Wolfgang's SR500 Scrambler/Brat
By Anthony van Someren - 05 Nov 12
Wolfgang Rath is no first-timer when it comes to builds. He created the much-admired, Ace Cafe award-winning Ducati Custom based on a 92 750 SS that we featured on the The Bike Shed a couple of months back, and since then he's been a regular commentator on our BSMC Facebook pages as well as contributing tickets to the Classic Bike show as a competition prize.
This SR500 is his newest venture and we've been waiting to get pics for a while, so finally here she is in another dock-side shoot, this time with rainbows providing the background instead of harbour lights and a purple sky.
The bike started out like this, an unmolested 1978 SR 500...
...and ended up like this...
After fully reconditioning the engine Wolfgang fitted a Mikuni TM 36 Race carb with K&N air Filter with the burnt gases exiting via a wide-bore header pipe, for a freer breathing engine, and Custom Stainless Steel Silencer. The end result of this modest fettling is a respectable 38.2 bhp.
The rest of the bike's mods consist of the usual cafe/scrambler/brat shopping list - the ugly bits consigned to the bin, wiring loom minimised, a battery eliminator and simple lighting with the headlamp coming from a tractor. The subframe also needed to be rewelded into a loop at the rear to support a handcrafted leather seat.
The front and rear alloy fenders were custom made, while the tank has been left half bare metal and half paint, which seems to be the look of the moment on the Bike Shed's most recent home builds and pro builds. The original wire hoops are wearing Heidenau K60 dual sport tyres.
While all this has been going on Wolfgang joined up with his friends Leo and Makeba to found Motopunks, with a new website. Wolfgang can be contacted at wolfgang@motopunks.de