More seat stuff

Yep, more Bridgestone seat pics. This time of an actual completed part, somewhat trimmed to fit:

Pretty exciting, huh?

Bridgestone BS-7: Making a Seat

I missed a few photos during the process, but here is a quick recap.


I made a seat pan out of a 1/4" thick piece of pre-made fiberglass, courtesy a scrap piece of an anti-flotation flange from an AdvanTex AX20 pod (p00p cleaning box):


Another views, showing the front and rear mounting brackets. the front brackets pulls double duty, as the rear mount for the fuel tank:


I used foam crafting blocks glued above and below the seat pan. This is where I started shaping the foam with saws and sand paper, but failed to get any pics:


I managed to snap one photo of the seat with the first layer of fiberglass cloth applied, before I put on the rubber gloves and got covered in resin:


I've since stripped the form off the lower foam blocks, and have it sitting in the sun to fully cure. The rear hump has the foam encapsulated with cloth, so it should be fairly robust. In a few days I'll turn it over and add some fiberglass matting material to the lower side pieces, to give them a little thickness. Then I get to spend countless hours getting it smooth.

C'

More Bridgestone

Yes, another side view of the BS-7. This time, with a crudely crafted aluminum seat and tail section. Just to get an idea of how it looks, matched up with the tank:

I think the seat needs to be roughly 2-3" longer, as my butt will likely fit right on the seat above the rear shocks. But at least the look is coming together.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7: Tank Idea

The spare Bridgestone 90 Sport came with a fuel tank, which is an interesting shape not shared with the 90 Mountain and 90 Trail models. It is longer, lower, and somewhat pointy as shown below:

It happens to fit the BS-7 frame quite well, and extends backward about four inches more than the BS-7 tank. I think it could work with a cafe style seat. Oh, and a set of Honda Trail 70 rear shocks fit too, and are about 1/2" longer with a bit more stroke. I also like the exposed spring look.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7: Fiddling

So, what happens when a Bridgestone 90 sport front fork setup fits on a BS-7, with a little modification? This:

The stock BS-7 front fork setup is the older leading link style, with a pressed steal fork body. It happens to be severely mangled, so I either need to spend a weekend with some sheet metal and sheers, or find another front fork assembly. In the meantime, I wanted to see if this spare set of 90 Sport telescopic forks would fit.

I'm not sure why, but I'm losing interest in doing a "normal" restoration on this bike. I think it's because I'm already tired of cleaning old parts! And stripping paint, and sanding, and...you get the idea. Part of the fun of building something is to be able to take random spare parts and put them to use. In this case, I'm having visions of a replica 50cc racer. Something like these guys:

If I got his route, I'm going to have a goal of not modifying the frame or any of the BS-7 parts, that way if I ever decide to return it back to stock, I can. I'm thinking a custom tank, seat, and even a fairing. I know most of this stuff is available online, but it is all a bit expensive. So maybe I'll make the parts. Not sure how I'll make a fairing, but it could be a fun project.

C'

Homebrew: Brown Sugar

This was a bit of an experiment, using some leftover liquid extract, some crystal 60, and some brown sugar. I've let it age in the bottle for six weeks, and it is getting better. It has fairly strong alcohol warmth, but with a sweetness to balance it. This doesn't fit any specific category, I was trying something different. Oh yeah, this was the first time I used a pair of 1.25gal glass jars (think COSTCO sized pickle jars) for primary fermentation, which I've since used on a couple cider and mead recipes.



Batch 1.80 gal
Recipe Gravity 1.087 OG
Estimated FG 1.022 FG
Recipe Bitterness 38 IBU
Alcohol by Volume 8.4%
Recipe Color 24° SRM
Alcohol by Weight 6.6%

Ingredients
1.50 lb Briess LME - Sparkling Amber Extract
2.00 lb Brown Sugar, Dark Sugar
0.40 lb Crystal 60L Grain Mashed

0.30 oz Centennial Whole 30 minutes
0.20 oz Zeus Whole 30 minutes
0.50 oz Cascade Whole 10 minutes

0.50 unit Irish Moss Fining 1/2 tsp
0.50 unit Safale S-05 Dry Ale Yeast American: Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

C'

Homebrew: Cream Ale

I brewed up a cream ale a few weeks ago, and it turned very nice. I totally forgot the irish moss, so it is cloudy, but still tasty.



Batch 2.20 gal
Gravity 1.057 OG
Estimated FG 1.014 FG
Recipe Bitterness 31 IBU
Alcohol by Volume 5.5%
Recipe Color 3° SRM
Alcohol by Weight 4.3%

Ingredients
1.35 lb Briess LME - Golden Light Extract Extract
0.50 lb Flaked Corn Adjunct Mashed
0.50 lb Flaked Oats Adjunct Mashed
0.75 lb MrB. Booster Sugar Other
0.50 lb Two-row (US) Grain Mashed

0.40 oz Magnum Whole 30 minutes
0.30 oz Cascade Whole 12 minutes
0.40 oz Cascade Whole 0 minutes

0.20 unit Generic ingredient Other 2oz maltodextrine
0.50 unit Safale S-05 Dry Ale Yeast Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

Bridgestone Frame - Primed

After getting the frame of the Bridgestone BS-7 stripped down, I managed to get it primed this afternoon:



I'll do a bit of light wet sanding, and get it painted in a few days.

C'

Random Beer Stuff - Mead, Caldera, Hops

My first Mead! A sparkling sweet mead courtesy of a friend, Kari, who swapped me this and some brew offerings for an old push mower I hadn't used in years. It was interesting to try, as I've never had a mead before. very bubbly, not overly sweet, and packed a good punch:


An offering from Caldera Brewing in Ashland, OR. A very nice Amber, in a can. I wouldn't have been able to tell it came from a can though. Great maltyness with a good solid amber bite of nuts in the middle. Very yummy:


The hops are doing pretty good, especially considering how cool and wet this year has been. Things should take off this week though, as temps will be hitting the mid 80s through the end of the week:


C'