Out (Off) with the Old

Friday, 02.22.2013:  Spring is right around the corner and that means great riding weather.  I've been tracking my restoration costs to the penny and have been draining my "motorcycle account" pretty much within a day or two of my funds being replenished.  Fortunately I set out on this adventure/project with a budget because I can see where one could easily piss away thousands and thousands of dollars "restoring" a bike.  That being said, one of the last necessary items needed to be able to take the CL450 for a spin was new rim strips, inner tubes, and tires.  The old tires were dry rotted and the front inner tube wouldn't even hold air.  In order to get this thing on the road by mid-march, I needed to sell some stuff.  Enter Craigslist.org.  I had bought a 55 lb thrust trolling motor and battery box for our canoe a little over a year ago and sadly never got around to buying a battery and putting the thing to use, so I listed both items and within a day or so, got a call and an offer which I gladly accepted.  This "garage sale" just became my "new tires" fund!

Here are a few pics of the old tires and the rims before being replaced and the rims being sanded with a wire brush drill attachment: