Yesterday I picked up a 1971 Black Widow with a powersports 4hp on it.
Set up street legal with lights, horn, brake lights, speedometer and I even got a state of ohio motorcycle title for it! Can you say fun time town cruiser? Oh yeah.
I picked it up for 800 dollars, bike is really nice, rims are in great shape but unchromed, tank is perfect, frame perfect, fenders, ect ect. Only flaw are the wheels. Front tire needs replaced, its really cracked from age. New Torque, jackshaft, sprockets, bearings, belt, covers.
Now some questions.
The carb has a few issues, first being that it was flooding out, I took it apart, the needle seat was completely gone! Nothing in there, I didn't have a rebuild kit for it, so I stuck on an old primer bulb carb I had, and got it running half way decent just to try it out. My question here is the carb sits at an angle, it doesn't have the angled intake tube, should I buy one or just rebuild the carb as is and leave it unlevel. I already ordered a rebuild kit for the carb should have it tomorrow. But I've been reading and see mixed opinions about carb angle.
Second, the back shocks are so freaking worn out and soft that when I hit a bump it slams the tire into the fender, would it hurt anything if i bought a set of stiff shocks to throw on the back? I threw a set of cheapo 450lb compression rate shocks on the back and its stiff as crap but I can ride it without slamming it around.
Also is there a way to beef up the front springs in the forks, pretty soft up there as well.
I don't plan on beating this bike off road, but cruising around town and just having fun on it. Its too nice to actually take off road and beat on.
I'll have some pictures after I get it back together, I already took the motor off of it, opened it up checked everything out and resealed, tonight I am going to power wash the frame and touch up the paint and clean and check all the bolts and mounting stuff.
Set up street legal with lights, horn, brake lights, speedometer and I even got a state of ohio motorcycle title for it! Can you say fun time town cruiser? Oh yeah.
I picked it up for 800 dollars, bike is really nice, rims are in great shape but unchromed, tank is perfect, frame perfect, fenders, ect ect. Only flaw are the wheels. Front tire needs replaced, its really cracked from age. New Torque, jackshaft, sprockets, bearings, belt, covers.
Now some questions.
The carb has a few issues, first being that it was flooding out, I took it apart, the needle seat was completely gone! Nothing in there, I didn't have a rebuild kit for it, so I stuck on an old primer bulb carb I had, and got it running half way decent just to try it out. My question here is the carb sits at an angle, it doesn't have the angled intake tube, should I buy one or just rebuild the carb as is and leave it unlevel. I already ordered a rebuild kit for the carb should have it tomorrow. But I've been reading and see mixed opinions about carb angle.
Second, the back shocks are so freaking worn out and soft that when I hit a bump it slams the tire into the fender, would it hurt anything if i bought a set of stiff shocks to throw on the back? I threw a set of cheapo 450lb compression rate shocks on the back and its stiff as crap but I can ride it without slamming it around.
Also is there a way to beef up the front springs in the forks, pretty soft up there as well.
I don't plan on beating this bike off road, but cruising around town and just having fun on it. Its too nice to actually take off road and beat on.
I'll have some pictures after I get it back together, I already took the motor off of it, opened it up checked everything out and resealed, tonight I am going to power wash the frame and touch up the paint and clean and check all the bolts and mounting stuff.
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For only 800 dollars, I couldn't pass it up, I've seen worse on ebay go for more.