OMFG.
My ride is a surplus military 1977 model year which served in Kashmir. Still has its military registration/serial numbers on the fenders and the battalion logo on the tank. Pretty busted up around some of the periphery but all told, she's in great shape. Looks like a bunch of privates with a bucket of OD green housepaint were told to re-finish it every few months of its life.
Not in running shape now but will be rebuilt; unfortunately it's gonna take a few months with the mechanic I'm working with. He's a busy man in demand, but he's not going to balk at what I want to try, which is gonna seem pretty weird to most Indian eyes. And he seems to have a clue about what he's doing.
It is going to be a mishmash of styles, but I really want to keep the bike's patina and do service to its heritage while making it into a real hot-rod. I'll hang on to all the original parts in the event I want to do a more classic restoration someday.
So, right now, I plan on:
Putting a front TLS brake (OD green with red laquer between the cooling fins, maybe drilled a la Project Badger for venting)
New 5-speed transmission box
New rear shocks (RE stock with the piggyback reservoir)
28mm Mikarb, K&N pod filter, might experiment with a snorkel-style intake like Ace was using once the bike is running.
upswept megaphone muffler, pipe wrap (once header is de-rusted and hi-temp painted)
Motolanna black cafe tail with no rear fender beneath. Dry cell battery and ignition coil under seat.
Replacing casquette with Thunderbird yoke (puts bars right atop fork legs, lengthening the stance) and a sheet-aluminum minimalist dashboard with replica Smith speedo and maybe idiot lights.
Black dirt track bars with moderate pullback, minimalist bar setup (no signals on this one...really clean bar with the original setup.)
Stock peg position for now, consider rearsets once it's ridable and I can see how they'll feel. (Can fab or order locally for a LOT less than Hitchcock's...)
Taillight (the style that looks like the Lucas lamp with an erection beneath) tucked under the hump of the cafe tail on the support bracket for the seat.
Pull long shrouds off the fork, go with full or bottom-only fork boots.
Spot-sanding and touching up paint on frame and bodywork where necessary.
Will retain the toolboxes and against my usual thinking, both the case/leg guard and the giant front fender intact. Gonna look weird on what's supposed to be a lean-and-mean bike, but both are practical here and they speak to the bike's heritage (and the fender numbers look awesome.) Might pull off the guard at some point and if I decide to bob the front, I will do it to a second spare fender I can find at the scrap heap.
Holy crap. This is gonna be awesome!!