I acquired, free of charge, a 1986 Spree with 348 miles on the clock. It hadnÔÇÖt run in over 10 years according to the original owner. 15 minutes after I got it home it was running. Not well but running nonetheless. Once running I put in some fresh gas with SeaFoam, new oil and rigged up an air filter since the original disintegrated the minute I touched it. I also replaced the spark plug although it ran on the original one. I then had a well-running little machine after blowing it out around my small back streets a few times.
IÔÇÖve gotten into restoring things lately (more on that later). This scooter led me right to another project. I decided I was going to rebuild this thing to match my 2006 Ducati 749 which I use at the track. Pit bikes are a big hit so why not build a matching pit bike?
As of now the scoot is completely torn town. The frame, wheels and left side belt cover are in the process of being powder coated. Meanwhile I am doing the bodywork including fixing the cracks and doing the paint. The scoot will have white panels with black pin strips just like the 749 and also mesh in some strategic locations. I am also sand blasting other parts in order to repaint and/or polish them. The carb is sitting in BerrymanÔÇÖs just to be extra sure the carb is clean. Visual inspections showed it was spotless. The new plug indicated itÔÇÖs running rich. Another reason to clean it! Not surprised given the time it sat. After riding it for a bit the plug has shown signs of turning the beautiful tan color it should be but not all the way yet.
Overall I expect the new look to give the Spree a little more attitude. I am putting Michelin Starcross M2ÔÇÖs on it to help with that goal. IÔÇÖm still undecided about doing some carbon fiber accents. WeÔÇÖll see...
Given my recent restorations and the subsequent reactions to them, I have decided to take a dive into the restoration/motorcycle world. I designed a website which I just launched yesterday (still needs some work). I have all the pictures of the Spree on the site and will continue to update the site as the build progresses.
If this is at all tacky and inappropriate, feel free to remove the post. IÔÇÖm seriously not soliciting business just sharing what is most likely a unique Spree build. A 749 Spree is probably one of a kind. I have used all my project pages as ÔÇ£customerÔÇØ pages rather say ÔÇ£IÔÇØ did this or that. I might change that approach in the copy just to be clear about it.
Anyway, you can see the details of the Spree at http://www.motorcyclesymmetry.com/proje ... spree.html - I hope you find the idea interesting and can live with the Ducati as inspiration.
Thanks and you guys have built some awesome scoots! These things are waaay more fun than their size indicates.
Here's my Photoshop work to show you what the goal is:
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