After several weeks into this project I realised that so many parts were either incorrect, missing or needed replacing through damage or corrosion. As I looked online for these parts I came across a donor bike, a 1983 XT500 1U6 for sale in Rome.
It arrived by courier in July 2020. It was in a mess, without documents but cheap (€1000 plus €280 shipping) considering the prices they fetch these days. It was missing the clocks and bracket, kick start, bash plate, indicators, and the headlamp lens was smashed. But I had those already.
There were parts missing from the donor bike which I did need. These were the original exhaust, tail light assembly, side panels and chain guard. Overall the bike was even rustier than mine (except the forks) but I felt confident that I could restore the parts I needed. I could also sell the rest as spares if I restored them too, to help pay for this project.
Unfortunately, I had already bought an original tank by this time, it was in the UK being repaired.
The intention was to start selling the parts I didn’t need from either bike to top up my restoration budget, and end up with one completely restored bike.
Parts I restored and used from the donor bike:
- Tool box
- Helmet lock
- Air box (not rubber parts)
- Rear mudguard/fender
- Rear Shocks
- Swing arm
- Rear hub rubber dampers
- Brake plate
- Seat base and brackets
- Battery box rubber parts
- Brake peddle shaft and linkage
- Ignition switch
- Headlamp bucket
- Cable brackets
- Cam shaft
- Clutch side engine casing
The restoration of these can be seen on other pages.
I have yet to calculate whether buying those parts new or used, then restoring them would have been less than buying this none-runner donor bike.
