So I haven't forgotten about this bike. It's still on the lift table, but the project has grown a bit more protracted than originally anticipated.
The guy I trusted to paint my body panels turned out to be a junkie. I had no idea. He was picked up by the cops two weeks ago for heroin possession. I didn't know this until I went to buy the paint (he told me the panels were ready to be sprayed) and the guy who ran the body shop asked how he was going to paint it from jail.
Fawk.
Fast forward a week, and ol' boy is out on bond, courtesy of daddy. I message him to check up on things and reacquire my parts. While trying to arrange pickup, he asks me if I know anyone who might be interested in a vintage Kawasaki project. I ask for details and get a message that says
"1972 Kawasaki H2 750. Clear title. $500."
After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I told him I'd take it, though I did have my reservations about handing over $500 cash to an alleged heroin user.
Long story short, his dad actually did the deal. I saw the folded money go into his dad's pocket, so hopefully that goes to pay off the bond debt instead of into his arm.
So, cool, I've got a kickass 2 stroke project...where are my BMW parts?
"I'll drop them by Monday"
Okay.
Monday comes and goes. Message him Tuesday.
"Yeah, I'll be by today."
Tuesday comes and goes. Message him Wednesday.
"Car got rear ended, had to get towed. I'll be by Thursday.
Thursday comes and goes. Message him Friday.
"I'll be by in about 15 minutes" (this was at about 10am)
At 6:30pm, he finally shows up with my parts. The workmanship is garbage. The body filler and guide coat are still wet. Keep in mind, these parts had supposedly been done for weeks and were ready for paint. The large fairing is pretty much unusable. Pieces are now broken that were in good condition when I gave them to him.
I was at a loss for words. I threw everything in the car and walked off without saying anything to keep from jumping down his throat.
Turns out that was a mistake. I didn't realize that he didn't give me back my windshield. Oh well.
Luckily, I know a local guy who is in the process of building a cafe from his '85 RS, so I scored an upper fairing, seat cowl, and radiator trim, and mirrors from him (since mine were all returned broken or unusable)
So last night, I took a trip down to Atlanta and handed off the parts to a longtime friend who runs a body shop down there. I should have done that first instead of screwing with this guy, but oh well.
Sorry for the long, ranty post.