Well after setting back and analyzing a few days, I wentto look over the bike. I started taking parts off for closer inspection in an effort to see if any were salvageable. Well that efforty led me to the realiztion that it wasn't nearly as bad off as it looked. The light bulb was now on and so was the reconstruction!
The very last place I was going to call happened to pick up the phone (on the fifth ring I think) and talked quite confidently. Monday Charles and I loaded the bike into the Astro and dropped it off the shop. They had an extensive amount of bikes in the shop getiing various modifications. They seemed to specialize in extending swing arms. After looking over the joint I left the bike and a number for them to call when it was done. They called a few days later and said it was ready. They chargedd me $150 for two welds (WAY TOO MUCH) but I was happy it was fixed. I had left the subframe there also, but he said it was far too twisted to repair. Oh well, I'd have to buy one I thought.
I then started the polishing of the frame. It was lots of work, but seeing how they charge upwards of $450 to do what I wanted, the $25 I spent on materials was a bargain. I also started checking on prices for a rear sub-frame. The best quote I got was $594. No way I was paying that. I tried to find one locally used, no dice. Looked like I might have to break down and pay the money after all. Not to forget I needed a gas tank also, which I couldn't find used either. Best price I found for one new was over $400. I was depressed and discouraged to say the least. So after the polishing of the frame and swing arm was complete The bike just sat in Charles garage for a over 5 months.
A mustang gear head buddy of mine, Tom, suggested that I look over EBAY for the parts. I had never tried it but figured what could I stand to lose? Well, I quickly learned the incorrect to bid. I would see something and put in a bid soon as I saw it. That is useless because there is always some idiot who will come behind you and price the damn thing as if it were new. I learned to just add certain items to "WATCH" and if the bids hadn't skyrocketed out of what I wanted to pay (usually it did) I jump on right before the auction would end and add a bid higher then the last. To make a long story short, I eventually won a few needed items (like decals) and finally a gas tank in December (the wreck happened way back in May or June) for $110 shipped. In anticipation of the shipment, I spent all Christmas working on my Fairings. The rear seat fairing had the most damage and required the most work. It took about 2 days to get all the fairings back into shape. I had more time then money. so it was no biggie, especially when you consider I see idiots on EBAY bidding over $200 for used fairings! So how was it looking so far? The picture below shows what it looked like when I got to a shop that could fix my rear subframe (I grew tired of tryingto win one for a decent price on EBAY).
I re-used all the original fairngs.(Years of working in Stereo Shops doing custom fiberglass pods and things came in handy). I eventually found someone to fix the original rear-subframe (the same guy who made the headers for my single turbo set-up on the 95 Mustang, Andy is one hell of a fabricator) As you can see in the photo, I hadn't received the gas tank yet.
We both have sprockets, though I have a FULL exhaust (headers,pipe and REAL carbon fiber muffler) so I have a litle more "oats" then his. Not to mention he has over 7 large on his while my motor is just reaching 3,500 miles! That's changing fast though as I ride it every chance I get now. I'm still a bit "Gun Shy" but I now have a new motto R2 THE DUBLE- TEE! Which simply means RESPECT THE THROTTLE! With a bike as fast as this, it's a must!
