazy when they see stuff like this on the front porch:laugh::

 

[buckeye]

Well, aren't ya.:laugh:

Nice pile.:thumbsup:

 

[Jamie1972]

I thought you had to be ut: to be allowed on the Forum...:glare:

 

[AJaxMini]

Maybe you know or one of the experts will chime in

Hey Mark, I was noticing the throttle on your bike appears to have black parts. Are they plastic and if so, were these original? My Slingshot had what I thought to be the original grips and throttle but the throttle parts were black plastic and kind of junky. Mine were broken and taped back together...LOL! Anyway, just wanted to know about yours since it seems to be all original like mine was.

Thanks, AJ

 

[Jamie1972]

Brochure shows black throttle.

 

[markus]

Cat used the throttle and grips called "Gran Turismo" and from what I have seen they are pretty specific to the cat line.

I talked with Dave Liberton about them recently and he thinks that cat was actually making them in house but I'm not real sure about that as Gran Turismo makes/made grips etc for resale, you just never see the cat throttle on anything. He had some NOS listed recently but ran out and was sending out typical chrome metal assy's instead :facepalm: He told me he was going to dig around in his inventory he thinks he has some still but just does not know where and if he found any he would let me know. He bought out cat and others inventories as they went out back in the 70's, from talking to him though it sounds like all the "Important" stuff is long gone and he just has oddball things left over.

heres what they look like (off a cat 350ss I had, of course now owned by Derek :laugh

 

[AJaxMini]

Sorry to hijack the thread!

Thanks for the notes Markus! That is exactly what mine looks like. It's a bummer that they are plastic though, I'm imagining that a lot of them broke. The grip itself doesn't seem to be anything special. I have some NOS from the day that appear to be the same in all aspects and I've seen a couple variations on them.

 

[markus]

Sorry to hijack the thread!

Thanks for the notes Markus! That is exactly what mine looks like. It's a bummer that they are plastic though, I'm imagining that a lot of them broke. The grip itself doesn't seem to be anything special. I have some NOS from the day that appear to be the same in all aspects and I've seen a couple variations on them.

the grips are actually specific, they have the Gran Turismo cast into them as well, Those I have seen sold by themselves but again not on a very regular basis.