Posts
270
Joined
2/8/2013
Location
GB
Mateaton
10/3/2013 11:55am
10/3/2013 11:55am
Edited Date/Time
4/10/2015 8:30pm
After reading some amazing threads on here by some stupid talented guys I thought I'd start my own post on here and share my build in the hope of getting more tips along the way. Having started a few 'help' posts on here previously I thought I'd pass on what I have learned from members on here.
It all started on valentines day earlier this year when I turned to my wife and said I'd like a project!!! Being impulsive I jumped straight in and bought this pile of s**t off eBay.
The eagle eye ones amongst you may spot the wrong year swingarm and a few other wrong parts but I just wanted something to start me off and this was it.
Like a child at Christmas I started stripping everything down and filing it away
It all started on valentines day earlier this year when I turned to my wife and said I'd like a project!!! Being impulsive I jumped straight in and bought this pile of s**t off eBay.
The eagle eye ones amongst you may spot the wrong year swingarm and a few other wrong parts but I just wanted something to start me off and this was it.
Like a child at Christmas I started stripping everything down and filing it away
Rims were knackered but hubs were cut out and saved for later rebuild.
Having a good friend at JCB I sent the frame off to him to weld up a few bits on the frame and do his best with the frame rails
Frame was then mocked up to check everything roughly fitted together
How it looked to start with:
Stripped down:
The Shop
Next my wife got involved and did me proud. First she sanded any rough patches and deep scratches out with her nail sanding drill finishing off with various grades of nail sanding blocks. She then warmed up some black Rit dye in a pan on the stove and painted it on
While she had her sanding kit out she set about tidying the seat pan
Before
After
Once the new seat cover is fitted all those old holes will be covered up, just need to find some cash to replace the too far gone original foam but that's not a priority right now
Frame was then opened up and airbox fitted all with NOS bolts
Cheekily I also found a NOS sub tank on eBay and put it in the wife's watched items. A week later it arrived and is awaiting mating to my new shock body.
As soon as I find a powdercoaters locally with the correct RAL to do my spring ill have everything bolted together and fitted.
Now unfortunately this is where I'm at with things, with new businesses and 4 kids I can't justify spending massive amounts at a time but its nice to just chip away with small pieces as I go. So far its taken me best part of 7 months but as a hobby other than getting out there in the mud i have to say I've been bitten by the bug. Forgot to say earlier this bike won't be ridden it will be a dedication to my aunts and uncle who have sadly passed who got me into racing during my schoolboy days and it will be coming into the house once completed and mounted on a wall somewhere :-)
Next up I'm turning my attentions to the forks. Don't particularly want to go down the polished route but more of a factory finish like pics below. Seeing as it won't be ridden I'm thinking of cleaning them up smooth then maybe powdercoating satin black or grey????
Pit Row
Regarding the fork finish. I de-seamed mine, cleaned them up with emery and wet & dry then had them aqua/vapour blasted and finally hard anodised. Speak to you anodiser and ask if he can replicate the factory brown/grey colour. That's what I did with mine.
Spoilt for choice as I like this also :-)
I've seen a couple of Factory Showa forks close up and they definitely are not black. They are brown/grey/bronze colour, very hard to describe. On my 1986 CR250 I soaked them overnight in Vanish/Oxyclean solution. They came out looking exactly like the Factory Showas. I haven't had a problem with them. They will need aqua blasting first to clean them and remove dirt and anodising or lacquer.
Great work, keep the story rolling.
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