Time to take things back to basics. It can reach a point where saturation takes hold, and you begin to question the specific location of certain parts, the right way to do something or even the damned designation of what a bike may be. This is all well and good but you can get so close to the minutiae that it’s easy to forget the bigger picture: Take a step back, and enjoy what’s been achieved. As the sun begins to peak through the cloud, I’m less inclined to worry about the frustrations in my workshop and am ready to have some fun; cue Cool Kid Customs who seem to have that down-pat.
Hailing from Amsterdam, the laid back vibe can be felt all through their bikes. Previous builds have shown playful use of colour and a fantastic disregard for towing the party line. This 1977 Suzuki GS750 was bought from two gentlemen that lived in the local neighborhood and at first glance it seemed a little past it’s expiry date. White clouds of smoke puffed from the rusty exhaust and dodgy duct-taped wiring rang the alarm bells. An average buyer wouldn’t look twice at it. But Michel from CKC thought his give this old work-horse another chance in life, so took it home.
After stripping the bike down, the onerous cleanup started. Out came the grinder and off came brackets and tabs. The looped slightly kicked for mudguard clearance. Simple, clean and off to the coaters, this time for some basic black powder. A new battery box sits in the rear triangle while the ignition now resides under the seat, cleaning up the top yoke. An entirely new, simplified loom replaces the bodged original, so those nasty electrical gremlins should be long gone.
The stance has been tweaked by lowering the front forks by an inch or so, and now riding on a set of classic Avon tyres, the bike is perfect for cruising about town.
Thanks to the ominous white smoke, the engine was taken apart for inspection. It became apparent that the valve stem were letting oil past, but along with a through relapping of valves and a new set of piston rings there’s plenty of life left in the 4 cylinder lump. The rusty old 4-into-2 exhaust made it’s way over to the dumpster and a 4-into-1 system was fabricated from an old exhaust manifold and a Megaton muffler. Points were replaced and the engine was cleaned and painted before working it’s way back into the cradle.
The original, bulky GS750 tank was swapped out for a smaller GS550 tank. Rather than the usual neon splashed of colour, the palette was kept dark. A rose pastern inspired by the lace effects as seen on old-school American low-riders covers the brown tank while liberal use of black powder keeps things clean and simple elsewhere.
The seat received some diamond stitching and matching grips tie it all together. Smoked blinkers, a drilled tail light and a black and yellow glass headlight are all classy and subdued. A different look from the usual Cool Kid style but pulled off with panache.
Freshly made up, the old dame once again is back to her best; she really doesn’t look too shabby for a 38 year old junkyard dog; the essence of what we’re all here for. Taking a dowdy UJM that’s out of mind and out of sight and giving it some care and attention. As Michel says: “I hope the bike is happy again”. I’m certain it is.
There are plenty of build pictures over on the CKC Facebook page so go check them out. Oh, and if the bike tickles your fancy, it happens to be for sale.
via the bike shed
